Gas Hood Strut Install

lookforjoe

True Classic
Whilst working on the motor swap, I realized how annoying it is to use an manual hood support. Honestly, I haven't opened the hood on my wife's 500 but a few times in the 3 years we have owned it, but still :D

I used a Volvo C30 tailgate strut - 19.5" extended length. I had ordered a 40lb strut (same one I used on the X1/9 engine cover) from RV center, along with the ball stud brackets, but the length turned out to be too short, based on where the strut could be placed & not interfere with the hood inner panel, fender, inner fender and still actually lift the hood.


You will see from my pics that it took a couple tries to get the location right :D looks kinda ugly, so I will need to address the extra holes more neatly than at present. Wouldn't be acceptable to me on my X1/9 or my Volvo...

M5 rivnuts at the back with M5 allen head screws, standard rivets in the hood.

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No way around it, inner fender corner had to be cut for the ball stud to clear.

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Neat project. Are they a universal type seat heating panel, or ones that came in the 500 (if they even offered that)?

Universal. 500's had it as an option, but that with require interfacing with the BCM and probably software to work, so, **** that.

I bought the kit back when we had the Mustang GT, however the leather seats in that were bonded directly to the foam pads, typical cheapo Ford so I never installed them there...

I bought a newer version off Aliexpress to use in the Honda seats now in the old Volvo wagon
 
I've looked at those universal inserts before but never tried any.

Besides, all of my cars already have heated seats...otherwise known as desert sun. :D
 
Heated seats have always been the single best option for a car in a cold climate. I used to drive to work with the car heat off and the heated seats on low. Loved the feeling.

My wife roasts herself in her seat, I can’t stand it on high. In fact normally I can’t take more than low for a few minutes unless it is seriously cold in the car. She also has a heated steering wheel which I can stand for only as long as it takes to get it up to @75°.

Nice add. I have a set for the Miata to install next spring when we start driving it again.
 
Universal. 500's had it as an option, but that with require interfacing with the BCM and probably software to work, so, **** that.

I bought the kit back when we had the Mustang GT, however the leather seats in that were bonded directly to the foam pads, typical cheapo Ford so I never installed them there...

I bought a newer version off Aliexpress to use in the Honda seats now in the old Volvo wagon
Dealing with the software side of things on these cars is absolutely horrendous. It's so locked down and theres so little freedom to customize anything in software... A total contrast to a particular bavarian automaker where everything from door handle lights coming on in reverse, to making instrument cluster gauges show different values, to full retrofits that can be coded at the push of a button or two.

It's all probably doable with software, but it's dealer only at the moment and unfortunately nobody has cracked or pirated it. It's going to be the downfall of these cars in the future if we don't figure out how to properly program modules. AlfaOBD and MultiECUScan offer some ability but not dealer level.
 
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A little off topic, but recently the automotive aftermarket association won a court battle with the major automakers to prevent them from keeping all of their software propriarity. This will allow the independent service industry to work on later model cars in a competitive market. It may eventually trickle down to you and me having access to all vehicle software...but I doubt it.
 
A little off topic, but recently the automotive aftermarket association won a court battle with the major automakers to prevent them from keeping all of their software propriarity. This will allow the independent service industry to work on later model cars in a competitive market. It may eventually trickle down to you and me having access to all vehicle software...but I doubt it.
Right to Repair is something that we ought to amend into the US Constitution.
 
A seat heater installation guide I had run across some time ago.

Hope it helps someone.
 

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A seat heater installation guide I had run across some time ago.

Hope it helps someone.

LOL, I could have referenced that a couple weeks ago. I would never do the seat backs the way they did though, shoving the pad up into the back. It's not that difficult to peel the cover up high enough to properly situate the pad & cut two holes (as I did with the Honda seats) so that the pad cannot ever move inside the cover. Relying on just the adhesive is a bad idea, IMO.

Also, all the kits I have seen don't allow for such a large cutout as they made for the seat bottom pass sensor. They all say holes of no more than 1" OD or performance is compromised. The pads they used look like the same generics in the kit I bought for $42 delivered off AliExpress.
 
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Sorry I saw your post and then ran across the file last evening while doing some computer cleanup. The carbon based units do allow a hole, but I am with you, not one that big.

The Honda Elements passenger seat sensor makes it so you can’t put a heater panel in the squab of that seat, I suspect there are many cars which technically don’t allow a heated section there.
 
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