Re: [DML] Re: Who has the best door struts?

["Jake Kamphoefner" <jakekamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't think it's so much a matter of who you buy your struts from, so much 
as it is that you do it consistently.  Among the members of the midstate 
group, I think we had at least 4 different struts installed on our 
cars --including Grady's which I thought operated very nicely.  When 
comparing the operation of them at our last get-together, I noticed a lot of 
differences between the manufacturers.  Some were stronger than others at 
the beginning of the travel, some got much stronger at the end of the 
travel, some had dampeners at the top, and others were very consistent 
throughout.  There were also big differences among the cars themselves: 
inner door seals, outer door seals, roof hinge resistance, and dragging roof 
seals.  All these factors will affect the operation of your doors.

Because there are mild differences among the vendors, when you find a strut 
you like, adjust the torsion bars to match it and keep buying the same 
struts.  If you don't mind potentially adjusting the torsion bars every few 
years, then experiment with some others.  Right now, 1063 is sporting some 
struts from Steger that are 3 years old and still chuggin'.  I drive my car 
daily so they get a lot of cycles.  I like the struts just fine, but I kind 
of wish they had a dampening valve at the top of travel.  I've got the bar 
adjusted so they open fully with no bounce from approximately 60-80 degrees 
F, below about 60 they need a little help from me, and out in the beating 
sun they bounce just slightly above 80 degrees or so.  For this reason, 
Toby's temperature compensating struts are particularly intriguing to me.

Before sending your struts back, make sure nothing is obstructing the door 
opening movement.  Spray some silicone lube an all the seals, the roof 
hinges, and strut mounts.  If you need a torsion bar adjustment, get in 
touch with your local group (or you can come to my house near St. Louis!). 
I'll be looking forward to the door strut evaluation, and I imagine I'll be 
asking a lot of owners if I can play with their doors at DCS 06.

Jake Kamphoefner
1063


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lacy" <heylacy@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 10:57 AM
Subject: Re: [DML] Re: Who has the best door struts?


> Hi I just bought a 6 set of Gradys, and they wont lift door all the way up 
> and you have to help them up. One lifts higher that the other even when 
> switched. I take it that the standard answer from the venders I called is 
> that the tortion bars need adj. . but trading struts with another D owner 
> my doors work fine . All the way up without excessive bounce.I also have 
> alot of side to side  and back in forth play when piston is in open 
> position, my old stocks struts did not have this play.Do you think I 
> should send back for refund and try another set? Thanks for your help, 
> lacy
>
> Tom Watkins <outatime81@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> I use P.J. Grady's struts. I prefer Rob's as they
>> slow down at the top of the stroke eliminating the
>> heavy bounce effect. Other's I have tried give far
>> too much bounce at the top and I felt that I may be
>> damaging something. Others I have used felt way to
>> strong when closing the door. Fear of bending the
>> pins caused me to take them off and stick with Rob's.
>
> 




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