Gas springs on hood

[Wasjunk]

Has anybody replaced the stock hood prop with gas springs? My choice would be one on each side to hold the hood even  Thanks

[Avanti83]

Yup!! Did it on my 74. Installed them on both sides. You will need to cut a slot in the underside of the hood to install the reinforcement plate like the one you have currently on the other side for the support.

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/tech-talk/90157-avanti-cowl-induction-hood-and-gas-struts

[Wasjunk]

Thanks for the info and pictures. I can get the struts and hardware no issue. They are sold in 10 lb increments so I should be able to get it close 

[Jim78]

I also installed a pair of these struts on my '78.  They were generously donated by sweetolbob when he went to a heavier spring .  These do work well with the stock hood weight.  I ran into a bit of a problem with mine.  When the hood was closed, the force of the springs pushing the hood forward was enough to mess up the gaps on the front and back of the hood.  The mounting points for the hinges on the core support were obviously not designed for a horizontal load, and they were actually bending.  The movement was too much to make up in hood-to-hinge adjustment.  So, I made up steel plates to reinforce the mounting points, as shown in the attachment.  These solved that problem. 

The geometry of the mounting points is a bit tricky.  Finding the mounting points that give the highest lift yet don't bottom the cylinder is the challenge.   If additional pictures would be helpful to you, send me a message with an email address.   Posting pictures on this forum quickly uses up one's allowable space.

I didn't cut into the hood for a nutplate on the left side.  IIRC, there was a reinforcement in that area that appeared to be a leftover from the days that the prop was on the left side.  I fastened all of the the brackets with (3) 3/16" pop rivets, and that has held up just fine.  I used back-up plates when I riveted the brackets to the fender aprons. 

All that said, I happened to see a picture of an installation of a gas spring that is much less obtrusive.  If we could determine the owner of that vehicle, he may be able to share his experience with that mounting.

[Wasjunk]

Jim, Thank you for the reply and pictures. I am concerned about the closed pressure as I have had similar issues with both street rods and corvettes in the past. The Avanti hood hinge arrangement is not the best.  Thanks Again Dave

[Avanti83]

I suspect that it's again the variability between cars and years with Avanti's. Jim told me about this issue when he put in the struts and I was surprised as there was no issue with mine. He's provided the solution and IIWM I install the the braces he designed as flex in fiberglass is not a good thing. If I see issues with mine down the road, I'll be doing the same.

[mfg]

Those gas strut installs really impress me!.....VERY CLEAN!