Putting Gas Struts In The Rear Hatch

[demuire]

Right, here's the task at hand. Haikal's Wagz-O-Death had a fairly dodgy hatch. The Clever People at Toyota decided, in 1978, that it would be a good idea to use torsion bars to hold the hatch up (which in the present times, I think is a really stupid idea).

 

So right, there were these tiny torsion bars in the roof, above the roof lining, held in by little plastic clips, to hold up this really heavy hatch. Over time (and it's been awhile since 1978!), the clips wore out, cracked and broke from the high stresses they were subjected to, and one of the torsion bars popped free. So we had the hatch sort of half held up by one torsion bar. Hardly enough.

 

So come 2005, Clever Me decides "hey maybe if I take them out, I can twist them again and put them back in with these 5-finger-discount plastic clips from that other wagon..."

 

Wrong.

 

Take out torsion bars, and how on earth do you twist them again to make them fit?

 

Needless to say, I gave up.

 

So now, we want to update the Wagz-O-Death, and put REAL technology into it. ie, gas struts. None of this torsion bar nonsense.

 

Has anyone ever done this? Any tips, photos, advice?

 

Without really looking around, we're thinking of using SV21 Camry struts, because they have bolt-on ends on both ends, and they are relatively short and compact. And the hatch should be about the same weight, if not slightly heavier in the Camry. We looked at new Corolla struts, and they have funny clip ends (and we have no clips, because we have a 1978 Corolla), so that makes life difficult.

 

Ideas?

[demuire]

... plus, it gives us an excuse to put SV21 bits in, to make the car go faster :dance:

 

FULLI SIK!

[demuire]

... do you think we'd be able to graft SV21 headlights and front and all that onto a KE38?

 

COOL!

[Redwarf]

When's the Supra body kit coming for it? It should bolt on. My mates cousins budgie told me so....

[demuire]

Supra? Pfft, everyone and his neighbour has a Supra, which is why we're going for the SV21 look. We might even upgrade to SV21 brakes and suspension too. And maybe later on when we seek more power we might convert it to FWD and run the SV21 engine too...

[bitter]

http://www.redlinetuning.com/products_quicklift.html maybe a pair of those could work?

[Medicine_Man]

I'm sure you'll work it out fook, just measure up how big they need to be and go hunting..

[demuire]

That is so bling :dance:

[demuire]

I'm sure you'll work it out fook, just measure up how big they need to be and go hunting..

 

Well, yes, I'm sure I will :dance: I was just wondering if anyone else had done anything like this, and if so, if there was anything they found out or knew, that could be useful to me :)

 

I don't know much about anything about gas struts :D

[demuire]

Wow, Datto Sunny's came with gas struts? COOL!

[bitter]

might as well go all out and make it actuated by servos to open with a push button :dance:

[mikeys toy[RL]]

hey i'm doing this with my '69

i am using TWO starlet struts because the starlet hatch opens the same distance.

starlet hatches are lighter than my corolla(not counting the bog)

so i use two

i made a plate that comes off the side, bolting under the levelers

i havent plated the door yet

this should work

[demuire]

bitter: Hey, THERE's an idea! :dance:

 

mikey: Sounds more or less like what I'm looking to do... Do you have any photos at all?

[Super Jamie]

the only advice i can give you is to plan your mounting points well, and REINFORCE. you'd be surprised how much the constant up-down action of the hatch can weaken the metal around it

 

vs commodores have the boot strut tack welded to the bottom of the flimsy 0.6 parcel shelf, and they always break. personally, i'd like to see some gratuitous use of 3-5mm plate :dance:

 

i considered putting struts on the bonnet of your ke35, simply because i hate the stupid bonnet-keepy-up-thing on the radiator support, and i love the ke2x method of just putting the bonnet up and it stays up until you want it to

[Teddy]

Just let me ponder over the WAGON O DEATH ! with a tape measure, then a trip down to the wreckers... ill fix it - no probs :dance: