Reply to "decklid damper"

Stock deck lid struts are positioned such that the rubber boots collect thrown-up rainwater. It leaks past the boot-tops and a lip on the top of a stock shock body holds the water so rust pits form on the rod. This helps to fail OEM gas seals. If a fitting is added to repressurize a failed strut from a home air compressor, pits quickly fail a new seal too- if one is installed. This is a difficult job as OEM struts are not meant to be rebuildable.

In the past, we mounted still-useable stock shocks upside down to eliminate water catching; this sometimes requires a small mod of the brackets. New style struts are far lighter, cheaper, more available and can be purchased in about 5 psi increments. Too much pressure and as I said, hinges & panels bend & break.

My new-style struts (from a U.S vendor) are 12 yrs old & still hold up the stock lid. Fiberglas deck lids can be over 40 lbs lighter than stock steel; that may be an option too as a lighter lid with a heavy wing will likely need less gas pressure in the struts to work. Good luck.