Sticky #2: Rear Deck Lid (Bonnet) Struts

Read some previous posts and decided to look around for new lid lifts. My existing units measured around 75 lbs when pushed against a scale and would not stay open.
Contacted Sacks and they identified several that were close to existing model.

Here's their reply;
SG314002 17.2" ext, 11" comp, 85#, 8mm eyelets
SG302001 17.4" ext, 11.5" comp, 85#, 8mm eyelets
SG314032 17.2" ext, 11" comp, 114#, 12mm eyelets
SG314003 16.7" ext, 10.25" comp, 121#, 12mm eyelets

These are the lift supports I have which closest fit your needs. You can purchase them at O'Reilly's Auto Parts, Pep Boys or Autozone. You can also find a wide variety of lift supports at www.liftsupportsdepot.com.

I purchased #SG314032 for my non-winged '72 Pantera. My deck lid has the dress up underside
so that does add a little weight.
These work perfect. Pop the hood and it raises by itself in a controlled manner and stays open. These new units are 115LBS, have the correct eyelet ends with slots that match my (i think) original double mount ends. Cost was around $23 each at O'Reilly.

Thank you for getting me on track.

The ones that Hall sells as a non-stock replacement, when you cross the number over on the label, do show as that Dodge number. They also cost something like $28 each in a NAPA store.

I bought my first set from Hall. Installed them and the hinges where the attach to the decklid IMMEDIATELY pulled out of the decklid.

The only thing I could do there was braze them internally through the slit and they held. Problem is the heat warped that part of the lid.

I got that under control by shimming down the hinge mount flanges to the roof by 1/8".

I noticed that the deck was no longer pushing itself up, and was sliding down about 5 or 6 inches yesterday.

I have no wing.

I also think I see movement in the attachment of one of the hinges and the decklid.

There is NO visible rust on the decklid in the hinge area.

I haven't come up with a solution to this as I just noticed the entire mess yesterday.

Needless to say, I am not a happy camper.


I personally like the look of the original fat lift shocks.

I did hear mention that the rebuilt originals will not last for long. They seem to be a temporary solution as they quickly loose thier charge.

I personally can not verify that, since I have not gone that route.

I am going to an Italian Car day show today and will see if there are other Panteras there and what they have.

Any info on this I will post.

I am not sure how the factory originally attached these hinges to the decklid. There is no exterior evidence of that.

If the braze has not held, not sure where to go with this. Doesn't look like they can be converted to bolts.

Not a good scenario all in all.

I saw one car that has electronic lifts like on the current mini-vans. It works nice and he had it tied electronically to his key fob. I'm not sure if in the case of some type of an electronic failure the deck can be lifted manually or not? Pantera-electronics, i.e., Jon Haas has a design he makes that need an air compressor to work. I have a set here.

The issue that I have with that design is that the struts are larger in diameter then the replacement struts. That puts them too close to a couple of the tubes on my headers.

The other thing is that I'm out of room to put another compressor gracefully in the car.

I'm trying to encourage Haas to build a set of the self powered struts but as always with him, he looks at marketability and what he already has done so there is little hope there.

Every so often I look for electronic struts that would just happen to fall into a direct replacement scenario but so far the Pantera ones are too short to match anything currently in production. Of course there is always the possibility that one of the exotic companies will make them for a reasonable price of $1,000 each? For that probably the polarity will be wrong and you will probably need to rewire the entire car to make them work for sure?

Hi Doug,
Sounds like you've been down this road a few times. DOES asked a question and I responded with the unit I recently installed. My previous units were a weak 70 lbs and couldn't keep it up. Some here mentioned the stiff 135 units were overkill. Some mentioned 90 to 100 lbs would be perfect. So I bought the SACKS 115 lbs units. They lift and close easy and I'm not seeing any lid bow due to compressed pressure. They are an exact fit to my original body hardware and cost $25 each delivered.

I also machined some SST end bushing that center position the units.

I'm a newbie and made the best decision based on this board of which you contribute some pretty good advice. I'm guessing I'll be addressing this again in a few hundred cycles.

I'll try to add a few pictures for fun.
Regards to all.

The above photo is the previous shock along with new shock packaging.

Picture below is shock connection with sleeve

larryw posted:

My ($175-total invested) rebuilt original struts failed completely Sunday. I went to a car show, raised the decklid, left it raised for the duration of the show, lowered it and drove home sixty miles in 95 degree heat. They acted just fine.

Next morning, both struts are totally dead. No push at all. Maybe the engine bay heat toasted them? Before all I had to do was push the button and the lid would gently rise all by itself. Now they resist my efforts to raise.

I'm not throwing any more $ at the originals. I did some searching around the forum for aftermarket recommendations and can't really find anything conclusive.

Is there anyone who's happy with whatever substitute they've found recently that they would pass along a recommendation on?

I've got a wingless lid.

Thanks in advance.

Mine were the same, So I fitted new much thinner units inside the old ones, only needs a couple of spacers main at your local machine shop, without a wing 400 newtons does the job. my old post is above sorry.

IMNSHO the original design is poor because the lever arm from the hinge to strut attachment is too short.  This creates all the sensitivity problems and high bending stresses on the hinge attachments.  As has been previously mentioned, the problem is fixed by installing the IPSCO long shock kit with attachment points half way back on the deck lid.  All the other non-original work arounds to use the same lid attachment point, I don't think are worth it.  Of course, I don't think trying to stay with the original poor design is worth it either.

 A site, www.panteraplace.com offers a considerable amount of "technical information", one category is "deck lid shocks" in which the SACHS SG314005 is suggested as a replacement to the original.

I presently have them on my car and am satisfied.

peterfenlon posted:

After reading lots of good info here I wanted new struts my old ones were shot.

They are now finished and fitted and work a treat, if I push the rear hatch button the deck lid lifts then a gentle nudge send it slowly skywards until the struts are extended, and it stays there.

I bought 2 new struts the same length as my original ones, with the proviso that the ends must be removable, also the pressure within (Gained here on the forum) was 400newtons.

I removed the old rods from My original struts, had the tubes powder coated and new decals made up. Then the new struts were fitted inside the original strut tubes with a spacer at the bottom so the new strut sat in the spacer and was held centrally, The original top strut connectors were fitted to the new strut ends (using a helical) to keep them looking original.

The struts were £72 and engineering costs £20

decals free from my son in law and Powder coating £5.

they look well too see pics Hope this helps someone.

Hi Peter,

they look really nice. Would you by any chance have a file with the design for the decal you used, or perhaps a couple of extra decals you would be willing to sell?

Cheers, Tim.

My AutoZone D95004s just quit working this winter after 4 years.  I found O'Reiley's had Sachs SG314002s in the warehouse.  After putting on TWO SETS, it seems that they don't hold like they used too (maybe they have a shelf life as the packages looked OLD/dusty).

Anyway, I mixed and matched old and new and have the rear hatch satisfactorily lifted for now.

Is there a minimum pressure that should be able to hold a non-wing, 73 hatch?  How can I test them (in my garage) before installation?

Thanks,

Tom

larryw posted:

My ($175-total invested) rebuilt original struts failed completely Sunday. I went to a car show, raised the decklid, left it raised for the duration of the show, lowered it and drove home sixty miles in 95 degree heat. They acted just fine.

Next morning, both struts are totally dead. No push at all. Maybe the engine bay heat toasted them? Before all I had to do was push the button and the lid would gently rise all by itself. Now they resist my efforts to raise.

I'm not throwing any more $ at the originals. I did some searching around the forum for aftermarket recommendations and can't really find anything conclusive.

Is there anyone who's happy with whatever substitute they've found recently that they would pass along a recommendation on?

I've got a wingless lid.

Thanks in advance.

Over the years, I have tried just about all of the good as stock or better than stock replacement deck lid struts and never had any luck with any of them. They seem to work for a short time at least when it is warm outside, but rarely hold the deck lid up when it is cold. I don't have a rear wing on my car, but do have a rear deck lid liner kit, which hardly weighs anything. I currently have the SACC deck lid strut modification kit on my car and it works! The relocation of the strut mounts don't pose an issue for me and the two notches that are required in the back of the trunk liner are not a problem for me either.

I like the AutoZone Mighty Lift D95004...and they seem to last about 4 years.  I have had a run of bad luck with (what looks like) old stock/shelf-life Sachs SG314002...so I am going back to AutoZone.

I just installed a new pair of AutoZone D95004s and they work PERFECTLY on a non-wing rear hatch...I'm happy!

JFFR referred to a deck lid strut system and credited SACC as the seller  

There is nothing listed at their website and I believe he is referring to the product designed, built and sold by IPSCO.  I also have installed the system and highly endorse it.

Yes I was mistaken. The strut kit did come from IPSCO and it definitely works! I am sure that these struts would hold up a deck lid with a wing without any problem. You actually have to hold onto the deck lid when opening it to prevent it from slamming all the way open.

Yeah watch out for any struts that drive up the hood once you pop open the deck lid (at least those in the standard position). I believe I posted earlier on the struts marked “Detomaso” where I measured the pressure at around 170 or so (per strut) so I took them off. When I unhooked the hood with those the hood just flew open on its own. I also tried the Autozone a few times as mentioned here, but I gave up on them because I was only getting about one year on those before they went bad. On my last pair of those I even put heat insulation hose around them whenever I drove the car and they still failed. The last pair of trusts I tried were from Pantera Parts Connection part #18126p they and have worked 100% perfect since my purchase 4 years ago. The pressure on these are so spot on accurate that when you pop open the deck lid you can guide the deck lid open and closed with the effort of a finger or two. They are actually a little thinner than the Autozone too. On these I also slip on the heat protector tubing when I go for a ride and have some insulation tubing from Home Depot I put on the outside to keep the heat protectant tubing in place. Without that heat shield in place the struts get so hot that you can hardly touch them but the heat tubing seems to reduce the heat some (although not entirely). I am not sure if this shield helps with longevity but I found struts are not easy to replace in a one person job, so I use them anyway whenever I remember to slip them on. Here are some photos.

Just chiming in to say what a great improvement the IPSCO replacements are over the stock design.  I am not an originalist at all costs, especially for safety and functionality.

Hi all,

I am wondering if anyone can explain how to take the original deck lid struts apart.

Thanks, Tim

Just thought I would share that I had the original Pantera deck lid struts re-gassed for a very reasonable sum, and after fitting them, they seem to be working quite well. After looking around on this forum, I had them regassed to 425 Newton. I also chose to repaint them matt black and fit new stickers and rubber boots - they now look just like new. One interesting thing is that the usual wisdom is to fit them 'upside' down with the rod down, and this certainly allows one to show them off nicely when the deck lid is up (and the baggage carrier is in). However, on both sides the boot rubs on the weld on the wheel house when they are lowered- so this may be a good reason to fit them 'right side up'. 

Cheers, Tim.

Tim,

Did you find our from your previous post how to disassemble the struts? And if so, could you elaborate? Also, how were the struts regassed and where did you have them done. Any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Bill

I am interested in this also.

Hi Bill and RRS1, 

I did not find out how to dissassemble them, but I guess after close inspection that the end, where the rod comes out of can be unscrewed with some kind of special tool. But I did not try to do it. Instead, seeing that the struts were still pressurised, but couldn't quite hold the deck lid open, and therefore the seals inside were probably O.K. I searched around for somewhere to re-gas them. Here in Denmark/Sweden, I couldn't find anywhere to do it by googling, in Australia there seems to be a place in every city, but a bit closer to home I found a place in England that seemed to be professional and would be able to re-gas them even though they are much larger in diameter than contemprary struts - it is SGS engineering, see here:  https://www.sgs-engineering.co...s/re-gassing-service

If you are respraying them, then maybe wait until you get them back from them, as mine had a few scratches and nicks, after the proceedure and so I gave mine a final respray after getting them back.

Cheers, Tim.