924Board.org

JB 924 · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 606 Location: Hessen, Germany

Hey Guys,

I'll be putting on another hood on my car, because the one on there now has a crack in the frame, so it just hangs from the one hood support. I want to put gas charged struts on both sides of it. Has anyone done this? What length struts did you use and what are the measurements for the mounting points. Thanks.

Paul · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:36 pm Post subject:

If I understand, you have a hood without the struts and want to convert it.

Some of the parts houses used to sell a kit to do this that included all the required parts and the struts. I have not seen any of these kits for sale for quite some time.

The struts used on the 944s and 924Ss are still available, but you unless you can find the bolt on kit, you will need to weld on the stock mounts that are used in the later cars. You also may have to turn your battery 90 degrees.
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

JB 924 · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 606 Location: Hessen, Germany

Okay, yes, you're right. I do not have the stock struts, just a rod on the driver's side. I'm guessing you're talking about the kind of "brackets" that mount directly on the corners of the hood? What I was actually thinking about, was just getting struts like the ones that lift the rear hatch, and mounting them in the engine bay. What I was wondering, was if there is a certain length that would be ideal, and where to mount the pins that the strut would connect to. Thanks, though.

Paul · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:01 pm Post subject:

Since the rear hatch weighs a lot more than the hood, the rear struts will most likely deform your hood.
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

JB 924 · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 606 Location: Hessen, Germany

LOL!!!

You got me wrong, again. I wouldn't use the rear hatch struts, but ones specially made as hood struts. Like the ones they sell at NAPA.

Paul · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:17 pm Post subject:

If you are not going to install the stock mounts, what will you use?

NAPA sells the stock hood struts for our cars.
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

Stu2j · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:00 pm Post subject: Re: Hood Struts

Slam · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 3:20 am Post subject:

At one time (and maybe still, perhaps) Automotion/Performance Products sold a kit to do just this. You can't use hatch struts 'cause they're about twice as long as hood struts. I've had a look at NAPA struts and I think they would work. You just need a mounting system. I'd try Perf. Prod. I've got a couple of dead hood shocks in the shop and I'll go out and measure them for you.
_________________
'88 944 Auto - may or may not resurrect

morghen · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 9102 Location: Romania

no way of rebuilding these shocks ?
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Chrenan · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 3903 Location: Canada

Smoothie · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:28 am Post subject:

john h · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:24 am Post subject:

When I rebuilt my 944 (which had a frontal) I used a 924 hood and as it didn't have the brackets I went to the local pick a part and took some shocks off a Mitsubushi Chariot (in NZ). Drilled out the rivet holding the shock in place (threw the shock away) and used the bracket as the mount on the hood. Mount was already in place on the frame so didn't have to worry about that.
But we used the same method to put hood shocks on a 924 I've got - just had to go off and buy another 2 Mitsi rear hatch shocks and used the brackets from both ends to mount the Porsche hood shocks (brought from the local Porsche parts place) and I could do away with the stick holding the hood up.
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Remember a Porsche is not just for Christmas,

if you take it to pieces slowly it can provide anguish all year long!

JB 924 · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 606 Location: Hessen, Germany

Stu2J, that's exactly what I meant. Napa has different length struts, so I thought just using one of those, then welding the supports to the hood and the engine bay, and it would work fine.

Paul, sorry. I think I was the one who misunderstood. When you said I'd have to move the battery around, I thought you were talking about those spring loaded brackets that older trucks have, that kind of come up from under the windshield. I didn't know 944s came with the system I was talking about.

So does anyone know the length of the struts used, and the locations where they mount. I was at the Porsche dealership today, and would rather get a strut from Napa, then pay Porsche Price on them.

Slam · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:08 pm Post subject:

Yeah. 16.5 inches extended - both my dead ones were that. Quite a bit shorter than hatch struts, but hatch struts look to me like the same thing you'd find on a minivan.

HTH
_________________
'88 944 Auto - may or may not resurrect

Paul · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:09 pm Post subject:

No worries, I'm glad we are finally on the same page!

Stop the next 944 you see and ask him to pop his hood!
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.