New door struts - black and stainless - Anyone interested?

[DeloreanJoshQ]

Put me down for a set of the black if everything tests out good on the prototypes!

+1

[Lukas]

I would like a black set please - at least one. Possibly two, I have to check with another owner nearby who's not on the forums

[acaciolo]

stainless set for me please.

[mburshtain]

I would be in for a black set. thank you.

[Kane]

I would take a couple of big, black studs...

Wait, I mean struts...

[Tomcio]

I would take a couple of big, black studs...

Wait, I mean struts...

OK guys. I'm still waiting for the test sets to arrive but I have made a pre-order list and I've got all the names of those interested. I will be posting any updates in this thread and on the DML. I will also make a new section on my website that will be dedicated to the gas struts.
I have ordered two black and one stainless sets to make sure everything is good. I will post pictures as soon as the package arrives.
If everything works out and the company delivers on their promise in terms of quality I will be offering a complete set of six gas struts for the hood, door and louvers.

Kane... I don't think I can help you big, black studs. That's beyond my capabilities
For struts, I got your name on my pre-order list.

Thanks

[Domi]

Sounds good, I guess you've reached more than 30 people needed

[Tomcio]

Sounds good, I guess you've reached more than 30 people needed

Yep, no problem with the number of orders. I just hope the company is going to deliver the quality. They promise that their product is the highest quality in the world but every manufacturer says the same thing... they all make absolutely the best products and it's always the "others" that make all that crap we see.
That is why I decided to order the first few sets to run some tests. I'm going to put them through the paces to make sure they are really good.
Ordering just three sets is very expensive as you have to pay for the tooling but will give me a chance to verify the quality. The tooling for the final production is even more expensive but it is divided by the number of struts produced...
I will let you all know as soon as I receive the first sets which should be pretty soon.

[Tomcio]

Hello everyone,

I have news for you. Good news, great news and not-so-good news. I'm going to reveal them in that order.

Good news:
The first test struts have arrived and I'm through some initial testing.

Great news:
The struts look great and they perform wonderfully! They are strong and lift the door effortlessly. The door moves 3/4 of the way up and then slows down to reach full open position gently. There's very little bounce at the top and I mean very little. I am very happy with their performance. The door works like I can imagine they were designed to work from the factory.

The not so good news:
The price I have given in my first post was really great but unfortunately a little too great. I'm sorry about that. I guess I'm better at engineering solutions than negotiations.
Black strut is going to be $35
Stainless strut is going to be $85

Here are some pictures I just took

Black strut:
There are some differences from the final production version.
1. The ends will be black to match the rest of the strut. The silver ends are just on the test struts.
2. The little indentations visible in the second picture will be replaced by a even pressed line all the way around the tube. This indentation is a stop for the piston and in my opinion looks much better as a continues line.
P1080266.jpgP1080267.jpgP1080269.jpgP1080270.jpgP1080272.jpgP1080273.jpg


Stainless steel strut:
This is how those struts are normally made. To avoid the long wait and a very high price of a single stainless strut I asked for an example piece. The strut in the pictures below is not the same dimensions as our door struts, just an example of what it will look like. I'm still talking with the manufacturer about the brushed finish to make sure we get it as close to the look of the external panels as possible.
P1080275.jpgP1080276.jpgP1080278.jpgP1080280.jpg

I will be placing an order soon. If you would like me to remove your name from my list of pre-orders because of the price change please do let me know. I don't want to order too many struts. I'm not making enough on them to keep them in stock.
The lead time at the factory is about one month from the time I place the order. For stainless struts the lead time will be about 6 to 8 weeks but I'm still working on the brushed finish.

The struts will have small markings (serial number and my name ) that will only be visible when the strut is not mounted on the car. When mounted the markings will be on the bottom and not visible.

[NightFlyer]

Sounds good to me - I'm still in for a black set.