[mikesacs]

I installed some gas struts for my rear hatch. I thought this would be a quick and easy job, but like most things it took me 5 times longer than I thought. I planned to drill the rivets out of the original supports and bolt a ball stud in their place. I soon found out that there is not enough room to fit the ball and strut between the hatch and the body. Thus I extended the strut to fit forward of the hatch. It took several attempt to make brackets that worked well. I ended up using 14 gauge stainless and struts that are 10.5" closed and 18" open with 48 pound force.