Hood shock conversion writeup (with pics)

Spook50 · 05-29-06, 05:35 PM

Okay first of all, a parts list:

2 gas shock struts, either 90 lb (P/N GAS-124) or 120 lb (P/N GAS-125) from www.reidsupply.com (no affiliation)

4 female shock strut fittings (P/N GAS-202) from www.reidsupply.com

4 male shock strut mounts (P/N GAS-301) from www.reidsupply.com

4 5/16 ID / 5/8 OD steel washers

4 5/16 ID / 1.75" OD steel washers

4 5/16-8 UNC nylock nuts (I used nylock because it'll keep the nut in place while the threadlocker cures)

2 5/16 ID / 1/2 OD washers, just under 1/8" thick

Blue thread locker

You'll also need a bench grinder, drill and a 5/16" carbide bit

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can use either the 90 lb or 120 lb shock struts for this. I used 120 lb shocks since the hood ain't exactly light. It doesn't exactly weight a ton, but there is a lot of leverage tipping forward on the hinges. I know one guy here used the factory 90 lb lift gate shocks and doesn't have a problem, so odds are those will work too, hence why I provided both part numbers. I think the 120s are a good way to go, as once you pop the hood and lift it slightly, they take over and carry the weight of the hood all the way up by themselves. Pretty cool

First thing I did was unbolt the large coil spring brackets from the hood and fender. There are stops on the brackets to keep the assembly from flying apart when they're unbolted, but it's a good idea to keep a hand on it anyway, since it will move a bit when it's unbolted. The springs are pretty weak though. I was able to compress both assemblies by hand. Don't throw them away. You'll want to save the 2-bolt L bracket that bolts to the hood. Use the bench grinder to grind off the rivet heads and remove the bracket from the spring loaded arm. Now you want to drill out the rivet hole to 5/16" so that you can bolt the male shock mount to it. Make sure the ball portion is on the inside of the L that the bracket makes. The shock mounting points take quite a bit of stress and can bend fairly easily, so I placed washers on each side of the metal (see first pic). Apply thread locker to the threads and install the nut and torque it down good n' tight. Go ahead and mount the brackets back onto the hood the same way they originally were bolted on.

Notice washers on each side of the bracket, the ball on the inside of the angle, and no thread protrusion either. The end of the fitting is flush with the end of the nylon portion of the nut.

Next up, I had to find a location on the fender to bolt the other shock mounts. My original intention was to find a spot on the fender 16" from where the hood-mounted shock mount would sit with the hood raised. Due to raised portions and factory-drilled holes in the sheet metal, this didn't work. Luckily there was a 1/2" hole in the same location on both fenders that was just a hair less than 16" from the upper shock mounts. Since this didn't appear structural and looked like it could warp easily under the stress of the shock, I used the 1.75" steel washers on both sides of the sheet metal. Also betwen the washers, since the hole in the fender is 1/2" and the shank of the mount is 5/16", is the 5/16x1/2" washer. This acts as a spacer to keep the mount from sliding around on the sheet metal.
NOTE: I'm not sure if FJ60 fenders have these same holes, or even if all years of FJ62s have them. Mine is an '88. I would be surprised, though, if they don't all have the same holes.

No drilling necessary, and a very clean installation. Don't forget thread locker on these either.

Now you can put the female fittings on the shocks. Be sure to use thread locker on these as well. Go ahead and connect the inner strut's end to the hood's shock mount and secure it with the little metal pin (do this for both sides). Here's where you're going to need a somewhat tall helper. Have your helper remove the prop and push the hood up as far as it will go on the side you're working on while you muscle the outer strut's fitting into place on the fender's mount. This is a bear of a task with the 120lb shock struts, but once it's clicked on, it'll be secure enough to let go so you can grab the little metal pin and install it. Again, do the same on the other side. Once both shock struts are installed, clear out your tools, remove the prop completely, and close the hood. Notice how the struts will overcenter (for lack of a better word) and help force the hood down when you're within about 6" of the lock. That was an unexpected, though convenient, feature. This is a great conversion to do, as it's cheap, fairly easy (I did it in about an hour), and gives you much more room to move around underneath the hood. I'm not sure if the 90 lb shock struts will yield the same height, but with the 120 lb shock struts, the front of my hood is about 9" higher than it would be with the prop holding it in place.

A couple more pics so you can see the rest of the installation. Pay no mind to the ugly foam job I did on the stiffeners, which I still have to do more cleanup on

Single strut somewher close up:

The whole shebang-a-bang:

A note on the hoodliner. It's made by Dynamat and works great. Shields sound, and keeps the hood from heating up with the engine running. Comes in a 36"x54" sheet though, so unfortunately I can't get complete coverage with it. It's ugly, but it does the job

PAFJ · 05-29-06, 05:45 PM

That's sweet!!

I need to add this project to my list of things to do now.

Thanks for the write up, and for the good idea!!

PAFJ · 05-29-06, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spook50

NOTE: I'm not sure if FJ60 fenders have these same holes, or even if all years of FJ62s have them. Mine is an '88. I would be surprised, though, if they don't all have the same holes.

I looked at mine, '85 Sixty, it has the same holes.

Spook50 · 05-29-06, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAFJ

I looked at mine, '85 Sixty, it has the same holes.

Sweetness.

Weaver · 05-29-06, 06:56 PM

your paint sure looks awful shiney

good mod for this weekend for sure.

Spook50 · 05-29-06, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weaver

your paint sure looks awful shiney

good mod for this weekend for sure.

The hood and fenders were repainted about a week ago

NocalFJ60 · 05-29-06, 07:35 PM

Cool writeup.. Thanks..

thetaxmonkey · 05-29-06, 07:50 PM

currently to hold my hood up, I reach behind the garage door and grab a broom handle. enormous PITA. This mod you have posted is great, thanks for the write-up, pics, and parts list. I'll definitely be taking care of this soon. The bling under the hood looks nice too!

VETTE60 · 05-29-06, 07:51 PM

thanks for the post!

NorCal60 · 05-29-06, 08:31 PM

Sweet....another possible mod to add to my list!

You deserve at least

's.

Nice job!

Dynosoar · 05-29-06, 09:33 PM

Parts have been orderd! That looks like an easy and clean mod for less than 40 bucks.

Dynosoar

euclid · 05-29-06, 10:03 PM

Nice writeup. Added to FAQ.

Tapage · 05-30-06, 09:18 AM

O men .. you are my hero ! thanks for posting !

lunyou · 05-30-06, 10:02 AM

Spook

how much stress is there on the struts when closing it and when it is holding it in the up position? There is alot of torque on those bolts and just wondering how stressed they are.

lunyou

Spook50 · 05-30-06, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunyou

Spook

how much stress is there on the struts when closing it and when it is holding it in the up position? There is alot of torque on those bolts and just wondering how stressed they are.

lunyou

It's holding it pretty firm, but there doesn't seem to be enough stress to cause any damage or warping. If you're referring to the bolts holding the factory springs to the hood, there shouldn't be much torque on them, unless they've rusted in place. Mine came off very easily.

You've gotta pull down on it pretty good to close it, since I've got two 120 lb struts on there.

Waggoner5 · 05-31-06, 06:48 AM

Don't worry about the stress, the DOT guys pulling you over, or liability of killing someone over this mod. I have this done on all my wagons dating back to 87. There are no negative effects, only a nice easy opening hood that stays up. Great write up.
Gary

meluhha · 05-31-06, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spook50

...You've gotta pull down on it pretty good to close it, since I've got two 120 lb struts on there.

So is 120lbs the magic number here or should someone go with a little less...say 110 or 100lbs?

Good write-up and good job!

Matt

Waggoner5 · 05-31-06, 11:53 AM

I used a set of rear hatch springs on all of mine.

PAFJ · 07-10-06, 02:53 PM

Spook...stupid question but where did you get your hardware? The local hardware store didn't have any of the correct size.

I find it odd that they had nothing in 5/16 with the correct outside diameter.

TIA-

Toadhopper · 07-10-06, 05:38 PM

Nice write up!!! One more for the Mod List.
Bryan

Dynosoar · 07-10-06, 07:08 PM

I got mine all done a few weeks ago. If I were to redo it in the future I think a 70-80lbs sping would be plenty, the current stuts really lift the hood quick (it would lift a small child no problem),

Note: on the passenger side I just retaped the hole that was right where spook fit his and just threded the bottom ball in place.

Dynosoar

PAFJ · 07-10-06, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynosoar

I got mine all done a few weeks ago. If I were to redo it in the future I think a 70-80lbs sping would be plenty, the current stuts really lift the hood quick (it would lif a small child no problem),

Note: on the passenger side I just retaped the hole that was right where spook fit his and just threded the bottom ball in place.

Dynosoar

That's a good idea...why didn't you do both sides like that? Did you drill out the threads first...then tap, or just run a tap through?

jts560 · 07-10-06, 10:58 PM

Great write-up, thanks for the parts list.

Dynosoar · 07-10-06, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAFJ

That's a good idea...why didn't you do both sides like that? Did you drill out the threads first...then tap, or just run a tap through?

The holes in the fenders are not symetrical. the bolt hole on the driver side seemed to low. I did not need to drill, the metric hole took the standard tap perfectly. (I used a blue loctite to make sure it held stong)

Spook50 · 07-11-06, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynosoar

The holes in the fenders are not symetrical. the bolt hole on the driver side seemed to low. I did not need to drill, the metric hole took the standard tap perfectly. (I used a blue loctite to make sure it held stong)

That's weird. The holes (which were just holes in the sheet metal, nothing there to tap) that I used were perfectly symmetrical on my rig. Is it possible that some 60/62 fenders might have different holes? Mine were both 1/2" exactly, which let me use a 1/2" OD washer as a spacer to keep the threaded shank of the fitting from sliding around with the stress of the pistons.

PAFJ · 07-13-06, 08:21 PM

Completed conversion today...thanks again Spook for the great idea!!

The only issue I have is, the shocks lift the hood up so far...the back edge of the hood smashes down on the passenger wiper arm...not that big of deal since it is only rubbing on the plastic cap on the bottom...it has only left a slight mark so far.

Like Dynosoar, I would use the 70-80 lb shocks if I did it over. The 120 lbs. are a little overkill considering one of them will hold the hood up...it's a redundant system now.

05-29-06, 05:35 PM	#1
Spook50 sp0rk sp0rk sp0rk! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,460 Blog Entries: 2	Hood shock conversion writeup (with pics) Okay first of all, a parts list: 2 gas shock struts, either 90 lb (P/N GAS-124) or 120 lb (P/N GAS-125) from www.reidsupply.com (no affiliation) 4 female shock strut fittings (P/N GAS-202) from www.reidsupply.com 4 male shock strut mounts (P/N GAS-301) from www.reidsupply.com 4 5/16 ID / 5/8 OD steel washers 4 5/16 ID / 1.75" OD steel washers 4 5/16-8 UNC nylock nuts (I used nylock because it'll keep the nut in place while the threadlocker cures) 2 5/16 ID / 1/2 OD washers, just under 1/8" thick Blue thread locker You'll also need a bench grinder, drill and a 5/16" carbide bit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can use either the 90 lb or 120 lb shock struts for this. I used 120 lb shocks since the hood ain't exactly light. It doesn't exactly weight a ton, but there is a lot of leverage tipping forward on the hinges. I know one guy here used the factory 90 lb lift gate shocks and doesn't have a problem, so odds are those will work too, hence why I provided both part numbers. I think the 120s are a good way to go, as once you pop the hood and lift it slightly, they take over and carry the weight of the hood all the way up by themselves. Pretty cool First thing I did was unbolt the large coil spring brackets from the hood and fender. There are stops on the brackets to keep the assembly from flying apart when they're unbolted, but it's a good idea to keep a hand on it anyway, since it will move a bit when it's unbolted. The springs are pretty weak though. I was able to compress both assemblies by hand. Don't throw them away. You'll want to save the 2-bolt L bracket that bolts to the hood. Use the bench grinder to grind off the rivet heads and remove the bracket from the spring loaded arm. Now you want to drill out the rivet hole to 5/16" so that you can bolt the male shock mount to it. Make sure the ball portion is on the inside of the L that the bracket makes. The shock mounting points take quite a bit of stress and can bend fairly easily, so I placed washers on each side of the metal (see first pic). Apply thread locker to the threads and install the nut and torque it down good n' tight. Go ahead and mount the brackets back onto the hood the same way they originally were bolted on. Notice washers on each side of the bracket, the ball on the inside of the angle, and no thread protrusion either. The end of the fitting is flush with the end of the nylon portion of the nut. Next up, I had to find a location on the fender to bolt the other shock mounts. My original intention was to find a spot on the fender 16" from where the hood-mounted shock mount would sit with the hood raised. Due to raised portions and factory-drilled holes in the sheet metal, this didn't work. Luckily there was a 1/2" hole in the same location on both fenders that was just a hair less than 16" from the upper shock mounts. Since this didn't appear structural and looked like it could warp easily under the stress of the shock, I used the 1.75" steel washers on both sides of the sheet metal. Also betwen the washers, since the hole in the fender is 1/2" and the shank of the mount is 5/16", is the 5/16x1/2" washer. This acts as a spacer to keep the mount from sliding around on the sheet metal. NOTE: I'm not sure if FJ60 fenders have these same holes, or even if all years of FJ62s have them. Mine is an '88. I would be surprised, though, if they don't all have the same holes. No drilling necessary, and a very clean installation. Don't forget thread locker on these either. Now you can put the female fittings on the shocks. Be sure to use thread locker on these as well. Go ahead and connect the inner strut's end to the hood's shock mount and secure it with the little metal pin (do this for both sides). Here's where you're going to need a somewhat tall helper. Have your helper remove the prop and push the hood up as far as it will go on the side you're working on while you muscle the outer strut's fitting into place on the fender's mount. This is a bear of a task with the 120lb shock struts, but once it's clicked on, it'll be secure enough to let go so you can grab the little metal pin and install it. Again, do the same on the other side. Once both shock struts are installed, clear out your tools, remove the prop completely, and close the hood. Notice how the struts will overcenter (for lack of a better word) and help force the hood down when you're within about 6" of the lock. That was an unexpected, though convenient, feature. This is a great conversion to do, as it's cheap, fairly easy (I did it in about an hour), and gives you much more room to move around underneath the hood. I'm not sure if the 90 lb shock struts will yield the same height, but with the 120 lb shock struts, the front of my hood is about 9" higher than it would be with the prop holding it in place. A couple more pics so you can see the rest of the installation. Pay no mind to the ugly foam job I did on the stiffeners, which I still have to do more cleanup on Single strut somewher close up: The whole shebang-a-bang: A note on the hoodliner. It's made by Dynamat and works great. Shields sound, and keeps the hood from heating up with the engine running. Comes in a 36"x54" sheet though, so unfortunately I can't get complete coverage with it. It's ugly, but it does the job __________________ '88 FJ62 W/ 240K miles, desmogged, stock SUA W/ full length Add-A-Leafs, Tuffy console, TaskLED domelight, Mallory ignition, four wheel discs, Aussie sliding windows Monniepoo: - Did she smoke with her pussy? Last edited by Spook50; 05-29-06 at 06:06 PM.

05-29-06, 05:45 PM	#2
PAFJ IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kodiak, AK TLCA# 16335 Posts: 1,340	That's sweet!! I need to add this project to my list of things to do now. Thanks for the write up, and for the good idea!! __________________ Mike S. '85 FJ60

05-29-06, 07:35 PM	#7
NocalFJ60 IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 2,752	Cool writeup.. Thanks.. __________________ 1982 FJ60 Northern California TLCA/PMC Member "He who throws mud only loses ground."

05-29-06, 07:50 PM	#8
thetaxmonkey IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bozeman, MT Posts: 67	currently to hold my hood up, I reach behind the garage door and grab a broom handle. enormous PITA. This mod you have posted is great, thanks for the write-up, pics, and parts list. I'll definitely be taking care of this soon. The bling under the hood looks nice too! __________________ AEQUITAS ET VERITAS 1995 FZJ80 - stocked and locked 1993 FZJ80 - 2.5" OME lift 1973 FJ40 - 2.5" lift, full roll cage, (for sale) 1972 FJ40 - in resto. process, rebuilt 2f w/ 4spd

05-29-06, 07:51 PM	#9
VETTE60 IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Pollock Pines,CA Posts: 596	thanks for the post! __________________ '84 FJ60 TPI 350 NV4500 SPRUNG 4.88's ARB's 37'S 30 spline Longs toy box... built not bought '03 dodge cummins oil burner crew cab kid hauler...bought not built FDNY in memory. RFB 343 "Let no man's ghost return to say his training let him down"

05-29-06, 06:56 PM	#5
Weaver IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: ellensburg, WA TLCA# 16770 Posts: 211	your paint sure looks awful shiney good mod for this weekend for sure.

05-29-06, 08:31 PM	#10
NorCal60 IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Stockton, CA TLCA# 13474 Posts: 325	Sweet....another possible mod to add to my list! You deserve at least 's. Nice job! __________________ Tom '84 FJ60

05-29-06, 09:33 PM	#11
Dynosoar V8J60 - TPI Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: SoCal TLCA# 17857 Posts: 1,654	Parts have been orderd! That looks like an easy and clean mod for less than 40 bucks. Dynosoar

05-29-06, 10:03 PM	#12
euclid IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Jackson, MS TLCA# 13014 Posts: 2,966	Nice writeup. Added to FAQ. __________________ Greg Thompson CottonLand Cruisers 00 Camry: Stock 5SFE - 27 MPG 89 FJ62: OME 2.5, 2" BL, Superior shackles, F250 towers, 315 BFG KM2's on zj80 wheels, Extreme A440, FF,4:88,RDB,longs,ARB front,Lockright rear,Warn XD9K in Rover AL bumper, Kaymar, Wildernes Roofrack, Marlin Sliders, SROR 1/4 sliders.

05-30-06, 10:02 AM	#14
lunyou IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rolla, MO (UMR) Posts: 1,762	Spook how much stress is there on the struts when closing it and when it is holding it in the up position? There is alot of torque on those bolts and just wondering how stressed they are. lunyou __________________ McCain/Palin '08 1968 FJ-40 - 4.3 Chevy V6 and 3 spd*PICS ADDED(JUNE 01, 2008) 1985 FJ-60 - SPEEDY -My DD settin' on 33s and a rusty frame -parting out 1986 FJ-60 - is now topless THE BUILD UP

05-31-06, 06:48 AM	#16
Waggoner5 IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,214	Don't worry about the stress, the DOT guys pulling you over, or liability of killing someone over this mod. I have this done on all my wagons dating back to 87. There are no negative effects, only a nice easy opening hood that stays up. Great write up. Gary __________________ Gary Waggoner Golden, Co 1989 FJ62 SOA, 502 Mercruiser, ARBs Sold 1987 HJ61 SOA, Cable Locks, 39k miles Sold 1983 FJ40 sitting broke since 89 1965 FZJ45 Pickup on modified 80 chassis 2003 Tacoma, ARB, OME, SC, TRD TLCA 10689 LSLC 2000 Rising Sun 2007 www.powerplayracing.net

05-31-06, 11:53 AM	#18
Waggoner5 IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,214	I used a set of rear hatch springs on all of mine. __________________ Gary Waggoner Golden, Co 1989 FJ62 SOA, 502 Mercruiser, ARBs Sold 1987 HJ61 SOA, Cable Locks, 39k miles Sold 1983 FJ40 sitting broke since 89 1965 FZJ45 Pickup on modified 80 chassis 2003 Tacoma, ARB, OME, SC, TRD TLCA 10689 LSLC 2000 Rising Sun 2007 www.powerplayracing.net

07-10-06, 02:53 PM	#19
PAFJ IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kodiak, AK TLCA# 16335 Posts: 1,340	Spook...stupid question but where did you get your hardware? The local hardware store didn't have any of the correct size. I find it odd that they had nothing in 5/16 with the correct outside diameter. TIA- __________________ Mike S. '85 FJ60

07-10-06, 05:38 PM	#20
Toadhopper IH8MUD Regular Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 495	Nice write up!!! One more for the Mod List. Bryan

07-10-06, 07:08 PM	#21
Dynosoar V8J60 - TPI Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: SoCal TLCA# 17857 Posts: 1,654	I got mine all done a few weeks ago. If I were to redo it in the future I think a 70-80lbs sping would be plenty, the current stuts really lift the hood quick (it would lift a small child no problem), Note: on the passenger side I just retaped the hole that was right where spook fit his and just threded the bottom ball in place. Dynosoar Last edited by Dynosoar; 07-10-06 at 11:31 PM.

07-10-06, 10:58 PM	#23
jts560 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Winter Haven, Fl Posts: 175	Great write-up, thanks for the parts list.

07-13-06, 08:21 PM	#26
PAFJ IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kodiak, AK TLCA# 16335 Posts: 1,340	Completed conversion today...thanks again Spook for the great idea!! The only issue I have is, the shocks lift the hood up so far...the back edge of the hood smashes down on the passenger wiper arm...not that big of deal since it is only rubbing on the plastic cap on the bottom...it has only left a slight mark so far. Like Dynosoar, I would use the 70-80 lb shocks if I did it over. The 120 lbs. are a little overkill considering one of them will hold the hood up...it's a redundant system now. __________________ Mike S. '85 FJ60