Okay first of all, a parts list:
2 gas shock struts, either 100 lb or 110lb (P/N 9416K16) from McMaster-Carr
4 female shock strut fittings (P/N 9424K23) from McMaster-Carr
4 male shock strut mounts (P/N 9512K98) from McMaster-Carr
4 5/16 ID / 5/8 OD steel washers
4 5/16 ID / 1.75" OD steel washers
4 5/16-18 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" HSS bit
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You can use either the 90 lb or 120 lb shock struts for this. My hood is considerably heavier than typical. I filled the stiffening ribs with expanding foam, laid Dynamat over those and placed sections of Dynamat hoodliner in the areas between the ribs. It's ugly but much more effective than the single hood liner I had slapped in when I took the original pics. There is a lot of leverage tipping forward on the hinges. One guy here used the factory 90 lb lift gate shocks and doesn't have a problem, so odds are those will work too. I think the 110s are a good way to go, as once you pop the hood and lift it slightly, they take all the weight. You still want to guide the hood up so the shocks don't slam against their limit, as they'll reach that (luckily) before the hood can hit the wiper arms or their trim covers. If you are running the 4Runner wiper arms, the length of shock is really important as you don't want to damage the wiper arms.
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 over-center (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.
Single strut somewhat 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
2 gas shock struts, either 100 lb or 110lb (P/N 9416K16) from McMaster-Carr
4 female shock strut fittings (P/N 9424K23) from McMaster-Carr
4 male shock strut mounts (P/N 9512K98) from McMaster-Carr
4 5/16 ID / 5/8 OD steel washers
4 5/16 ID / 1.75" OD steel washers
4 5/16-18 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" HSS bit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can use either the 90 lb or 120 lb shock struts for this. My hood is considerably heavier than typical. I filled the stiffening ribs with expanding foam, laid Dynamat over those and placed sections of Dynamat hoodliner in the areas between the ribs. It's ugly but much more effective than the single hood liner I had slapped in when I took the original pics. There is a lot of leverage tipping forward on the hinges. One guy here used the factory 90 lb lift gate shocks and doesn't have a problem, so odds are those will work too. I think the 110s are a good way to go, as once you pop the hood and lift it slightly, they take all the weight. You still want to guide the hood up so the shocks don't slam against their limit, as they'll reach that (luckily) before the hood can hit the wiper arms or their trim covers. If you are running the 4Runner wiper arms, the length of shock is really important as you don't want to damage the wiper arms.
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 over-center (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.
Single strut somewhat 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
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