HarryD

I am getting tired of getting hit in the head when my trunk prop gets knocked out by yours truly.

Should I replace these with OEM or go for some (supposedly) better after market ones? What has been your experience?

Thanks in advance.

Jeff Curtis

OEM shocks work fine, but I have seen ones that have "50% more pressure" offered by Performance Products or somebody like that?

I remember when I put a 930 tail on my SC, it was heavier and the single shock wouldn't hold it up...I looked and looked for the "50% more pressure" ones and couldn't find them...would up putting two shocks back to back.

For the front hood, going with OEM shocks or ones from one of the major catalog outlets would suffice.

BER

Harry,

Like Jeff, I installed the "heavy duty" hood shocks on the front trunk lid of my '84 911. I seem to recall getting mine from Pelican. They have worked fine for a year with no signs of wearing out.

The passenger side is a snap to install. The driver's side shock is more problematic because of the fuel filler hoses, electrical wires, etc. around the base of the shock. I used 12" long forcips to reach the shock bolt and snap lock washer.

Bruce

Kurt V

Spend the few extra dollars and get the heavy duty ones from Pelican. They are made by Weltmeister. They are definitely an improvement over the OEM struts.

Bill Gregory

As a data point, on my SC, I replaced all of them with Porsche shocks, and after 4 years they were starting to get soft.

Tom F

Here's another vote for the heavy duty aftermarket ones. I put one on the rear lid of my spoiler-less car last year and it still flips the lid open from about the 6 inch open position.

I just hope it isn't too strong for the mounts.

Tom Frisardi
'79 Euro coupe
'83 Euro Targa

JackOlsen

One alternative:

Since my car has a lighter-than-stock fiberglass front lid, and three different rear decklids, which range in weight from light (fiberglass ducktail) to heavy (964 retractable), I needed a very flexible decklid-raising solution. Dave Bouzaglou at TRE Automotive came up with the idea of using prop bars instead of the gas-loaded shocks. It's a solution that saves me some weight and will never wear out.

Here's a picture of the rear bar, raised:



Here's one of it lowered.



In front, here's a shot of it tucked away, with an insert of the upper mount.



The advantages are numerous. Air temperature doesn't cause me headaches. The things don't wear out, and a heavier or lighter load doesn't require alternating between one or two shocks. Also, a single shock in the rear (stock on the earlier, lighter lids) puts constant pressure on one side of the lid, which means more fine-tuning to make sure the latch stays shut and the lid closes evenly. With the prop bars, none of this is a problem.

HarryD

Thnaks to all for their suggestions idea. Jack your car continues to impress me. Maybe that is what mine will be when it grows up.

Thank god it's spring. Mr. sunshine says get your Targa top off and DRIVE!!

Jdub

One thing to note: stronger shocks on the trunk combined with worn hinges mean a trunk edge that will creep up. Yeah, tough to believe, but I replaced both of my SC hinges with a set from a Carrera to tighten things up. The old hinges had worn enough that when the new shocks went in and I closed the hood the end closest to the windshield was now up a bit, higher than the area around it.

YMMV, but I was quite surprised!

Jw