Clamshell Gas Strut Specs


Art138

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jan 4, 2011
631
Weston,FL
"Plenty of options for 10-20$". Would the aforementioned have the word Ford on them or just generic wording?
 

Beach-GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 8, 2006
887
Seminole Florida
My front hood struts are kaput. Research needed.
 

07XL0027

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
May 20, 2012
1,570
Austin TX
I went to my local Ford dealer and gave them my VIN. They sold me NOS factory gas struts; front and rear. I installed them last week. They work perfectly. Boring, I know but an easy solution.

1d6ddb120cba709ae6564133a2ec4180.jpg


Hood struts shipped from Michigan

f19bb9a6c814ccd889da62836940027d.jpg


Clamshell struts shipped from Tennessee.
 
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Beach-GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 8, 2006
887
Seminole Florida
Thanks for the info. I'll try to get a pair.
 

MTV8

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 24, 2010
1,020
Houston Texas
I broke the code.

The OEM struts are 540 newtons / 120 lbs extension force.

Nice detective work there.
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
The photo shows the Ford part number and below that the manufacturer (Suspa) nomenclature.


20170613_070732.jpg


"540N" is the extension force. 540 newtons/120 lbs.

"47/10" is the manufacture date. In this case week 47 of 2010.

I installed these in 2012 and they were marginally okay for five years.

Howard did some research too. He measured compression force of two new non-OEM struts at 90 lbs each, and two original OEM struts at 90 lbs and 70 lbs. Compression force is typically about 10% greater than extension force. In other words, all four are substantially weaker than spec.

An engineer also told him "They do lose 2-3% of their output force per year, as do all springs. If you’re getting old springs, they’re going to be weaker than they were when they were new."

Much ado about nothing? Not if you've seen the clamshell blown shut by a gust of wind. Picture that at a car show with a spectator leaning over the engine.
 

07XL0027

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
May 20, 2012
1,570
Austin TX
The photo shows the Ford part number and below that the manufacturer (Suspa) nomenclature.


View attachment 46537


"540N" is the extension force. 540 newtons/120 lbs.

"47/10" is the manufacture date. In this case week 47 of 2010.

I installed these in 2012 and they were marginally okay for five years.

Howard did some research too. He measured compression force of two new non-OEM struts at 90 lbs each, and two original OEM struts at 90 lbs and 70 lbs. Compression force is typically about 10% greater than extension force. In other words, all four are substantially weaker than spec.

An engineer also told him "They do lose 2-3% of their output force per year, as do all springs. If you’re getting old springs, they’re going to be weaker than they were when they were new."

Much ado about nothing? Not if you've seen the clamshell blown shut by a gust of wind. Picture that at a car show with a spectator leaning over the engine.

Any chance they will make a new batch in the near future?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Howard

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 26, 2007
1,148
Florida/North Jersey
My FORD struts (recently replaced) had a Suspa build date of 12/06 so they must have been installed shortly after my 2006 FGT was delivered to its original owner (I bet there's a story there). These Ford GT Suspa struts are manufactured in Germany (not all Suspa struts are) and are very expensive in small quantities. The FORD pricing is very reasonable, as is the non-Suspa part offered by some sponsors here. You can check the build date on the Suspa strut but not on the non-OEM replacement.

Howard
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
My search for aftermarket clamshell struts that are stronger than OEM was a failure. I found one that was stronger (150 lbs), but 1/2" longer. It would not fit. The extra length was a no go and the connectors were different and non-interchangeable.

After having the clamshell blow shut in a light breeze, I rolled the dice with OEM Ford parts. Ordered from Tasca Ford, delivery took two months, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a mfg date of 35/16. Fairly fresh!

What a difference. I can pull the clamshell almost closed and it springs open. See for yourself.


[video=youtube;6oICdjxxaA4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oICdjxxaA4[/video]


My conclusion is that, as with tires, freshness matters. Gas struts will lose pressure over time just sitting on the shelf. The two other sets I bought in the past six years were not nearly as strong.

New Doc 2018-05-11_2.jpg


$68.64 shipped.
 
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Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,862
Largo, Florida
That’s good advice. I’ve had two new sets delivered that were leaking in the package from old age. They should have included miniature Depends.
 

The Grey Ghost

GT Owner
Mar 13, 2009
691
Kansas City
Much ado about nothing? Not if you've seen the clamshell blown shut by a gust of wind. Picture that at a car show with a spectator leaning over the engine.

On windy days I attach something similar to these as a precaution.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/OTC4706
 

KJRGT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 4, 2006
2,840
SoCal
On windy days I attach something similar to these as a precaution.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/OTC4706

Very cool find. Thanks for the tip!
 

AJB

GT
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jun 28, 2006
2,976
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
concern - won't the clamp, when tightened down on the piston rod, cause a 'nick' or deformation or 'burr' to the rod,
Then when the rod travels into the body of the strut, the 'nick ' will cut the gas pressure seal and cause the unit to loose all of its pressure??
Or am I missing something..?
andy (ajb)
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
concern - won't the clamp, when tightened down on the piston rod, cause a 'nick' or deformation or 'burr' to the rod,
Then when the rod travels into the body of the strut, the 'nick ' will cut the gas pressure seal and cause the unit to loose all of its pressure??
Or am I missing something..?
andy (ajb)

I looked at several like this online. A few types said that the clamp is aluminum and the bolt is brass, which allegedly won't score the strut rod.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-44870-Gold-Support-Clamp/dp/B0002SRCYM
 
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AJB

GT
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jun 28, 2006
2,976
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
ok - understand,
andy (ajb)
 

TO AWSUM

Ford GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 4, 2007
1,512
Niceville FL
I looked at several like this online. A few types said that the clamp is aluminum and the bolt is brass, which allegedly won't score the strut rod.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-44870-Gold-Support-Clamp/dp/B0002SRCYM

It may not scratch, but it definitely will deform the strut if the owner gets slightly aggressive tightening it. Also I don't believe their story about the sharp end of those screw threads not scoring the strut. This "Hood Prop Rod" would be much safer.

https://47057315.r.bat.bing.com/?ld...54356&utm_content=IDEA%20-%20Misc%20Equipment
 

Howard

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 26, 2007
1,148
Florida/North Jersey
Same item cheaper on Amazon. That's what I use.