328 Front bonnet strut

Does anyone know where I can get a front bonnet strut for a 328 from.
Seem to be an item that is only produced when the manufacturer has enough orders.
Now getting rather sick of holding the lid up with my head !!

Thanks

Mark
UK.

 

Which version? Stabilus gas strut (late 88 on) or the early one with the bearing ball detent? I would recomnend the Stabilus, since they are interchangeable and the gas strut will prevent bending the hood, like can happen if someone closes the hood without pushing in the bearing ball detent.

Try froogle searching this part # SACHS Part # SG437002 About $40 plus shipping online.

http://www.google.com/products?q=SG437002&scoring=p

 

If it's the later hydraulic type I have a brand new spare one that I bought from Eurospares thinking it would fit my earlier 86 model .....it didn't.

PM me if your interested.

 

Really, would not fit? I had one fitted to my 87 328GTS, it bolted right in. What was the problem?

 

Same here. About 1 inch from closure of the hood there is VERY high resistance :-( Is that the same problem you experienced?

PS. they're pneumatic not hydraulic struts

 

I'm sure over time 'this' will cause bending of the front bonnet

 

Not on my car because I never left it installed I mean it simply would not close any farther. It seems to be that when it is used on the later 328's the geometry of the whole set up may be just slightly different and the last half inch or inch of piston travel on the strut is not used.

 

You can have your existing struts refreshed at about half the price of ordering the parts (if you can find them).

I just used LIFT SUPPORT TECHNOLOGIES out of Canada. Approximately $45 each for the gas filled struts. Very quick, efficient, and apart from a small warranty sticker placed on the struts (which I will remove)...they are your ORIGINAL parts.

Call Stephen Fenner
[email protected]

Lift Support Technologies,
215 -22nd Street West,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada. S7M-0R1.
Phone. 306-683-5000


Regards, John

 

My car came with a sawed-off broomstick handle. Works quite well, actually!

 

Stephen recharged the front bonnet struts on my Mondial some years ago - still perfect and I imagine they will be for years to come.

Excellent service, quick and - Stephen is a nice guy.

Cheers, Hank

 

I wonder if Eurospares is selling the EXACT Stabilus part that Ferrari used in the later 328's? I know I had it fitted to my 87 328GTS and Rifledriver said he installs them on 308's and 328's as a standard "upgrade" to prevent accidental hood damage from folks who forget or don't know to release the detent ball.

 

If you really want one of the "bent hood waiting to happen" struts, I have one I'll sell cheap. I took it off my 308 and carried a collapsing rod. I did the same on my 86 328, because I understand those hoods are not strong enough for the pneumatic struts either. As I understand it, Ferrari reinforced the later 328 hoods when it switched from the locking ball mechanism to pneumatic.

 

My 87 also also had the non-ball detent version that I put on, for what it's worth.

Alberto

 

The last time I left my 328 in storage I first removed the top screw holding the black body of the ball/detent strut. Then I rotated the black body 180 degrees and re-installed the screw. This defeats your ball/detent mechanism so if someone will be doing something with your car (charging the battery, checking spare tire pressure etc. on your behalf) they will not bend the hood by mistake if they don't know about the ball/detent thing or they forget about it. I just cut a wooden broom handle long enough to hold the hood open properly and leave it in the compartment. Not very classy but a bent hood doesn't look very classy either.

 

Plus, those broom sticks are fully adjustable... just cut off a bit more to reduce the height of the open hood.

 

Adjustable in only one direction... That is why I carry a nice selection of varied length broom sticks in a handy vinyl pouch, with a horsey on it!

 

My '82 Euro 308 QV came with a gas strut & there's been no sign of a strength issue. It's gotten a fair amount of use & no sign of a kink in the hood. While I've worked on several 328s, I don't recall anything about the hood being different other than having 2 side latches, like the later QVs, rathar than a single center latch..

 

The later QV's had two side latches (replacing a single center latch)? That's really weird. The 328 had a single center latch until towards the end of production when they went to two side latches. Seems like they couldn't make up their minds....

 

I just bought the stabilus strut to replace the original strut in my 87 328, but it is impossible to collapse. I'm scared to put the thing on the bonnet for fear it will bend given the lack of movement in the strut. I have a different sized stabilus strut and it collapses with some reasonable pressure with no problem. Is there something I need to do to the new strut to get it to collapse before I mount it?

 

Yeah, just get a stick(s). Every mechanic knows how to lower the hood/bonnet with one of those. Mmmmm.....better paint it "DayGlo" so that the mechanic will see it.

 

Is yours a euro? Euro's, IIRC, had a single latch while the US version has two latches.

Ace

 

I replaced my bonnet struts with 2 metal strips.
They are hold together in the middle with a small bolt and it holds the bonnet in place when open.

Guido
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