Boot Trim

[07cob]

All

More than two years after rego, I have finally managed to stop driving my car for long enough to trim the boot. Just a couple of things to finish it off. Here is a photo to prove it.



Cheers

Geof

[boxhead]

Looks good one F Geof.

[Merv and Sharon]

"Stairway to Heaven"?

Well done Geof!

[schipps]

Geof,

That looks great, nice job
regards

[SunDude]

Cool! Now, you're gonna hafta get some matching luggage.

[Wazza]

Nice work young Geof....Looks great.

Cheers,
Warren.

[spookypt]

Different and original idea! Nice.

SpookyPT

[FWB]

looks better than my living room.......what are the 4 doo-dads on the floor?

[sambo]

Looks great Geof. Gas struts are nice too. I'm guessing those 4 "doo-dads" are tie-down points for a cargo net?

[07cob]

Thanks Gents

Yes, the doo-dads are flush mount tie down points. I got them from the chandlery where I picked up the marine carpet last weekend. I have been looking for the right colour carpet for a while and just happened on this while I was looking for something altogether different. I saw the tie downs and had to have them.

Merv, I was actually hoping to avoid the 'stairway' look and could have, but floor space would have been comprimised by around 25% so I went with the steps.

SunDude, I don't know about matching luggage, but I will now have to redo the interior to match. I just don't know if the interior can carry two stripes all the way through. It might be a bit of a stretch. We'll see.....

Cheers

Geof

[byroncobra]

Hey Geof

Nice stripes!!

How'd you fix the blocks for the struts to the body........I'm sick of the broomstick falling down

Greg

[Wazza]

Gotta love the struts...

Seeing "One F" Geof's car take shape had convinced me to have struts as well.





The previous Cobra's "Stick" in the front and in the back always left me a bit cold....
and after the bloody stick had let the bonnet drop a couple of times...always knocking paint as it went...it had me making sure there was a better way.

Thanks Geof...
Cheers,
Warren

[byroncobra]

Warren

I've been looking into gas struts and according to the manufacturers of these things, Stabilus, i should not use anything over 150nm pushing force or the body may distort when bonnet's closed. I guess this can be reduced by enlarging the fixing area for the hinges.

Apparently your average auto bonnet strut is about 350nm, this is needed to hold the heavier steel unit up

Where did you source yours and any thoughts on the above?

Thanks

Greg

[Merv and Sharon]

Yes, some guys had the struts and had to remove them because of deformation.

[Wazza]

I had these supplied, and took advice from "Struts R Us" here at Nerang on the Gold Coast.

Yes..they are easily set up incorrectly.

If you have a look at mine you will see that as the boot closes..it actually helps pull the boot shut.

I have seen them mounted so that they are always trying to push the boot open, and that's when they end up deforming the lid.

When mounted correctly they basically have to be set up to help open the boot / bonnet, and when the boot / bonnet is closed there should be hardly any "push" still happening from the strut.

Basically...If they are roughly at 90 degrees to the lid/bonnet when open, and then at a very "flat" angle when it's closed they should work o.k.

If the strut is still "pushing" when the lid/bonnet is in a closed position, to me that would be when they push things out of shape?

We'll soon see if they cause any dramas...but seem to me that they'll be fine...I could be wrong.....gotta "suck it and see".

Cheers,
Warren.

[byroncobra]

Thanks for that Warren,
I'll give the guys at Nerang a call
Greg

[07cob]

Greg

The brackets inside the boot are just 50mm angle brackets tek-screwed to the same cross member the boot hinges are swung from. On the boot (and the bonnet), I made up some Al angle brackets and glassed them to the boot/bonnet. They got painted and look like part of the body.

Warren is absolutely right about the fitment. They need to be fitted so they are effectively *over-centre* when the boot is closed so that the strut is keeping the boot shut. My struts are quite small and not too powerful. They are from the windows on a 4WD fibreglass canopy.

Warren, it was actually the bonnet stay on the bumble bee that inspired my struts in the first place. I recall the bonnet up at a breakfast meet and a string attached to stop it opening up too far and thought that there must be a better way. Struts seemed the obvious choice.

Cheers

Geof

[Wazza]

You're right...although that yellow string was state of the art...I've decided that I'll go high tech on the new one.
Cheers,
Warren

[Merv and Sharon]

What would 'old Shel think?

[byroncobra]

Geof & Warren

Unfortunately I'm painted so glassing on is a prob, I'll come up with something, thanks for the tips though.

Spoke to the guy at Struts r us, very helpful

Greg