i show the camaro with a prop under the hood so it sits about half as high as it does stock, seems to grab more attention especially when i'm next to other thirdgens but with the hatch up all the way i think it goofs up the look.....anyone have any ideas as how to set the hatch about 1/2 height without a prop?
I wont put a prop under it with all the stereo stuff right there.

See what i mean it screws the lines up

 

I was thinking maybe a chrome chain to attach at the hoop but not sure what i could attach it to on the car and still have it look good

 

my hatch struts are slightly wore out which lets hatch set at most any position I put it.


I've seen some guys with completely wore out struts use a pvc tube that is bigger in diameter than the largest part of the strut, slip it over the strut and let it slide down to the thin rod and then let the large part rest on it.

you could cut a tube to the desired length to make the hatch "rest" at half staff.

kinda like this: red line is the pvc tube....

 

I purchased 1/4" solid aluminum rod from the local hardware store, then used a tubing bender to make a hook at one end to go around the hood latch bar. On the other end, I bent it into an L shape to go into the latch mechanism. Once I got it to sit at the right height, I polished them up and they looked more like a show piece than a hacked up bean pole like some guys use at shows. I did the same thing for the hatch side. You can even do something similar to the doors to open them up slightly. It keeps everything locked/latched and a bit more secure than opening up everything fully.

I believe in having the hood only open about 10-12 inches, the hatch open about 6-8 inches, and drop the windows or doors about 4 inches. Let's people see in without being "grabby" on any of my shined up parts, plus adds a bit of mystery to the car.

 

Mystery... thats the word i'm looking for, thats a great idea i'm gonna have to try that would look better on the hood too then what i use now and take up less space

 

Some thin steel cable attached to the two strut mounting points would do the trick. With the hatch up, they would pull taught at the hold point, and be nice and straight. people might not even notice them.

Have you looked into using a similar, but shorter strut from another type of vehicle?

 

I thought about a shorter strut but thats a damn long strut when closed even and i dont want it to look funny, i also like that steel cable idea make a loop on either end and put it on the back side of the strut before you bolt it down that would keep it from going anywhere

 

Theres a special tool that we use at the shop for cars with warn hood struts. it slips on the metal part of the strut where ever you want to hold it. it kinda works like vise grips. Raise the hood/hatch as high as you want, then clamp it down on the strut.
the special tool is small and descrete. if interested, i can ask the gy at work that has it, what it is, where he got it, ect... let me know.

 

http://eastwoodco.com/shopping/produ...ProductID=2550