GAS BONNET STRUTS ANYONE???

[Captin Crayford 2]

Hi All

 

I'm looking at fitting gas struts to my Mk2 Cortina Bonnet. Has anyone done this?, i'm sure there must be out there. If so any help would be great, like length of the struts and a

pic or two of mounting points. Cheers.. :thumbup:

[Danish 294]

I'm fitting gas struts to my Mk3 boot lid, but I found it a lot more complicated that it initially appeared - the struts are very strong and it seems they need geometry so that in a closed position they push outwards keeping the bonnet/boot closed, and when more than a few degrees open, they also push outwards to assist in opening.

[bortaf 96]

Not done a mK2 (or a Mk5 for a few years) but Mondeo Mk3 uses them (just fitted a pair to my Mk1), you can find some tailgates have bolt in balljoints for the rams to clip on, i used Ford fusion B/Js and replaced one of the wing bolts with it then another at the hinge, be carefull not to use a too pwerfull ram or the bonet will bend and kink when you try to close it and or it wil fly up, i fitted transit tailgate struts to the Ex's Mk4 escort hatch and when she pressed the lock the tailgate flew up like a weapon and nearly took her head off :angel_not:

There are kits on ebay, check out bonnet lifters like below, if you look about you can find differant B/Js straight/90 deg angled/diff thread ect

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574629005&toolid=10001&campid=5335900709&customid=&mpre=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Golf-Mk2-or-Jetta-Mk2-Pair-Gas-Bonnet-Struts-Hood-Lifters-EAP-/231805028893?hash=item35f8a80a1d:g:1QQAAOSw-zxWntch

 

As Danish says you may need to play with angles and B/J postioning but check out factory instals and try and copy the angles IF you can, IME french cars use shorter rams, my 106 has rams on the bonnet half the length of the ones i used on the mondeo but they are thicker and wouldn't fit in the space on the Mondy, i have a few pairs laying about if you want some long thin ones to play with? no idea where they came from i just have a drawer on differant struts "just in case" :thumbup:

 

If you find some that fit and want new ones this is a good place for matching the part numbers to keep the same pressures/length ect

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/car-boot-tailgate/ford

[the-ford-cortina.com 226]

I sold some correct rear door stays to go on a Morris Traveller a couple of weeks ago, the owner said the PO had fitted gas struts and every time he went to open the back doors they came open with that much force they knocked him flying. :rofl:

[deltamal 38]

I was thinking about fitting some to my Mk3, but thinking about the 'flappy' bonnet at motorway speeds decided it did not need any help in lifting up! :D

[Danish 294]

I was thinking about fitting some to my Mk3, but thinking about the 'flappy' bonnet at motorway speeds decided it did not need any help in lifting up! :D

 

Ah, that's the thing though - design the angles right and the struts help keep the bonnet shut. :thumbup:

[Captin Crayford 2]

I'm fitting gas struts to my Mk3 boot lid, but I found it a lot more complicated that it initially appeared - the struts are very strong and it seems they need geometry so that in a closed position they push outwards keeping the bonnet/boot closed, and when more than a few degrees open, they also push outwards to assist in opening.

 

 

 

Ah yes, this was one of the things that i had thought about, the geometry.. :headscratch: . Not a strong point with me lol... I would think that one end would be fixed to the hinge mounting

plate as the pivot point then the other end to the bonnet, stating the obvious i know, this would depend on the length of the strut. Something Ford fiesta hatch length might be the go... One

problem i have is there are no Fiesta's here in Aus... so would need a measurement.. Mk1 or MK2 Models. :thumbup:

[Captin Crayford 2]

Not done a mK2 (or a Mk5 for a few years) but Mondeo Mk3 uses them (just fitted a pair to my Mk1), you can find some tailgates have bolt in balljoints for the rams to clip on, i used Ford fusion B/Js and replaced one of the wing bolts with it then another at the hinge, be carefull not to use a too pwerfull ram or the bonet will bend and kink when you try to close it and or it wil fly up, i fitted transit tailgate struts to the Ex's Mk4 escort hatch and when she pressed the lock the tailgate flew up like a weapon and nearly took her head off :angel_not:

There are kits on ebay, check out bonnet lifters like below, if you look about you can find differant B/Js straight/90 deg angled/diff thread ect

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574629005&toolid=10001&campid=5335900709&customid=&mpre=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Golf-Mk2-or-Jetta-Mk2-Pair-Gas-Bonnet-Struts-Hood-Lifters-EAP-/231805028893?hash=item35f8a80a1d:g:1QQAAOSw-zxWntch

 

As Danish says you may need to play with angles and B/J postioning but check out factory instals and try and copy the angles IF you can, IME french cars use shorter rams, my 106 has rams on the bonnet half the length of the ones i used on the mondeo but they are thicker and wouldn't fit in the space on the Mondy, i have a few pairs laying about if you want some long thin ones to play with? no idea where they came from i just have a drawer on differant struts "just in case" :thumbup:

 

If you find some that fit and want new ones this is a good place for matching the part numbers to keep the same pressures/length ect

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/car-boot-tailgate/ford

 

Top Man!! :thumbup: . Thanks for all the info. i have some of the balls to push the rams onto. and a pair of rams from an old holden but i think they are to long for the job. What size/ length did

you use on the MK1. They would be close for the MK2 i would think..

[bortaf 96]

Top Man!! :thumbup: . Thanks for all the info. i have some of the balls to push the rams onto. and a pair of rams from an old holden but i think they are to long for the job. What size/ length did

you use on the MK1. They would be close for the MK2 i would think..

 

I fitted Mk3 mondeo rams to my Mk1 mondeo sorry not cortina ;(

it's a well troden mod on them.

[Danish 294]

I would think that one end would be fixed to the hinge mounting plate as the pivot point then the other end to the bonnet

 

If you think about the average hatch-back car. If you unlock the hatch-back, but don't lift it up, generally they stay in a closed position. It's not until you lift it a few inches that the struts kick-in and raise the lid.

[nang 2]

They basically go over centre when closed. This is what holds them down. Got some on my Triumph Spitfire but showing them would only confuse I think.

Tony.

Edited April 6, 2016 by nang

[Jason 5]

I'm not sure you'd want to use boot lifts though.

A boot lid with glass in it is a LOT heavier than a mk2 Cortina bonnet.

I thought of using mk2 fiesta boot struts in a similar way.

 

Chances are, you fit two of those to a mk2 cortina. Open the bonnet for the first time and it either flies off or you end up swinging off of the edge of the bonnet trying to pull it shut. Lol.

Don't use one either, otherwise the bonnet/boot will twist as one side resists and the other doesn't.

 

Jason.

[do it sideways 41]

Look at bmw bonnet struts, small, strong, but my advice would be to make a complete hinge assembly,

[Captin Crayford 2]

Thanks for all the input everyone,, Given me plenty to think on.. I'll what i can come up with.. :thumbup:

[zeteccortina 0]

I did this on a mk3 Capri using Capri boot struts and making a bracket on top of suspension strut fixing to bonnet hinge fixing, it worked so well that when I sold the car I took it off to keep for future use.

I will try to fit it to my Tina mk2 when it's back on the road.