Hood holdup
 

You all probably have this problem too. My hood refuses to stay up anymore.. when it's warm, it is ok.. but it sags, which I don't like, and when cold, it won't stay up for anything. I used a water jug to hold up the hood, anytime I am under it, but I would like a more permanet fix. I have seen the piston things on JCW.. but nothing for any H bodies on there.. anyone know of a size that would work? Or, is there something I can do to mine.. something free would be great :).


-justin

Remove one and go to a well-stocked auto parts store so you can physically match them up.

did you mean HOOD holdup 8)

LMAO!! yeah, guess I haven't been paying a lot of attention to what i've been posting.

Is there anything to save mine? I don't have a problem spending $20 or whatever.. its just I have trouble parting with money.


-justin

They're sealed units. Nothing you can do when they reach their lifetime. A wrecker would be cheaper (you might even find a hatchback with the same size), but it would already have a shorter lifespan because of it's VINTAGE.

:lol:

LMAO!! for some reason.. I think i'm going to be getting the vintage joke for a few weeks now. loL! My mom's hatch has much more of a throw, and her's doesn't go all that high, and is probably 3-6" longer than mine.. so I don't think a hatchback would work all that well. I'm going to live with what i've got, and juse my broken, rusted POS brake line to hold up my hood for the winter months.. it'll work.. I just need some duct tape loL!


-justin

items you will need

One old wooden broom handle

Hacksaw or other crude woodcutting apparatus

Roughly measure handle to a height you can live with while making sure that the ends will rest in a secure area, ensuring that the handle will not be knocked out

Cost = minimal

Not having the hood smash your head = priceless

Worked for 3 years on MrsCrzydmnds so far, gotta cut another one though, ours got broke last week during a rather violent rodent removal exercise :roll:

lol, sounds good. Cheap, easy, and.. Cheap! :)


-justin

you can even go bigger like I did, but not much.

I would go with the same ones to be safe.

It is very very cheap to get them. shocked me actually. spent 15.00 for 2

I just went to a regular auto parts store and they had a listing for them. I think they were less than 20$ each. Put them on in very little time too.

I'm going to pull mine, and see how far the hood can travel, and I could really use an extra inch of travel.. would that prevent it from closing properly?


-justin

shouldnt, but in doing that you must remember that you will be supporting the full weight of the massive hood on these cars. better find you a good broom handle. i have found a 2x4 fits pretty good between the battery and the front end, and is just long enough to take the load off of the springs where you could get them off, but dont quote me on that

Even better way if you plan to change them is to open the hood and make sure it is as high as it can go. Use vise grips on one of the sides that are screwed. That will hold the hood up and allow you to remove and replace one of the worn shocks. Then with one new one on that should hold the hood up enough for you to change the other side. If not get that broom handle near by. You DO NOT want to use the vise grips on the new shock as it may put grooves on the new cylinder and cause premature failure.

Re: Hood holdup
 

Hey Justin
I did replace mines (original GM genuine ones) for $32.00 each
at http://www.pontiac-parts-dealer.com/
This is the right parts that you only have to install upside/down
when replacing the original ones.

Ciao!
Panda

I built a custom hood prop out of 5/16 steel rod. Heat it with a torch and bend it all you like. Find a mounting clip from any other car and bolt it to the rad support. Or you can just find a prop rod from another car. It really suits the vintage motif of your car, and the hood will never come crashing down and tear you a new one :wink:

heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy, i might just do that. thats a great idea.

That sounds good.. grabbing the hood holdup stick from another car. I bet I could get that cheap too. Just gotta measure first ;). It really sucks right now, with the rear end raised, the hood already feel on me yesterday [with the water jug, attempting to hold it up.. but it just crushed]. Good thing it was slow! There are some really sharp edges on the fender sides of the hood.. they hurt! loL


-justin

1992+ H-body hood struts should work. I pulled a pair off a '92 LeSabre, at the same time that I pulled my STB.

improved design by any chance? Any 92+ er's have this problem? Or even 90+'s but if you've got the prob repin.. must just be something with the gen I guess.. or the age.


-justin

I have the same problem, and the broomhandle method worked for me :D .

It's called age. ALL hood and tailgate struts DO die with age. It's just another wear and tear part.

Yep. Doesn't matter what car they're from. I think I got lucky, the struts I pulled looked relatively new (read: not original).

I hate pain...
Hood strut rods should be replaced when defective.
Sudden closing of a hood has sufficient power to inflict severe injuries at the least.

A broom or any unattached device is defying mother nature.
In my opinion this is a cruise for bruise.