sleptema Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 (edited) Just wanted to share with everyone some concrete information regarding replacing boot struts on R33 skyline, specifically the GTR but I am sure the information will be transferable. The reason I am posting is that there wasn't much information regarding pressures & the ability to remove the strut from the bracket (requiring drilling). What I did ended up costing me $110. Below is a picture I pulled from another thread, this is the part of the strut that is hard to remove. Very hard, but not impossible. What we did was use my 10mm spanner and wedge it in between the ball and the strut, then slowly work the it off. It looks like it's going to snap the strut and it ends up destroying it, but that's ok because new ones are cheap. This is what mine looked like in the end. We ended up putting 100nm of pressure in each cyl. It holds the boot fine with a genuine GTR spoiler. If I had to do it again, I would put 150nm in each to see if it holds any better, BUT that 100 works just fine. Any questions please shoot them through. Edited July 7, 2018 by sleptema 1 Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTSBoy Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 What's 100nm in real pressure units? You have given units of torque. Pressure is measured in Pascals or multiples thereof (like kPa, MPa, etc) or in psi for knuckle dragging 'Muricans. Or in N/mm2 (equivalent to MPa) or in bullshit units involving the heights of columns of fluid such as water or mercury. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7880399 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben C34 Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 It should be newton's, not newton/meters. I suppose it's just so common to say Nm he got confused. So it's not a pressure value but a linear force. That's how they designate gas struts. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7880400 Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleptema Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 (edited) Yeah sorry guys, I was thinking about that this morning and realised how stupid I must sound aha. The guy who did my struts didn't correct me, I believe it would be newtons. EDIT: Re-uploading pictures of finished product. Edited July 8, 2018 by sleptema Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7880454 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty1 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Where abouts did you get this done? And these are new struts yeah? or did you end up managing to reuse the factory ones? Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7882300 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamorus Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Hi all, I am also keen to know where I can buy these as I have been looking and found nothing except a few used struts on eBay. Any help would be appreciated...Every time I need to use my boot at the moment I feel like I have my head in a guillotine!! Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7883744 Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleptema Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 On 7/31/2018 at 12:02 PM, Ty1 said: Where abouts did you get this done? And these are new struts yeah? or did you end up managing to reuse the factory ones? I used a generic strut specialist. Old ones needed to be thrown out as there was no way they could be re-used. He just used the brackets from the OEM ones and adapted them to fit on the new struts. I believe he just measured the extents of the struts and ordered accordingly, and put above mentioned pressure into them. 1 Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7883753 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastlane Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 (edited) Hello my Gas Strut were weak so I want to replace them. This Topic pointed me in the right direction, thanks ! You can chosse this Model from Mercedes Part No.: 2218800329 It s from the W221 S Class Hood strut. You can find them for around 14$ on Aliexpress. They are a little bit too strong so I recommend to buy some used ones. I only replaced one and the Hod stays in any angle. I recommend to tap an M6 in the Bracket and add a nut to secure the strut. They are a 14mm to short, so the Trunk opens 12 cm less. Adding a spacer will fix this I also replaced the rubber bumper . They are from Aliexpress also. Edited April 29, 2019 by Fastlane 1 Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7904102 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastlane Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 So I did some research, cause the Mercedes Strut were to strong The original USED Struts have 30 kg while pushing and approx.20-25kg while holding. The new ones should be around 35kg-40kg And i Find the perfect one again on Aliexpress search for: 320Mm 400N Flap Spring Flap Fitting Gas Spring ! they match perfectly. The Trunk lid will hold until 15cm before reaching the lock. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7905675 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrStabby Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 About 5 years ago I got a mobile guy to come out and regas the struts in the Stagea tailgate. Still going strong, so a good option if the struts are just weak. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7905949 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rych Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 I hate to necro this but when you use a 10mm spaner to wedge the strut out did you had to drill a hole to make new strut fit? Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7913383 Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleptema Posted September 3, 2019 Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 On 13/08/2019 at 1:21 PM, rych said: I hate to necro this but when you use a 10mm spaner to wedge the strut out did you had to drill a hole to make new strut fit? Nah, the strut guy just got a fitting on the new strut that fit over the 10mm ball joint. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7915043 Share on other sites More sharing options...
R33 Jared Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 On 20/05/2019 at 8:47 PM, Fastlane said:And i Find the perfect one again on Aliexpress search for: 320Mm 400N Flap Spring Flap Fitting Gas Spring ! they match perfectly. The Trunk lid will hold until 15cm before reaching the lock. Hopefully this is still correct years later because I’ve just purchased some. Cheers mate Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7940780 Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuaho96 Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 On 9/24/2020 at 8:50 PM, R33 Jared said: Hopefully this is still correct years later because I’ve just purchased some. Cheers mate Did this work out properly? I need a replacement for the trunk gas strut as well. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7945634 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Nuts Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 14 hours ago, joshuaho96 said: I need a replacement for the trunk gas strut https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AUTOPA-Gas-Bonnet-Strut-for-Mercedes-W221-C216-S350-S450-S500-S63-A2218800329/254807343124?hash=item3b53b38014:g:5fMAAOSwBYteZbCj&frcectupt=true here's the link on ebay for the struts, in stock in Sydney. If you need any strange brackets or ends. Here's the link to a strange brackets or ends seller also local. https://www.gasstrutaustralia.com.au/ Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7945645 Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuaho96 Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 4 minutes ago, Rusty Nuts said: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AUTOPA-Gas-Bonnet-Strut-for-Mercedes-W221-C216-S350-S450-S500-S63-A2218800329/254807343124?hash=item3b53b38014:g:5fMAAOSwBYteZbCj&frcectupt=true here's the link on ebay for the struts, in stock in Sydney. If you need any strange brackets or ends. Here's the link to a strange brackets or ends seller also local. https://www.gasstrutaustralia.com.au/ I'm in the US, my concern is that the gas strut is too strong. The Alibaba generic one is said to be more appropriate, so I'm thinking of trying one of those first. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7945646 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Nuts Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 15 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said: The Alibaba generic one Ah sorry mate, the ebay one I quoted is the one I used. It IS the same as the aliexpress one, so all good. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7945648 Share on other sites More sharing options...
IM-32-FK Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Don’t get replacement ones, you can get the OEM ones regassed. There’s a couple of places in Sydney that I know who do it. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7946395 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BK Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 23/01/2021 at 3:09 PM, IM-32-FK said: Don’t get replacement ones, you can get the OEM ones regassed. There’s a couple of places in Sydney that I know who do it. Only if the seals are good. If they're not, which they probably aren't, they're a throw away. Just retain the top boot lid mounts to adapt to new ones. 1 Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7946442 Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuaho96 Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Yeah, I ordered the aliexpress china specials. I figure for potentially 240+ USD saved it's worth a shot. Link to comment https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/474449-r33-gtr-gas-boot-struts/#findComment-7946445 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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