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Right, so I did a brief guide the other week on some DIY brackets for fitting gas struts to the bonnet.
Ive been thinking about how to make the brackets more simple and neater and have come up with the following solution:
I used an aluminium block 15mm square by about 65mm long that allowed holes to be drilled perpendicular to each other at each end.
![Tire Wheel Bicycle Bicycle wheel Bicycle tire]()
As you can see its a much smaller assembly than what I had before and is just 2 holes.
Parts
If you buy the following gas struts you get four ball studs, two M 8 threaded one and two self tapping ones, but we dont need the self tapping ones, we need another M 8 ball stud each side which can be bought from ebay as linked below along with the other things we need to buy:
Struts: http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1497.l2649
very stiff, you wont compress them between your hands, dont worry they're not broken, just need more leverage like when they are on the bonnet.
Ball Stud (x2): http://www.ebay.co.u...=item20ce919dd8
Aluminium Block: http://www.ebay.co.u...=item25536525f0
Ask the seller to cut the 250mm length into quarters (they will do this for you) so you get 4 blocks of about 6.25cm lengths (only need two, but since they already cut it for you seems pretty good value to me, plus you can have some spare if your drilling goes wrong)
M 8 Bolts: http://www.diy.com/n...?skuId=10078841
Two are required
Making the bracket
Drill 8mm holes perpendicular to each other at each end.
![Wood Rectangle Hardwood Plywood Aluminium]()
[Optional:- Enlarge one of the holes to accommodate the nut, i had a drill bit to do this, its just helps the nut have more thread to bite onto, so if you dont do this, dont use washers since you need all the thread possible on the ball stud]
![Wood Gas Font Cylinder Auto part]()
![Wood Wood stain Hardwood Metal Auto part]()
![Automotive tire Wood Gas Rim Bumper]()
Assemble the ball stud in the bracket.
![Wood Household hardware Door Material property Metal]()
![Wood Household hardware Rectangle Material property Gas]()
Attach the bracket to the bonnet hinge by removing the top bolt and using a M 8 by 25mm bolt through the bracket into the bonnet. [Dont need the strut on it, pic is for illustration only]
![Tire Wheel Vehicle Automotive tire Automotive lighting]()
Line it up so its just off centre as shown before tightening it up fully, otherwise the strut will foul on the bulge of the bonnet.
Do the same for the other side at the same angle
![Tire Wheel Bicycle Bicycle wheel Bicycle tire]()
I found putting a small piece of rubber behind the part of the bracket that sticks out further than the bonnet hinge just helps to stop a bit of bonnet flex and metal on metal contact.
The other ball stud is attached near the headlight. You need to replace one of the bolts with the ball studs you bought separately. May need filing down at the side that faces the front, since its a bit more chunky that the studs that come with the struts, to allow more flexibility in the angle it can work at.
![Plumbing fixture Sculpture Art Wood Household hardware]()
![Motor vehicle Hood Automotive lighting Automotive tire Bumper]()
may need to cut away some of that useless headlight 'bracket'
![Vehicle Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive exterior]()
Final thing is to cut away a bit of the water runaway plastic as shown below, just a couple of inches with a hacksaw and it snaps off.
![Motor vehicle Hood Automotive design Automotive lighting Vehicle]()
Now you can attach the struts. there is a little clip around each end that you can pop off, then click the stud into the socket and replace the clip to stop it popping off.
Think thats it....
Oh, i will be painting them black along with the bonnet hinges, just havent got round to that yet, so it should all look a bit smarter.
'Proper' kits now available from another source (not me), this guy has done much nicer brackets and still a good price IMO. https://www.facebook...Styling?fref=ts
Ive been thinking about how to make the brackets more simple and neater and have come up with the following solution:
I used an aluminium block 15mm square by about 65mm long that allowed holes to be drilled perpendicular to each other at each end.
As you can see its a much smaller assembly than what I had before and is just 2 holes.
Parts
If you buy the following gas struts you get four ball studs, two M 8 threaded one and two self tapping ones, but we dont need the self tapping ones, we need another M 8 ball stud each side which can be bought from ebay as linked below along with the other things we need to buy:
Struts: http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1497.l2649
very stiff, you wont compress them between your hands, dont worry they're not broken, just need more leverage like when they are on the bonnet.
Ball Stud (x2): http://www.ebay.co.u...=item20ce919dd8
Aluminium Block: http://www.ebay.co.u...=item25536525f0
Ask the seller to cut the 250mm length into quarters (they will do this for you) so you get 4 blocks of about 6.25cm lengths (only need two, but since they already cut it for you seems pretty good value to me, plus you can have some spare if your drilling goes wrong)
M 8 Bolts: http://www.diy.com/n...?skuId=10078841
Two are required
Making the bracket
Drill 8mm holes perpendicular to each other at each end.
[Optional:- Enlarge one of the holes to accommodate the nut, i had a drill bit to do this, its just helps the nut have more thread to bite onto, so if you dont do this, dont use washers since you need all the thread possible on the ball stud]
Assemble the ball stud in the bracket.
Attach the bracket to the bonnet hinge by removing the top bolt and using a M 8 by 25mm bolt through the bracket into the bonnet. [Dont need the strut on it, pic is for illustration only]
Line it up so its just off centre as shown before tightening it up fully, otherwise the strut will foul on the bulge of the bonnet.
Do the same for the other side at the same angle
I found putting a small piece of rubber behind the part of the bracket that sticks out further than the bonnet hinge just helps to stop a bit of bonnet flex and metal on metal contact.
The other ball stud is attached near the headlight. You need to replace one of the bolts with the ball studs you bought separately. May need filing down at the side that faces the front, since its a bit more chunky that the studs that come with the struts, to allow more flexibility in the angle it can work at.
may need to cut away some of that useless headlight 'bracket'
Final thing is to cut away a bit of the water runaway plastic as shown below, just a couple of inches with a hacksaw and it snaps off.
Now you can attach the struts. there is a little clip around each end that you can pop off, then click the stud into the socket and replace the clip to stop it popping off.
Think thats it....
Oh, i will be painting them black along with the bonnet hinges, just havent got round to that yet, so it should all look a bit smarter.
'Proper' kits now available from another source (not me), this guy has done much nicer brackets and still a good price IMO. https://www.facebook...Styling?fref=ts
