Door lift struts

[leroyvette]

Replaced my door struts shortly after purchasing 2126 in May, 2011. Doors opened, stayed up pretty well in warm weather, but as weather got cooler, started to droop some. Now in cold weather, pass door droops badly---I know about the torsion bar adjustment---just dont want to attempt this yet----I have found Bumper to Bumper has replacement struts, in various lift capacity, from 25 to 100 pounds. Does anyone know the factory original lift specs----has anyone tried replacing their struts with one of slightly more lift capacity---any comments of information appreciated.

[Bitsyncmaster]

They all have less force when it gets cold. So I think the only way to fix it is with John's struts (or any with slow movement at the end) that slow down the door at the top of the movement. That way you set your T bar to still work when cold and then in the summer they don't bang or bounce when used.

If you use one with more force you still only get one T bar adjustment at cold or hot temps.

[leroyvette]

Thanks Dave for the response----I am surprised no one else has comented on this seemingly "common " problem---my thought was that its relatively quick/easy to swap to "stronger" lifts in the winter/colder times, then switch back in warmer, summer weather to the standard type struts. I don't mean to overlook the sometime
need for the torsion bar adjustments, only to " fine tune " door opening/lift as the driving temperature changes.
By the way, I have Johns " softlift" struts.

[sean]

Thanks Dave for the response----I am surprised no one else has comented on this seemingly "common " problem.

Well I think it's just that, really common, but you asked for OEM specs on a door struts, probably less common knowledge.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I have the soft lift struts also. I adjusted my T bar so they just keep the doors open fully in the winter. They still work great in the summer with that same adjustment.

[David T]

Ideally the torsion bars should be adjusted around 70 degrees. If you adjust when cold the doors will bounce too hard when you open them in warm weather. Toby's struts are supposed to be temperature compensating. The pressure of struts can vary a lot from different vendors too. The temperature has a BIG effect on the pressure of the struts. I have seen brand new struts that are different when you swap them side-to-side. I like to adjust the doors so they will stay fully open when you fully open them. It is dangerous to have the doors bounce, watch the roof structure when that happens! It makes me cringe.
David Teitelbaum

[jfirios]

I had my struts installed at another garage, they were the ones from DMC, then when I took it to DMC Cali, danny replaced them with I think the ones from John, because he said the ones from DMC really aren't the greatest. Then upon adjusting the torsion bar, the bar itself split in half. Possibly a factory defect when it was originally installed. From what i hear that is a dangerous thing to happen so I am not sure I would ever adjust my torsion bars myself.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I had my struts installed at another garage, they were the ones from DMC, then when I took it to DMC Cali, danny replaced them with I think the ones from John, because he said the ones from DMC really aren't the greatest. Then upon adjusting the torsion bar, the bar itself split in half. Possibly a factory defect when it was originally installed. From what i hear that is a dangerous thing to happen so I am not sure I would ever adjust my torsion bars myself.

The bar will not break while your adjusting it because the door is open. Now it may break when you close the door afterwards.

[David T]

I can't prove it but if the bar breaks during or right after an adjustment it may be because it touched and got scratched by the rear hinge. When adjusting the bars I always stick a small piece of rubber ( 1" X 2") between the torsion bar and the rear hinge to prevent them from touching. It doesn't hurt to leave the rubber there even after adjusting the bars as insurance. Pieces of an old tire tube work great.
The vendors do not sell the same type struts and they do not always sell the exact same ones as they used to. The suppliers change the stock they sell to the vendors too. So even if you bought a great set of struts a few years ago from a particular vendor, the ones they sell now may be different (or not as good). Like tires, the struts are not always the same.
David Teitelbaum

[jfirios]

when my bar broke it split right in half, it looks as if there might have been a small crack in the metal because that is where it broke apart. And DAMN are new ones expensive.

[Byrne H&A]

Hello ,
Take a look at our DeLorean Tortion Unit Bar, www.Deloreanupgradeparts.com You will like what we have developed and see our youtube/deloranupgradeparts.com
Of course, when the door approaches its upper limit, you place you hand on the door to slow the opening. Byrne

[Evildeli]

I've had my D for 6 years now and I've only replaced my door struts. I got Toby's doors about 4-5 years ago, but they're not holding up like I thought they would. Coming next year I'll probably replace all struts since I've never done it. None of the struts are failing, they just aren't that strong anymore. I was wondering what is the typical lifespan of the struts, and does anyone have recommendations?

[Farrar]

I have to replace my struts every two years, regardless of where I bought them.

Farrar

[David T]

Some vendor's struts seem to last longer than others and it also varies by production run. There is no rhyme or reason to it. When they get soft you replace them. The front bonnet ones seem to last almost forever, the rear louver last a long time, the door struts last maybe 3 years or so.
David Teitelbaum

[Delorean Industries]

Door adjustment, Torsion bar compensation and ball joint mounting points all cause the struts to wear in different ways. The big killer is the lower ball stud bent or missing putting an excessive side load on the strut causing early failure.

If you want struts and torsion bars to last store your car with your doors open and struts full extended or off the car.

[David T]

The difference in pressure of a strut extended or retracted is not going to matter a whole lot over the course of time. Leaving the doors open allows dirt and animals to get into the car. If you do decide to store the car and want the struts stored extended my suggestion would be to remove them during storage and store them "upside down" in a cool place. Put some oil on the extended shaft so it cannot rust.
David Teitelbaum

[Dangermouse]

I crossed the part number of the ones that came with my car, not OEM, to a StrongArm part and found that they were rated for 40 pounds.

i also looked at SS versions,

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?797-Stainless-Steel-gas-struts&highlight=4418

but in the end went for another set of Hervey's. (I could have got them slightly cheaper at SPD, but wanted to keep supporting our vendors).

I now view these as a consumable, to be changed every couple of years.

[dmc6960]

I got a batch of 6 struts from DMCH in 2004. Hood and louvers are still as strong as ever, and the door ones seem only slightly less powerful than new. The one thing that has slightly disappointment me though is the built-in brake at the end of travel on the door struts has stopped working. Seeing though how some people seem to be changing theirs every 2 years I guess its really not all that bad then.

[David T]

You have to be really careful with cross-over parts. They may fit but will not work correctly. The only way to really know they will cross-over is to get them and try them. And it gets worse all the time. X-over parts that used to fit may no longer work right as the parts get sourced from different vendors (not Delorean vendors). One of the BIG advantages of getting parts form the Delorean vendors is that they KNOW the parts will work, they use them in their service business. As for the struts, a while back a University did an engineering study on several struts. I have it somewhere, it was interesting but is probably no longer valid.
David Teitelbaum

[John U]

I have Toby's temp comp struts. The doors still slightly sag in the winter. No real noticeable difference over the DMCH struts.

John