[e-katz]

Sure, do keep me posted! Cheers!

Originally Posted by pillainp

Hi,

I've had to push my plans back by a couple of months, because of certain overriding personal concerns.

I will definitely keep you in the loop.

[Ray32825]

Good job Gannu, but did you consider going with a pair of shorter struts so that access to the engine compartment is not restricted from the side?
I would probably go with two short struts and in the same orientation as in the pictures you provided. As someone who likes to work on cars I prefer it this way.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by RGK

This is my hood and engine bay view. Figo has a provision to fix ball studs on the chassis, where as I could not find one on the bonnet.

RGK, sorry for the late response. Overlooked your post. You may have to drill a hole and tap it for the M6 threading.

Originally Posted by Ray32825

Good job Gannu, but did you consider going with a pair of shorter struts so that access to the engine compartment is not restricted from the side?

Raymond, you are right. A shorter strut (or a pair) is much better than the longer one due to the reduced chances of buckling. A longer strut tends to be more slender than a shorter one (for a rod of the same diameter) due to the increased length.

In my case, one of the flanged bolts on the car’s body was readily replaceable with the threaded ball extension so I did not have to drill a hole on the structure and then tap it for the threading. Moreover, the area just below the hinge has a plastic mesh covering the top of the suspension strut dome. The reason why a second strut couldn’t be used on the driver side is due to the windshield washer fluid tubes tied to the hinge. This would interfere with the strut while closing.

[Ray32825]

I did actually bend a strut once, it was on a Lotus Esprit and those are around $200 I think. It had a special locking mechanism that I was not aware of.

Here is a site that seems interesting - http://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/

[blr]

Thanks Ganesh for another great DIY! Neat job.

[arunphilip]

Very nice thread, with good pictures and write-up. It was good to read about the things you got wrong and how you circumvented them

Attachment 1248657

One safety suggestion - even though you're not doing anything electrical, the very fact that you're working beneath the hood should make you disconnect the battery terminal, and tape the clamp to prevent accidental contact.

Just imagine - you're screwing in a bolt onto the hood's clamp, you drop the wrench, and that contacts the battery terminals. Bad stuff can happen.

When I was changing the air filter in my car, I found that I mentally did not 'view' the battery as an electrical part - stupid on my part, I know! But I decided that hereafter, anything more than fluid checks, I'll detach the negative terminal before proceeding.

[Gannu_1]

Had noticed that the MS (mild steel) angle has rusted a bit:



It wasn’t primed and painted as it was meant to be - just a spray paint can was used. So decided to get rid of it and replace them with something better. Had been on a factory visit last week and the factory had a CNC machine capable of fabricating these angles with precisely drilled/slotted holes. Requested them for a couple of angles and they gave me 8 of these!







Replaced the angle:

[The Dude]

Hello Gannu Sir, I have always wondered how in the world you do such amazing DIYs. This is what a noob like me would call "Extremely Professional". I have one small question though. Can I do this on my Grand i10?

Thanks in advance.

-Adhi

[noelnelly]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

I had done the same DIY on my Civic a few months ago.

That's a nice DIY, even I was thinking of a 2 strut system for my Amaze, could you share some more details like where did you procure the struts from and the end fittings and detailed pictures of the mod please?

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Had noticed that the MS (mild steel) angle has rusted a bit:

Hey thanks for the post, I was wondering if it's possible to procure this locally since you happened to mention that it is used in a lot of applications, I'm pretty sure some car's boot strut might be able to do the work or some big hardware store might be stocking them in various sizes and load combination. Did you try to get them locally first or straightaway go the imported way?

Thanks.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by Satan's Valet

Can I do this on my Grand i10?

This can be extended to any car which has hex. head bolt on the panels which can be replaced with ball joints of the same metric thread.

The headlamp has a bolt which can be replaced:





Not sure how the arrangement is on the bonnet's hinge. If there is a similar bolt there, you can have it replaced along with the 90 deg. clamp and the ball joint.

Originally Posted by noelnelly

Did you try to get them locally first or straightaway go the imported way?

You might be able to source these locally. Back then, I didn't know of a source that retailed these locally. That said, the extended length of the struts used for the boot is lesser so do check.

[noelnelly]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

You might be able to source these locally. Back then, I didn't know of a source that retailed these locally. That said, the extended length of the struts used for the boot is lesser so do check.

I checked the strut on the WagonR, too big, like 28', Zen(old) also big, 22'. I need something like 11' or 28-30cm extended length. Will check out a few more cars.
I have a feeling the Swift might just make it. Can you just check on your Polo? The extended length of the boot strut?

[PatchyBoy]

Very nice DIY Gannu. Now I am tempted to try this on my T-Jet. I am in correspondence with SGS engineering. The gentleman talking to me feels that there may not be enough space for struts in my car. Could you please look at the pics and suggest? Thanks a lot.

PS: Ignore the markings in red. They are for a different purpose

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by noelnelly

I have a feeling the Swift might just make it. Can you just check on your Polo? The extended length of the boot strut?

Sorry I missed this one. Will let you know shortly. But do ensure that the hatch struts have sufficient force to raise the hood.

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

Very nice DIY Gannu. Now I am tempted to try this on my T-Jet. I am in correspondence with SGS engineering. The gentleman talking to me feels that there may not be enough space for struts in my car. Could you please look at the pics and suggest? Thanks a lot.

Some cars required drilling and tapping to have a new bolt on the body wherever there was no bolt available which could be replaced readily.

The bolts marked below look a bit bigger (M10?).



IMO, you can have a 90' clamp inserted here on which the strut's round head bolt can be threaded to.

For the one on the top, I don't suppose the hinge bolts can be used due to the shape of the hinge. If you can drill a dia. 8 hole to accommodate an M6 bolt, use a 90' clamp to fix it to the bottom part of the hinge and then screw the round head bolt, I think this should work:



Required an extra hole to be drilled which seems to be the only caveat.

[bhargavd]

Hi all,

Planning to buy GT TSI, so I am crawling most forums related to it. Gannu- The kind of DIYs you do are superb. Would love to see your car in flesh sometime.

Regarding local sourcing of struts- Amazon has the new Car and bike category which lists some gas struts.

http://www.amazon.in/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...gas+struts+480

I have searched "gas struts 480" to give me the extended length required. However other conditions to check if one of the struts can be used for Polo is not clear due to given info.

@Gannu can you please check the struts available and which one could be used?

This one seems to be the closest: http://www.amazon.in/Force-Studs-Str...gas+struts+480

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by bhargavd

Hi all,

Planning to buy GT TSI, so I am crawling most forums related to it. Gannu- The kind of DIYs you do are superb. Would love to see your car in flesh sometime.

Regarding local sourcing of struts- Amazon has the new Car and bike category which lists some gas struts.

http://www.amazon.in/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...gas+struts+480

I have searched "gas struts 480" to give me the extended length required. However other conditions to check if one of the struts can be used for Polo is not clear due to given info.

@Gannu can you please check the struts available and which one could be used?

This one seems to be the closest: http://www.amazon.in/Force-Studs-Str...gas+struts+480

But the pricing is exorbitant! Did you check with SGS Engineering or somewhere else?

Keep the length somewhere close to 460 mm; 480 mm although fits, its more of a tight fit. 460 mm should give you some slack. As for the force, keep it between 350 to 400 N (divide by 9.81 for the kg rating).