Does anybody have a better way to hold up the engine lid than the simple 'rod thru the hinge' technique?
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Vince, you come up with anything better than the old rod through the hinge yet?
Well, I usually bring one of my mechanics to hold the lid up for me....
Colin....You knew I had a better answer than the rod through the hinge, didn't you...
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How do you work in those long stockings & don't those heels hurt your feet?
Originally Posted by Cuzn Vinny:
Colin....You knew I had a better answer than the rod through the hinge, didn't you...
You never disappoint.
Originally Posted by Mom's356:
How do you work in those long stockings & don't those heels hurt your feet?
Those are Vince's mechanics. They won't be able to respond because when they aren't working on his car, they're up in his bedroom far from anything with internet access.
My wife is cool, but not that cool, they stay in the spare room....
CONTACT JPS AND ASK FOR THE SETUP HE USES ON THE COUPES. U LIFT IT UP AND IT STAYS PUT. U LIFT IT AGAIN AND IT GOES DOWN
...and that's why authentic 356's often have warped front lids. The mechanic or gas station dude didn't do the 'second' lift to disengage the locking mechanism...ooops, Kinked!
oh i would have killed
Yeah Gerdddd, that was my first inpulse too!
But I was so blinded by tears and rage that I couldn't see anything close at hand to club the attendant to death with. Fortunately I picked up a T4 lid for $50 from a Registry buddy (stuff was cheap then) matched the paint and soothed my ruffled featers and healed my broken heart.
I tried to locate JPS, Gerd, but I can't find them in the member listing. My hubby will be the mechanic so I won't have to worry about him forgetting to disengage the locking mechanism, if he can install it in the first place.
JPS contact info.. http://www.jps-motorsports.com/
Originally Posted by carlberry:
Yeah Gerdddd, that was my first inpulse too!
But I was so blinded by tears and rage that I couldn't see anything close at hand to club the attendant to death with. Fortunately I picked up a T4 lid for $50 from a Registry buddy (stuff was cheap then) matched the paint and soothed my ruffled featers and healed my broken heart.
I COULD FEEL YOUR PAIN IN THAT FIRST POST
Originally Posted by Chris Hendrix:
JPS contact info.. http://www.jps-motorsports.com/
THANKS CHRIS
MOMS356, ASK JOHN HOW U MODIFY IT TO FIT A SPEEDSTER TO HELP YOUR HUSBAND OUT
I never want to have a fire and try to open the deck lid manually.
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That's why I keep a pair of gloves with my fire extinguisher.
Originally Posted by Cole:
I never want to have a fire and try to open the deck lid manually.
THAT is awesome!
Thinking I might follow suit.
Cole, can you give a better idea of which strut and/or mounts you used? I think you got it right with this set up and would love to do this!
I went to one of those companies that sells toppers for pickups and they had a big selection of struts and a box of various types of mounts.
Strut: C16-09202, 16” extended length, 38lbs of pressure, 4" stroke
The compressed length of the strut is not very important as the strut does not need to be fully compressed when the deck lid is closed. However when the deck lid is open, the strut must be fully extended and here is why.
In the Vintage Speedster the deck lid hinge does not have a stop, it will continue to open until the lid hits the car body. Not good. So you use the fully extended strut as a stop, so that the lid doesn't hit the body. So you first attach the upper strut mount, position the deck lid to where you want it and then mark where the lower strut hits the firewall. This is how you determine the lower stut mount position.
When properly sized and mounted, your strut will open the lid to the correct position (fully opened, but not having the deck lid hit the body) and when closed, it clears the fan housing. When opened, the strut is fully extended but when closed, the strut does not need to be fully compressed.
Bottom Mount: The key to using a single strut of reasonable strength (mine is 28lbs) is to mount the bottom of the strut as low as possible. It must have as much seperation from the line of the hinge so that it can push the deck up. The narrower the angle, the less likely it is to work regardless how how strong the strut is.
Top Mount: I got some additional increase in the angle by mounting the top of the strut on top of the deck hinge. It mounts to the top of the hinge using the existing bolt. I did find that having only one bolt caused that bracket to twist and so I drilled a hole and put in a second bolt. Now it stays put and doesn't twist.
Besides being fun, I no longer have to mess with that silly pin to hold the lid up! Another advantage that I never hope to use is that if I have a fire, I dont have to get my hand in there and try to hold up the deck lid and use the fire extingusher.
Originally Posted by Cole:
I went to one of those companies that sells toppers for pickups and they had a big selection of struts and a box of various types of mounts.
Strut: C16-09202, 16” extended length, 38lbs of pressure, 4" stroke
The compressed length of the strut is not very important as the strut does not need to be fully compressed when the deck lid is closed. However when the deck lid is open, the strut must be fully extended and here is why.
In the Vintage Speedster the deck lid hinge does not have a stop, it will continue to open until the lid hits the car body. Not good. So you use the fully extended strut as a stop, so that the lid doesn't hit the body. So you first attach the upper strut mount, position the deck lid to where you want it and then mark where the lower strut hits the firewall. This is how you determine the lower stut mount position.
When properly sized and mounted, your strut will open the lid to the correct position (fully opened, but not having the deck lid hit the body) and when closed, it clears the fan housing. When opened, the strut is fully extended but when closed, the strut does not need to be fully compressed.
Bottom Mount: The key to using a single strut of reasonable strength (mine is 28lbs) is to mount the bottom of the strut as low as possible. It must have as much seperation from the line of the hinge so that it can push the deck up. The narrower the angle, the less likely it is to work regardless how how strong the strut is.
Top Mount: I got some additional increase in the angle by mounting the top of the strut on top of the deck hinge. It mounts to the top of the hinge using the existing bolt. I did find that having only one bolt caused that bracket to twist and so I drilled a hole and put in a second bolt. Now it stays put and doesn't twist.
Besides being fun, I no longer have to mess with that silly pin to hold the lid up! Another advantage that I never hope to use is that if I have a fire, I dont have to get my hand in there and try to hold up the deck lid and use the fire extingusher.
Thanks for the info...
Didn't find the exact match for the struts, but close:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...mp;pf_rd_i=C16-09202
You first mentioned 38lbs but then in the body of your paragraph mention 28lbs. Which is it? There are many options on Amazon and I wanted to get the correct one.
Also found the Brackets... (or at least what I think will work)
http://www.amazon.com/10MM-Bal...oliid=I1ZAA8RSWG6NG6
Thanks!!!! 
You know, I'm not sure now how many pounds it is, I have both 28 and 38 in my notes. But I do believe it's 28.
Strangely, the product page doesn't specify either!
As I tried to describe, the great the angle, the less pounds you need. By angle I mean the angle created these two lines:
A line drawn from the deck lid mounting point to the deck hinge.
A line drawn from the deck lid mounting point to the firewall mounting point.
You want that angle to be a large as possible, by mounting the strut as low as possible on the firewall.
I hope that makes sense!
Originally Posted by Cole:
You know, I'm not sure now how many pounds it is, I have both 28 and 38 in my notes. But I do believe it's 28.
Strangely, the product page doesn't specify either!
As I tried to describe, the great the angle, the less pounds you need. By angle I mean the angle created these two lines:
A line drawn from the deck lid mounting point to the deck hinge.
A line drawn from the deck lid mounting point to the firewall mounting point.
You want that angle to be a large as possible, by mounting the strut as low as possible on the firewall.
I hope that makes sense!
Thanks so much...
I'm settling on these two items from Amazon and ordering as we speak. Will post pics/vid of the outcome.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...;smid=A3ABS7HSHBSER3
To my eye, that looks like it will work!
The only question is; will that top mounting bracket fit as in this picture, and not hit the top?
Also, I chose this bracket with an offset so that the ball is mounted as far towards the back of the car as is possible, which increases that angle I spoke about. Also remember the second bolt or a pin so the bracket doesn't pivot on the bolt.
The lower bracket goes into wood so use appropriate screws.
Remember to mount the top bracket first, position the deck lid in the "up" position so that it doesn't go too far and his the car body and then position the lower bracket with the strut fully extended! This positions everything so that the strut lifts the lid and acts as a stop too.
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Originally Posted by Cole:
To my eye, that looks like it will work!
The only question is; will that top mounting bracket fit as in this picture, and not hit the top?
Also, I chose this bracket with an offset so that the ball is mounted as far towards the back of the car as is possible, which increases that angle I spoke about. Also remember the second bolt or a pin so the bracket doesn't pivot on the bolt.
The lower bracket goes into wood so use appropriate screws.
Remember to mount the top bracket first, position the deck lid in the "up" position so that it doesn't go too far and his the car body and then position the lower bracket with the strut fully extended! This positions everything so that the strut lifts the lid and acts as a stop too.
Thanks for the detailed pics of the bracket on the lid. It was hard to see from the video
Yea, I think the brackets I ordered will work. I haven't received them yet but if the deck bracket doesn't clear, can't I just flip it so the ball is facing down?
I didn't know the firewall was made of wood. Good to know, I'll use wood screws to install the bracket on the firewall. Unless I can get to the back side and in that case, I'll install a locking nut behind the firewall bracket.
Will post up my progress (hoping I get this stuff by the weekend)
Originally Posted by Cole:
To my eye, that looks like it will work!
The only question is; will that top mounting bracket fit as in this picture, and not hit the top?
Also, I chose this bracket with an offset so that the ball is mounted as far towards the back of the car as is possible, which increases that angle I spoke about. Also remember the second bolt or a pin so the bracket doesn't pivot on the bolt.
The lower bracket goes into wood so use appropriate screws.
Remember to mount the top bracket first, position the deck lid in the "up" position so that it doesn't go too far and his the car body and then position the lower bracket with the strut fully extended! This positions everything so that the strut lifts the lid and acts as a stop too.
How big is the air access hole? I like the screening.
That air hole comes standard with a Vintage Speedster.
I'm out of town right now, but I think the hole is about 6" in diameter.
I couldn't find a way to mount the bracket on the bottom side, the glass is too thin to mount to and it cannot mount between the hinge bracket and the glass. The top mount is perfect.
i used wood screws in the firewall, very secure.
Here is my solution to the engine deck lid "staying up" issue. With the fabricated bracket, I can have a fully loaded suitcase and luggage rack,and with all that weight,the lid will still stay up. No need to use my head to hold up the deck lid anymore.
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Very nice! Is there one of these brackets and struts on each side?
One strut and bracket. Drivers side. 1/4" aluminum bracket mounted using the same holes as the original ball bracket. End of strut slides up and down in fabricated bracket. Works like a charm, and looks good too.
Well I got the ball brackets installed and the shock in about 15 minutes.
The Shock I ordered was the 26lb version. Problem is, that is WAY too much for these flimsy fiberglass lids. When shut the shock side of the lid was about 1/4 inch higher than the other side... making it look rather silly.
I am keeping the brackets and returning the 26lb shocks. Even just using one the lid was WAY too hard to shut and it was too violent for my liking when pulling the trunk handle. I mounted it just like you said, biggest angle with the shock fully opened.
Here's the one on eBay I'll be ordering. (10 lb version since these lids are so damn light anyway)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10LB-C...essories&vxp=mtr
Will get back once installed
Maybe yours is longer than mine, allowing a greater angle and hence, less force needed. When you're done, please send pics of the mounts and video of it opening.
Originally Posted by Cole:
Maybe yours is longer than mine, allowing a greater angle and hence, less force needed. When you're done, please send pics of the mounts and video of it opening.
I already have pics of the mounts but figured I'd hold off until I got the new shocks on there for the video.
We are waiting with bated (or baited, as some would say) breath. Really!
I am expecting Vince to deal with "Maybe yours is longer than mine..."
I also asked for pictures of his mounts!
Michael, not to disappoint...
My mounting position has changed over time since the length has been getting shorter.
I think it's the aging process. I am glad however that i am still able to make it rise when needed...
Oh, boy. Here we go
Bwaaaaaa Haaaaaaa...Vinny is like money in the bank!!
I would be concerned about mounting the upper bracket on to the fiberglass. When it's mounted to the hinge, there is no chance of damage, either catastrophic or stressing the fiberglass over time.