To my other GT6 pages.

June 15, 2021

Bonnet Lifts

I've been working on panel gaps recently, and it was really getting annoying lifting and lowering the bonnet seemingly every ten minutes.  The GT6 bonnet is a largish sheet metal weldment, and when trying to lift it from one side, it often twists, and the far side hangs up.  The bonnet isn't particularly heavy, but I thought there musty be a more graceful way to lift it.

Of course there is.  It's pretty common to add gas strut lifts to the GT6 or Spitfire bonnets, and many owners have successfully done it.  The struts are the same kind often used for hatchbacks on cars.  They would take part of the weight of the GT6 bonnet, but just as importantly, they should reduce the distortion of the bonnet when lifting it.

There is at least one popular kit available that includes all the necessary brackets and hardware.  I looked at and considered this approach, but the brackets looked like a pretty basic fabrication problem, so I decided to wing it.  It wasn't just frugality--I'd usually really rather do this kind of thing myself.

It's not hard to find a short list of the actual gas struts that will work.  I considered a few different mounting points, did some measurements with the bonnet up and down, and picked a strut that would work.  These struts have an extended length of 32 inches, and a compressed length of 20 inches.  Each will reportedly support over 60 pounds.




I picked a lower attachment point on the short frame brace that connects to the front cross piece.  I think this is near where some of the commercial units mount.  To move the attachment slightly outboard, and to square it with the frame, I made up some little brackets...




...and tacked them to the frame brace.




I could then test if my chosen upper attachment point would work out, and if the struts fouled anything when the bonnet was lowered.  They come pretty close to some protuberances on the shock towers, but no touching.  I tried to picture if anything on the engine would interfere. 




So, this looked like it would work.  I decided to make some little reinforcement brackets for where the upper end of the struts attached to the wheel well sheet metal.




They snuggle in the little V-shaped recess of the wheel well.




The finished job.  When fully extended, the bonnet is more "open" than with the stock stay.  The second picture below shows the balance point.  The bonnet will stay in that position indefinitely.  Raise it a little, and the struts push it up.  Push it down, and I have to take some of the weight to lower it gently.




This was a fun little side job that will make future tasks easier.  It took a day or so, and cost was under $50.

Comments to Ed at elhollin1@yahoo.com

To my other GT6 pages.