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That would be pretty neat to be able to just pull the hood release cable, then with gas filled assist struts the hood rises on its own or with slight hand assistance.
The hood itself weighs no more than a rear lid for a modern-day SUV. However, I think the biggest engineering task would be where the struts would retract in the small confines of a C3 engine bay. My wife's '14 GM hood has the struts, as does my F-150. Wonderful feature when just checking the oil, etc. (I have had cars that needed a broomstick prop)
Your first info you need is the actual weight of the rear of the hood. Maybe rig up some type of scale the hood could rest on in the slightly open position.
Perhaps somewhere on the almighty internet is a chart with strut diameter, strut length when fully extended and fully retracted, plus working weight limit of the strut itself. Then you would need some geometry skills on figuring placement of the struts.
Is it doable? Yes & No. Would it be fun project? Yes & No. Would it be cool if done properly? Absolutely!
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; May 11, 2023 at 08:00 AM.
It doesn't get much simpler or maintenance free than the original hood strut.....but, its your car. I would not call anything different an "upgrade"....
After having worked on other forward-hinge cars with gas struts, often with a backup broomstick, I'd be looking at retrofitting the C3 method to other hoods.
I have 2 struts on my C6 hood and they work perfectly. Not too much pressure to put a load on the hood but enough to just lift the hood with one finger. It is on my TO DO list for my C3, if I ever get to the point of actually putting the hood back on
This is the part that so was curious about. If anyone had one and their thoughts on them. We were at a show a few months ago, a big wind came up and pushed my hood forward and broke the attachment of hood support at the base.
My hood then slammed down and spider web cracked at the paint level.
I have the car at a shop getting lots of interior work done and they recommended this support since they were going to have a fabricate a repair to the base of the original support. I do appreciate all comments. Thanks
NOT an upgrade is also my opinion. It's ridiculous thing to do with that light fiberglass hood. Hell, I retrofitted the gas strut on my little pickup camper shell rear window to a corvair mechanical hood strut (a couple of bucks at the boneyard)-- instead of replacing gas struts on a routine basis.
Originally Posted by 4-vettes
Ahhh, my opinion.
how could that be considered an upgrade?
You’d have to be very careful of the strut selection. With a strut vs the OEM support, you are placing more stress on the structure than the original when closing it. You are overcoming hydraulic pressure instead of just holding the hood up when stationary.
I can see someone not being patient and pushing down too hard on the hood to close it. That is a huge lever arm from the support point to the cowl end of the hood.
Edit: I did see a YouTube vid where a guy did this conversion but he made his own hood side bracket that moved the support point a significant distance closer to the cowl end of the hood, so that should mitigate the stress somewhat when closing. He also used a generic 75lb support from Walmart and some generic 10mm ball ends.
At the end of the day, I just don’t see the need for this conversion. The original works pretty darn good for me. If it’s windy out, I don’t park it with the hood open.
Last edited by wwiiavfan; May 12, 2023 at 01:46 PM.
You’d have to be very careful of the strut selection. With a strut vs the OEM support, you are placing more stress on the structure than the original when closing it. You are overcoming hydraulic pressure instead of just holding the hood up when stationary.
I can see someone not being patient and pushing down too hard on the hood to close it. That is a huge lever arm from the support point to the cowl end of the hood.
Edit: I did see a YouTube vid where a guy did this conversion but he made his own hood side bracket that moved the support point a significant distance closer to the cowl end of the hood, so that should mitigate the stress somewhat when closing. He also used a generic 75lb support from Walmart and some generic 10mm ball ends.
At the end of the day, I just don’t see the need for this conversion. The original works pretty darn good for me. If it’s windy out, I don’t park it with the hood open.
Thank you. Maybe if it didn’t put the word upgrade in the title I would have received more positive and informative information like this.
I’ll just get a new stock and reinforce the base and keep the hood closed on a windy day. That was a hard lesson. Thanks all and enjoy your weekend.
Matt, check your PM I sent pics with part numbers to make... really simple.
There are 2 that work well for this application. This is the stiffer of the 2. Available from O'Reilys 17" I believe. The lighter strut might be easier on the hood
as this one is perfect after being installed for 5 years. Only the second one after 15 years.
