Cheapest place to buy hood struts?
10-17-2008, 08:40 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: WV
Posts: 4,532
Cheapest place to buy hood struts?
I know there are lots of kits out there and i am not one to cut corners but with hood struts i cant see any downfall on buying a cheap kit. I dont need anything fancy, polished, or painted. Black is great. Where is the best place to get them? Anyone have the cobalt kit from moss mustang? they are the cheapest i've found, $69.99 iirc
10-18-2008, 10:33 AM
#10
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
They are as much different in action
as much as they are different in appearance
as they are different in price.
Some you can just start to open the hood and they take over
and raise it up to a gentle stop at the top.
Some require you to lift them over your head until the struts
start to take over supporting the weight of the hood.
And some raise it with such force as to slam at the top
of the lift and stress all sorts of sttaching points.
Some are so strong and unbalanced that closing the hood
makes you think you are going to bend it where the strut
attaches to it.
Be aware of all the mounting styles and the mechanical
advantages each design exihibits before purchasing.
And you have an aftermarket hood or just aluminum
with a shaker cutout? Most hood strut kits and designed
for the stock aluminum hood weight and fiberglass aftermarket
hoods weigh enough different to make the selection even harder.
Some could argue that they wear out the hood hinges faster as
the hinge now has to support all the weight of the hood instead
of half of the weight being transfered to you hand and arm when
lifting it and half of the weight being on the hood prop rod when it is open.
Without hood struts, half of the hood weight is on the bottom of
the OEM hood hinge pins and with hood struts, all of the hood
weight is on the top side on the OEM hood hinge pins.
Just a little high school physics here, and food for thought.
as much as they are different in appearance
as they are different in price.
Some you can just start to open the hood and they take over
and raise it up to a gentle stop at the top.
Some require you to lift them over your head until the struts
start to take over supporting the weight of the hood.
And some raise it with such force as to slam at the top
of the lift and stress all sorts of sttaching points.
Some are so strong and unbalanced that closing the hood
makes you think you are going to bend it where the strut
attaches to it.
Be aware of all the mounting styles and the mechanical
advantages each design exihibits before purchasing.
And you have an aftermarket hood or just aluminum
with a shaker cutout? Most hood strut kits and designed
for the stock aluminum hood weight and fiberglass aftermarket
hoods weigh enough different to make the selection even harder.
Some could argue that they wear out the hood hinges faster as
the hinge now has to support all the weight of the hood instead
of half of the weight being transfered to you hand and arm when
lifting it and half of the weight being on the hood prop rod when it is open.
Without hood struts, half of the hood weight is on the bottom of
the OEM hood hinge pins and with hood struts, all of the hood
weight is on the top side on the OEM hood hinge pins.
Just a little high school physics here, and food for thought.
Last edited by 157dB; 10-18-2008 at 10:45 AM.