Ring Brothers Hood Hinges question

[505camaro69]

The hood will not stay up, the struts are the 260# versions. I have a stock Cowl induction hood. They were installed by Prodigy Customs when the car was painted and assembled last summer.

Do I have defective gas struts or do I need different struts?

Has anyone else had this problem?

Does anyone know what strength of struts are used by the other billet hinge companies?

Thanks for your help.

[kttrucks]

The hinges come with specific struts based on your hood... IE- steel, fiberglass, etc... Talk to The Rings and you should be able to tell by the part # or some visual cue on the strut itself. I remember Staci asking me specifically what hood I had, and the struts were selectedbased on my answer. It could be that your builder mistakenly installed the wrong ones? ( dont take that as a slam on your builder.... not my intention, but mistakes do happen and that would be an easy solution to your problem.)

KT.

[ironworks]

Originally Posted by kttrucks

The hinges come with specific struts based on your hood... IE- steel, fiberglass, etc... Talk to The Rings and you should be able to tell by the part # or some visual cue on the strut itself. I remember Staci asking me specifically what hood I had, and the struts were selectedbased on my answer. It could be that your builder mistakenly installed the wrong ones? ( dont take that as a slam on your builder.... not my intention, but mistakes do happen and that would be an easy solution to your problem.)

KT.

Also those gas struts work differently in different temperatures and the weight of the hood can change considerably after paint. What works in the winter on a baremetal project will change in the summer when it's all painted.

Just my experience.

[Vegas69]

I have the Ring Bros hinges with a steel hood and I've never had a problem in 3 years. Call them....

[kennyd]

Originally Posted by ironworks

Also those gas struts work differently in different temperatures and the weight of the hood can change considerably after paint. What works in the winter on a baremetal project will change in the summer when it's all painted.

Just my experience.

its a difference in neutrons and protons

[ironworks]

Originally Posted by kennyd

its a difference in neutrons and protons

Thanks for the technical answer. I was trying to explain it for the masses.

[Blake Foster]

Start your problem solving by calling the company who makes the part???

[505camaro69]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I have the Ring Bros hinges with a steel hood and I've never had a problem in 3 years. Call them....

That was what I was expecting.

I did call Ring Bros and they told me that the 260# struts work on greater than 90% of first gen cowl induction steel hoods (not 100%) and that I could purchase the 325# struts for $67.50.

Am I expecting too much? At over $600 I thought that I wouldn't have to worry about them working at least as well as the stock hinges.

I still have a lot of other parts needed that I could put that $67.50 towards.

[jy211]

buy the #325 and then sell the #260 to re coup some cost

[ironworks]

Originally Posted by 505camaro69

That was what I was expecting.

I did call Ring Bros and they told me that the 260# struts work on greater than 90% of first gen cowl induction steel hoods (not 100%) and that I could purchase the 325# struts for $67.50.

Am I expecting too much? At over $600 I thought that I wouldn't have to worry about them working at least as well as the stock hinges.

I still have a lot of other parts needed that I could put that $67.50 towards.

If that is the only extra part you have to buy in your entire build, Your doing way better then me.

If you have not figured it out yet, no 2 cars are ever the exact same. Just buy the #25's and put up your other struts up for sale to the guy who made a hood change or did some other swap. Lots of people have to do that.

If Ring Bros sold you the 325 and it held the back of your hood up from being to stiff you would be on here complaining that you hood was lighter then expected.

I could never find a gas shock light enough to hold the back of my carbon non-cowl hood down properly so I have to just not run a strut or have some rear vent from the hood peaking up if I do. Lots of guys run a carbon hood with no problem, Not me.