NEW PRODUCT! Now testing - Gas strut bonnet kit - PICTURES!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks GSB

I want some anyway, even if it doesn't work, but if it works I'll start playing with a solenoid and a spare 12v battery and if that works then I can worry about how to do the wiring. (Electrics are not my strong point)

[Slacey]

As mentioned before Grant, I'm in for a set, which I will split if someone only wants the fronts.

[Anonymous]

As mentioned before Grant, I'm in for a set, which I will split if someone only wants the fronts.

Me, me, I only want the fronts

[Slacey]

OK, myself and Steve for one set then please.

[Tem]

I want some anyway, even if it doesn't work, but if it works I'll start playing with a solenoid and a spare 12v battery and if that works then I can worry about how to do the wiring. (Electrics are not my strong point)

I'm sure it will work. The solenoid I mean, if these open the hoods.

I had one in my Mk1 trunk and it makes stuff pretty easy...say you're coming from a store with hands full of stuff...and instead of turning the alarm off, opening passenger door, opening glove box, opening the frunk, releasing the frunk, raising it and putting the stick in you just press another button from the remote, which pops it open  s8) s8)
(I don't have the storage bin cover on)

[LeeUK]

I'm possibly interested in a set but would like to know the final GB price before committing if it was to go ahead.  Sounds like a good idea tho!

[GSB]

Right, I've tested the front kit tonight, and have the following observations...

• Theres no way that the bonnet will be lifting itself under its own steam by using these struts... Firstly the geometry is all wrong. When the bonnet is closed the struts are exactly in line with the hinges, so there is no lift energy until you pull them out of line by lifting the bonnet slightly.... Secondly, the power required to do so would be rather a lot, which means you have to put the same power in when closing the bonnet. To do so would bend the bonnet in half... In conclusion these struts are for lift assist and support only.
  
• The kit is very easy to install, and if done correctly, does absolutley no damage whatsoever to any paint or panels.
  
• The kit is extremely well designedin the way it uses existing boltholes and fixings to mount the struts, so no drilling of any metal work is required. The only non reversible mods required are 2x 8mm holes drilled into the edges of the plastic under bonnet trim that allow the ball joints mounted to the inner wing to come through. And you need to trim about 1/2 an inch off each end of the weather strip in front of the windscreen wipers to enable the struts to lie down when the bonnet is closed.
  
• You have to be extremely careful when setting the lift force for the struts. They come set at 400 Newtons, bolt them on and close the bonnet, and they will not move. The bonnet will simply bend around them.  Care is needed to ensure that no one pushes down on the bonnet until the lift pressures are set.
  
• This car is not designed to use these struts. Its not strong enough. It can be done of course, but you must bear in mind what the bonnet structure is designed to do. When you pull down on the bonnet to close it, you apply a force in exactly the same direction that its designed to fold in the event of a collision. So if you set the springs to hard, you risk bending the bonnet. To prevent this from happening you have to set them so that they push up with enough force to hold the bonnet up and no more.
  
• All that said, they are actually bloody brilliant, you've no idea how useful  it to just lift up the bonnet and not have to fart about with props and things. It makes it remarkably easy. I like them...  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
  

Pictures later...

[GSB]

News with regard to a Group Buy, There will be a choice of front, rear or both sets available.

I'm still trying to get to the bottom of the pricing, but should have final figures available to me today or by Monday.

[Anonymous]

i'll be in for rears if the price is ok matey. fronts are out as my carbon fibre bonnet is probs too light

cheers   s:D s:D

[GSB]

i'll be in for rears if the price is ok matey. fronts are out as my carbon fibre bonnet is probs too light

cheers   s:D s:D

Your carbon bonnet is probabley stronger in the direction that matters than the original steel one! For lightwieght bonnets, you can let more gas out of the struts to reduce the force... Not sure if your bonnet is very "flexy" though.

[GSB]

Pictures!...

I'll post more later of the ones on my car...

Overall view of the front left strut.


Here you can see where the lower ball joint replaces one of the bolts used to secure the front wing. The washers allow the ball to protrude up above the level of the plastics when they are re-installed


Heres what it looks like when the plastics are back in place. A further modification would be to cut a notch to the edge rather than a hole, which would then relieve you of the nessesity to take the struts off to remove the plastics.


The bracket on the bonnet hinge. Nicely made, but to ensure the alignment remains correct you have to remove first one bolt, put the bracket on and retighten, and the remove the second bolt, rotate the bracket into position, and replace the second bolt. I did this and the bonnet doesn't move. Should you balls it up however, then as long as you've never had an accident, the hinges are self aligning when you put the bolts back in without the brackets... Just screw them in and start again with perfect alignment. Toyota actually sell a different type of bolt to align bonnets on cars that have been in a smash. These have top be aligned the old fashioned way.


The finished article with plasics re-fitted.



Heres a closeup of the Rear unit, again the ball joint replaces the wing mounting bolt just ahead of the rear light cluster, allowing very easy return to stock configuration. The washers allow the strut to lie horizontally in the gap between the inner wing and the closed bonnet without touching any of the metalwork.


The rear bonnet hinge bracket. Its a bit beefier than the front one, and made of thicker stainless steel... The geometry of the hinges mean that when closed the struts apply a small amount of force in a downwards direction, so the engine cover wont fly up  when you accidentlay pull the wrong lever at the petrol station...


And once again, the finished article on the rear bonnet...

[GSB]

Group buy prices and details:

 m http://www.mr2roc.org/forum/viewtopic.p ... highlight= m

[Comer]

One question from me.  Once the gas setting is correct would it it still be possible for a not so bright mechanic (from a certain Japanese car manufacturer) to damage the bonnet / rear lid when servicing the car?

[GSB]

One question from me.  Once the gas setting is correct would it it still be possible for a not so bright mechanic (from a certain Japanese car manufacturer) to damage the bonnet / rear lid when servicing the car?

Good question bloke... I thought about this as well. Its not likely, but if they tried to close it to fast, (like a true moron) then yes they could possibly do some damage... They'd have to be fairly stupid though...

Still, you should never underestimate the power of stupidity, so as well as applying "Do Not Lift Here" stickers to the lower portions of my wings, I'll be taking the struts off at service time as well. It needs no tools, you just unclip the little cotter pins in each ball joint and pull the struts off, and then stick the old bonnet prop back in...

[Comer]

I'll be taking the struts off at service time as well. It needs no tools, you just unclip the little cotter pins in each ball joint and pull the struts off, and then stick the old bonnet prop back in...

That sounds good to me.  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Anonymous]

Hi Grant - a quick question. You mention setting the gas pressure. So this means there's an adjustment that releases compressed air from the strut, and after installation you release a bit, try to close the hood, release a bit more, and continue until the hood lowers without undue pressure, yes?

Should you release too much pressure, would the strut need to be recharged? Is finding the release valve straightforward? I guess I'm wondering if you could post a primer here regarding the procedure.

Regards - and I can't wait to get these on the car!

[GSB]

The front stuts come charges at 400N which is way to much, and quite a lot of gas has to be let out... I found a good way was to keep letting out gas until the wieght of the bonnet was just enough to cloes it with only one strut in place, and the do the same for the other strut. Once both struts are in place, the bonnet is supported just fine. The gas valve is reached by twisting the ball joint of the end of the cylinder, inserting a pin punch and tapping it with a hammer.

I do have a set of English fitting instructions that I translated from the original German, but they're on my work computer. I'll post the full text here tomorrow so you guys can see what your in for...

[GSB]

Here are the translated instructions for the front set, to be used in conjuction with the pictures I posted earlier in this thread

Code Select Expand

ZZW30 Front Bonnet:


 

Tools Required:


- 200-300 g hammer
- Pin punch of 1.6mm diameter. Alterntaively a small nail of 1.6mm diameter with the point filed flat.
- Small flat ended screwdriver
- 8 and 10 mm Combination Spanners
- Ratchet with 12mm & 14mm Sockets
- Rag
- Combination pliers
- No. 2 Phillips screwdriver
- Drill with 10mm drill bit, suitable for plastics and metals
- Round file 6-8 mm
- Stanley or craft knife
- 2 small wood boards
- 2nd Person to assist



Instructions
Please, read these instructions thoroughly BEFORE you start work. Failure to do so can result in damage to the vehicle!!!
I do not assume any liability for damage to you or to your car!

1. First open the bonnet and remove the storage compartment lid and underbonnet plastics as per the instructions in your vehicle handbook


2. Next remove the cotter pins from the ball joints at both ends of the two gas springs. Be careful, as the cotter pins can fly off. Remove the balls by gently pulling from the socket. There will be a small amount of resistance.


3. Remove the bolt that secures fender/wing panel to the vehicle body. This bolt can be found directly behind the headlights (NOT the headlight mounting screw.) Using 2 x small and 3 x large washers. Screw the ball joint into the hole and gently tighten using 8mm spanner. Refer to photo "Bild3". Ensure that at least 2 threads are engaged. If this is not possible, remove one of the large washers.

4. Mounting the brackets to the hinges. The metal brackets supplied with the pringes are mounted to the bonnet hinged using the original bolts. This should be done with the assistance of a second person to prevent damage to the bonnet. Mount the brackets to the hinges as shown in the photos. Do one side first, and check that the hinge is correctly aligned by lining it up with the tell-tale marks it left in the paint when it was originally fitted. Close the bonnet and ensure that the panel gaps are correct before starting on the other side. If the alignment is altered, then try re-installing the hinge without the bracket. Most MR2's left the factory with self aligning bolts in the hinges that will automatically pull the bonet hinge into the correct position when tightened. A few needed adjustment at the factory, which meant replaceing the bolts with ones that do not align themselves automatically, this is rare though.

5. Using 2 small washers, bolt the ball joints into the bonnet brackets as shown in the photos. Attach the cylinder end of the gas springs to the bonnet brackets and re-install the cotter pins. Leave the "rod" ends of the gas springs hanging free fro them moment, taking care not to let them damage any paintwork. Grasp the cylinder of the gas springs, and turn anti-clockwise. The body of the spring will unscrew from the ball and socket joint.


6. In the middle of the screw that unscrewed from the shoulder joint is a valve. This is used to release some of the gas inside the spring, and so lower the force required to compress it. Place the spring vertically on a soft piece of wood with the "rod" end pointing down. The wood is there to prevent damage to the gas-spring. Place a pin punch in the hole at the top activate the valve. if a pin punch is not available then a nail or simialr with the point filed off will be okay as long as it is not a tight fit inside the hole. Now, VERY GENTLY Tap the pin puch with a hammer, tap a little harder until you start to hear a clear hiss as the gas escapes, Some liquid may also come out, this is normal. Reduce the pressure within the gas-spring until you you are able to compress the spring fairly easily by placing one end on the floor on some soft wood, and pushing down on the end using another piece of soft wood to protect your hands. (See pictures) It may take 50 to 70 small "hisses" of gas to reach this point.


7. Install the gas springs in the car. and then VERY GENTLY push down on the bonnet, Dont force ti as it is very easy to damage the bonnet. If it does not move easily you need to remove the cylinders again and let out more gas until it does. There should be enough gas left in the springs to support the wieght of the bonnet, and no more. DO NOT CLOSE THE BONNET COMPLETELY!. Repeat steps 6 & 7 until you are happy with the pressure settings. And then remove the springs once more.

8. The Underbonnet plastics must now be prepared for installation with the new gassprings. This is done by drilling 2 clearance holes for the lower ball joints. The postion of these holes should first be marked. The location will be 9mm in from the left and right edges if the plastic, and 39mm back from the front edge adjacent to the headlights. Mark the positions, and then place the plastics in the car to check they are correct. If the position of the marks is ok, then you can drill the holes. The holes should be big enough to allow both the ball, and the 2 small washers below it to protrude into the plastic. Some adjsutment with a round file may be needed to get a nice close fit. Take your time to achieve professioal looking results.

9. On the underside of the plastice, remove 2-4mm of plastice from the area around the hole, in order to allow the plastics to sit on the large washers without fouling the spring in the closed postion. Be careful with sharp knives. See pictures for detail.

10. At the lower edge of the windscreen surround is a rubber weatherseal. Using a sharp knife, remove 5mm from each end of the seal to allow clearance for the gas springs in the closed position.


11. Re route the windscreen washer tube as shown in the photos to prevent the pipe being crushed by the closed gas-spring.


12. Refit all the underbonnet plastics, and the storage compartment lid. Refit the gas-springs to the ball joints, and install the cotter pins.


13. Final testing. Gently close the bonnet, whilst watching the springs to ensure they do not foul on the washer pipe, or the metal structure of the bonnet. When closed, ensure that alignment is correct, and the bonnet sits flush with the wings/fenders. If not then some adjustment may be required, usually by trimming a little more material from the underside of the plastics, or removing one of the large washers from the front ball joint.



[Tem]

So the adjusting is done by letting some gas out...?

What if one accidentally lets too much out? Any way to make them tighter or are they useless after that?  s:? :? s:?

[GSB]

So the adjusting is done by letting some gas out...?

What if one accidentally lets too much out? Any way to make them tighter or are they useless after that?  s:? :? s:?

Its unlikely (unless you have no sense whatsoever) that you'll let too much gas out... The way I set mine was to fit only one strut, and then keep letting gas out until the one strut could no longer support the wieght of the bonnet on its own. I then did the same for the second strut, and when both were fitted they were just about right...

It would be possible to re-fill the struts, given a high pressure nitrogen supply and the correct fitttings, but i dont know where you'd go to do it.

[Tem]

The way I set mine was to fit only one strut, and then keep letting gas out until the one strut could no longer support the wieght of the bonnet on its own. I then did the same for the second strut, and when both were fitted they were just about right...

That sounds easy enough...thanks  s8) s8)

[roger]

The way I set mine was to fit only one strut, and then keep letting gas out until the one strut could no longer support the wieght of the bonnet on its own. I then did the same for the second strut, and when both were fitted they were just about right...

That sounds easy enough...thanks  s8) s8)

GSB, I am sure it will be alright on the night, as they say, but being non-techy is there any way of ensuring you let out the same amount of gas from the second brace, rather than pot-luck?

[GSB]

The way I set mine was to fit only one strut, and then keep letting gas out until the one strut could no longer support the wieght of the bonnet on its own. I then did the same for the second strut, and when both were fitted they were just about right...

That sounds easy enough...thanks  s8) s8)

GSB, I am sure it will be alright on the night, as they say, but being non-techy is there any way of ensuring you let out the same amount of gas from the second brace, rather than pot-luck?

Just do it the way I descibed above, take your time, only let a little gas out each time you test, and they'll be within 5% of each other.

[roger]

The way I set mine was to fit only one strut, and then keep letting gas out until the one strut could no longer support the wieght of the bonnet on its own. I then did the same for the second strut, and when both were fitted they were just about right...

That sounds easy enough...thanks  s8) s8)

GSB, I am sure it will be alright on the night, as they say, but being non-techy is there any way of ensuring you let out the same amount of gas from the second brace, rather than pot-luck?

Just do it the way I descibed above, take your time, only let a little gas out each time you test, and they'll be within 5% of each other.

Got it - realised that if you did one, then took it off and do the other you will get the same pressure. Sorry.  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

[Jap GT300]

So the adjusting is done by letting some gas out...?

What if one accidentally lets too much out? Any way to make them tighter or are they useless after that?  s:? :? s:?

Same question.  Do you really only have one go at it?