GSB Bonnet Struts - fitment discussion and issues

[SimonC_Here]

Ah gotcha.

Will try tomorrow

Simon

[Anonymous]

Completed the front gassprings installation. No problems getting the struts to the correct pressure. The biggest difficulty is compressing the struts to fit the sockets over the ball joints. There's enough pressure in the struts to make the fitment interesting.

In the final testing, two issues are causing trouble. First, the struts are fouling on the plastics somewhere and I'm not having much luck finding where the binding is. I've removed enough plastic from beneath and to the side of the ball joints to get the cover to lay flat and trim. I suspect the trouble is somewhere around the ball joints and the socket that fits over them.

So I removed the plastic cover and the lid closes neatly - except for what is now a slightly more noticeable frunk gap between lid and bumper. Perhaps 1/16-inch more. I'm going to try a hinge adjustment to clear that up, and do some more plastic trimming. So far, I'm getting really proficient at removing the plastics and the lid brace.

[Anonymous]

This turned out to be a lot of work to get rid of the pesky bonnet prop-bar. But the end result made it worthwhile. Along the way, I learned a few things that those of you planning to fit yours might find of value.

Here's the finished result:


If, after fitment, you notice that the right side of the bonnet is higher than it should be, then you'll need to trim a bit of the bonnet underplastic as shown here:


I used a dremel cutting tool and ran it from the right edge of the plastic nearest the windscreen all the way to the previously drilled hole for the ball joint. Use a dremel height-brace guide to ensure that your tool is level and constrained to a 3/4-inch depth. Then, I removed that piece and used a dremel sanding bit to curve the gap, giving the section a natural bend. A de-burring tool and the sanding bit gave me a satisfactory finish and there was no need for door-trim to finish the install. The offending bit of plastic and de-burring tool are shown below:


This way, you can keep the drilled hole for stability. From your dealer, order at least 10 of the plastic poppets that secure the bonnet underplastic. You'll break several along the way, and having a good supply on hand lowers the profanity-level of the job.

Expect trouble with the cotter pins that secure the ball joints. The ones on the right are hard to get to, and angle-nosed pliers are helpful. The tip of a narrow screwdriver is necessary during pin removal and it will slip and you'll cut yourself a few times. Use heavy work-gloves when compressing and releasing the struts. If the pressure is right, you'll be able to just barely control them during release. Get familiar with your 12mm wrench, as you'll be adjusting the hinges a number of times. Keep lots of cold beer at the ready. Also, the lid-prop will need to be inserted and removed several times as you monkey about with the struts. It gets quite easy to insert and remove it and don't hesitate to use it when necessary.

[Tem]

Haven't installed mine yet...but did anyone have any fitment issues that didn't get solved by cutting the platic cover?
(mine's in the garage  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  )

[LeeUK]

MORE IMPORTANTLY

I nearly let too much gas out of the struts this was because they were stuck solid and needed a cople of fairly hard strikes to to move and show the true resistance of the gas in them. You should definately be able to move the strut after about 20 'squirts' of gas so if you cant give it a wack to free it.[/b]

Yep I've done this, mine seized up and I ended up letting too much out because it wouldn't free up.  Even with hardly any gas in the cylinder the strut had seized again this morning, Not sure if it's faulty but I certainly don't want them seizing when they are on the car!

I've found a place that will re-fill the strut with gas but they are in Bedford, anyone know a place nearer to herts/essex?

[GSB]

Haven't installed mine yet...but did anyone have any fitment issues that didn't get solved by cutting the platic cover?
(mine's in the garage  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  )

I fitted my set to both my MR2's and had no cutting to do. But I have to confess that I never installed the plastic cover with them. My plastics were ditched at day one on both cars, they are in my humble opinion, utterly useless, and a real pain when you need to replace a headlight bulb on a cold rainy night.

That said, we did put them in on Markiii's car, and he had a problem on the left side. The bonnet gap at the front of the left side was to big as the panel was sitting just slightly to high. We spent a fair amount of time looking at it, but the main plastic panel was not the problem. The real problem was at the rear of the bonnet, where the strut went over the plastic panel that forms the windscreen surround.

As for the sticking struts, a few people have commented on this, and I have to agree that at the extreme end of the struts travel, they can sometimes lock. My own cure for this is not to take the bonnet up to the very end of the travel, but only to the same point it would reach if usisng the original bonnet stay. By design the rear struts wont do this, as the struts do not reach full extension.

All I can really say to people is, be careful...

[Anonymous]

The real problem was at the rear of the bonnet, where the strut went over the plastic panel that forms the windscreen surround.

I'd never gainsay you, Grant, but here's how I troubleshot the matter:

1. Cut up 6 narrow strips of newsprint.
2. Placed strips horizontally across path of the strut in closed position.
3. Closed bonnet.
4. Attempted to remove strips. Noted which ones were binding.
5. Repeated on "good" side of bonnet, no binding.
6. Consulted with you and markiii, then had it with the dremel.

It was indeed necessary to reverse the strut to clear the upper windscreen base plastics, as you mentioned, but it was only after removing a section of the liner that the bonnet returned to its normal position when closed.

In a day or so my recharged rear strut should arrive and I'll complete the engine lid. I'm guessing that I'll have to reverse the position of the hinges shown in the fitment guide, but I'm doing it "per the book," first.

[GSB]

I'm going to be removing my FSB at some point (part of an experiment to see weather it actually makes any difference on the 2004 cars), so when I do I'll fit the plastics and see what happens... Good luck with the rear struts this time!

[Anonymous]

Here's some notes on the engine lid strut fitment. And by the way, the firm that recharged my strut did a bang-up job. Nice to know that if you over-depressurize, it isn't the end of the world - but you'll kiss 40 bucks goodbye. So this time around, I wasn't taking any chances.

First, I set the strut on a board and wacked it with a hammer, then a mallet, then released a bit of gas. More wackery. Then the board test:



I compressed the strut a number of times, and depressurized it further. Eventually it was responding to the "lean test," where you fit one side against your workbench and put your weight on it. Eventually it was hand-compressable and ready for install. I found it best to wear silly socks.



Fit the bottom of the strut first, compress it, then attach it to the hinge bracket as shown. One reason for this is simple leverage, the other is that pesky cotter pin. You need to swing the lower fitting to the side, get the pin into it, then swing it back into position.



As suspected, the hinge bracket position shown in the tutorial is incorrect. Here's how you need to set it. When you lower the lid, watch how the brackets just edge by the hinges. The precision with which these parts were made is truly remarkable.



Job done. As Grant mentioned, the best results front and back are obtained when you don't open either lid to its full extent - hold back an inch or so and the struts operate more smoothly.

[Anonymous]

Where's the assistant, SE?    s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:

I did the same as you...took a block of wood and drilled a hole part way through so I could really lean into the struts.  Two of the four were really hard to break the first time, but once done, they worked beautifully.  I can see how one might have kept releasing gas expecting them to compress, only to release too much and finally manage to break it loose the first time.   s:( s:(   Luckily, I was able to benefit from the experience of many of you...