Engine Hatch Shocks too Powerful!

Mooso, I had a similar problem.
Right after I painted my car, I was trying to catch up with little things.
The rear deck wouldn't stay open. It would slowly close. It had what looked to be the original shocks.

I got a new set from Hall and installed them.There seemed to be no problem at first. About a week later I noticed the top of lid, where it meets the roof was sticking up.

Well, long story short, the hinges in the deckled had seperated from the lid from the pressure of the new shocks.

Now it turns out that these shocks which were supposed to be for all Panteras had the pressure increased to keep the deck open with a Delta wing.

So Halls answer was so what's the big deal, weld the hinges back in, which I did. That warped the hell out of the lid, and that had to be straightened and then repainted and so on and so forth.

Get the original US equipment shocks. Your decklid will last longer. They are very flimsy from the factory. The early cars were not intended to have that kind of leverage put on them.

Larry Stock of PPC Reno has two shock ratings on offer for cars 'with' and 'without' wings.

Rear hatch shocks/struts for a Dodge Omni will work - Napa part # BK(Belkamp) 819-5207. Old post to the mail list states they work great. I have not used these myself.

Larry Finch (on this board) has used them and reports the following...

Deck Lid Shocks
fresnofinches at aol.com
Thu Feb 16 00:31:56 EST 2006

Just thought I would pass on some information on replacement deck lid shocks. Found the part number on the P.I. bulletin board, installed them tonight and the function is fine. Holds up my no-wing lid just fine, closes easily, doesn't seem to be too firm.

Probably not strong enough for a winged lid. No information on strength (pounds) of force.

NAPA part # BK 819-5207 Compressed length of 10.34", extended length of 16.77".

Note the NAPA catalog image shows this to have different fittings at each end, but this is incorrect. Both ends have the correct flat plate with a hole needed for our application. Total cost for two - $40.36

Larry,

How about a long term road test update on those decklid shocks from Napa you installed in February 2006. Is all well a year later? No hinge separation or warping of your rear decklid?

Coz (also on this board) previously reported that the following decklid shocks will hold up a rear deck lid with a wing:

SACHS North America
SG314005
$20.90 each

*** WARNING ***
His original post suggested they would work on a decklid with or without a wing, BUT, if they are strong enough to hold a decklid with a wing, they are TOO STRONG for a decklid without a wing. Read the experiences of others earlier in this thread.

quote:

How about a long term road test update on those decklid shocks from Napa you installed in February 2006. Is all well a year later? No hinge separation or warping of your rear decklid?

No issues to date. Made it through a HOT Fresno summer with no problems. The shocks tend to expand the internal gas in high heat and that is the true test of them warping things.

But like Hall Pantera, if these warp your deck lid, break the welds or just fail and slam down on some lawyers head at a car show resulting in a law suit and your total bankruptcy, my response will be.......

What's the big deal??

i.e. - YMMV

Larry

quote:

Get the original US equipment shocks.

Not quite sure what you mean but OEM shocks haven't been available for some time.

I purchased gas struts from Larry Stock for my GT5, which has a wing. I specified the "with wing" variant. They did not hold up my deck lid, and are now collecting dust in my garage.

Over the past 15 years I have changed just about everything. But amazingly enough, never these shocks! They work great. In blazing heat or frigid cold they pop up the rear deck as soon as I release the lock - and will hold up all day long if I leave it open. I can't remember where I got them or for that matter if they're stock or not. Does anyone recognize these shocks?

quote:

Originally posted by garth66:
Coz (also on this board) previously reported that the following decklid shocks will hold up a rear deck lid with a wing:

SACHS North America
SG314005
$20.90 each

*** WARNING ***
His original post suggested they would work on a decklid with or without a wing, BUT, if they are strong enough to hold a decklid with a wing, they are TOO STRONG for a decklid without a wing. Read the experiences of others earlier in this thread.

I used the sachs model that Coz provided. I don't have a wing but have louvers and they work perfectly without bending my hood and holds it up without a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by LF - TP 2511:

quote:

How about a long term road test update on those decklid shocks from Napa you installed in February 2006. Is all well a year later? No hinge separation or warping of your rear decklid?

No issues to date. Made it through a HOT Fresno summer with no problems. The shocks tend to expand the internal gas in high heat and that is the true test of them warping things.

But like Hall Pantera, if these warp your deck lid, break the welds or just fail and slam down on some lawyers head at a car show resulting in a law suit and your total bankruptcy, my response will be.......

What's the big deal??

i.e. - YMMV

Larry

Like the Jamaicans here say, "Mon you too tense, you got to chill Mon".

Thanks guys! Two easy to obtain solutions. I bought these new, but cannot remember the vendor. I'm sure I paid a small fortune to nearly ruin my deck lid!
By the way...don't tell Larry Finch...but I'm painting my car the same color as his!
Thanks Larry.
Mooso

Ted Mitchel sells a totally different type of assembly that puts zero load on the deck lid hinges. It is some type of scissor with a coil spring. Check out his site. Vader racing or something like that.

quote:

Originally posted by forestg:
Ted Mitchel sells a totally different type of assembly that puts zero load on the deck lid hinges. It is some type of scissor with a coil spring. Check out his site. Vader racing or something like that.

http://www.wavelinx.net/tmitch/

quote:

Ted Mitchel sells a totally different type of assembly that puts zero load on the deck lid hinges. It is some type of scissor with a coil spring. Check out his site. Vader racing or something like that.

The Elvis Pantera has this modification.

No, really.

Larry

This is all interesting. Hall told me that it was my decklid that was defective. I'm sure that he meant me.

quote:

Originally posted by mooso:
My car is about to be painted. The rear hatch was distorted and fit poorly. When we removed the shocks, it relaxed and fits just fine. The shocks are new and have deTomaso stamped on them. Is it possible that I have the wrong ones? Is there an alternative aftermarket shock, or is there a different deTomaso shock that is less powerful, or is there some way to modify or adjust these?
Your experiences are appreciated!
Mooso

This works very well for me:

And we wonder why the other Italian marques tend to look down on us?

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
My friend Rich has the vader setup. Works really nice.

Nice to hear it works good. I am getting a set of these from a friend and will be putting them on my car. I am tired of messing with either too strong or too weak deck lid struts and the prop rod is getting to be a pain.

HMM, Chevy truck hood springs. Retrofitted a set to a t-bird once. I use gas springs from Mcmaster Carr. You can buy them in 10 pound increments from 40 to 120 pounds.

Mooso,
Hey, I see you are in Greeley, CO. I'm in Fort Collins and I'm trying to track down a yellow DeTomaso Mangusta that was for sale in Greeley a few months ago on ebay. The seller wouldn't return emails! Do you have any leads on that car? Thanks, Victor

quote:

And we wonder why the other Italian marques tend to look down on us?

Yeah, those aren't even American-Made ViceGrips, but Chinese knock-offs!

Victor, the photos looked like they were taken at the Greeley Airport. I have never seen the car, nor have I heard who owns it. My wife swore she saw a yellow Pantera in town at the time that car was up for sale. I've never seen a yellow Pantera here, so it's a good bet she saw this car.
Something about the ad made me think the car had recently been brought in from out of state, so I don't think it has been around here for long. I tried to contact the seller as well, but he didn't return my E-Mail.
It's a mystery.
Mooso