Door Struts

[JRNY13]

I'm having some work done on my car by a local mechanic who has been working on D's ever since they were new. So far, he's demonstrated a lot of knowledge and expertise and has done great work. I installed DMCH door struts when I bought the car 2 weeks ago. The doors don't go all the way up on their own, but if you push them all the way up, they stay up. This tells me I need a torsion bar adjustment. My mechanic has done torsion bar adjustments before and he is really shying away from touching mine, citing all the things that could go wrong. Since he's very hesitant to touch them, I'd rather him not. Are there any aftermarket door struts that provide more "oomph" than the DMCH struts? My thinking is that a more powerful strut can overcome a weak torsion bar. Are there any such struts and do you have any other recommendations for tweaking my doors? They're not awful, just could be better.
Thanks.

[Delorean02378]

I recently purchased the same door struts you did and I have to push mine up a little as well. The old ones ( PJ Grady's) when new, shot right up but these don't. Before getting a torsion bar adjustment, try another vendor and see if there's a difference.

Actually, I'll order some tomorrow from Rob and post a video showing the door with DMC struts and PJ Grady struts and we'll just see what's up.

Kirk

[Jonathan]

From what you've described, I would suggest leaving the torsion bars alone.

It is not unusual to need to push the doors up that final inch or two.

The struts are temperature sensitive as well (related to the gas inside them). Wait perhaps a bit longer into the summer and see how much they change as the weather goes from cool to hot outside. Not sure who currently is selling them, but there are cold weather ones that are not as affected by the ambient temperature.

From my experience there are a few things you can strive for with these cars to have them 'perfect' and just like your buddy's car... door opening, closing, and alignment is not one of them. Pretty good is sometimes good enough and may be as good as it gets on a particular car (without potentially some serious effort, time and money to fix a minor issue).

[JRNY13]

I recently purchased the same door struts you did and I have to push mine up a little as well. The old ones ( PJ Grady's) when new, shot right up but these don't. Before getting a torsion bar adjustment, try another vendor and see if there's a difference.

Actually, I'll order some tomorrow from Rob and post a video showing the door with DMC struts and PJ Grady struts and we'll just see what's up.

Kirk

Interesting. I'd definitely want to see that video. If Grady's struts are more powerful, that may be the way to go. Thanks.

[Rich]

From what you've described, I would suggest leaving the torsion bars alone.

It is not unusual to need to push the doors up that final inch or two.

The struts are temperature sensitive as well (related to the gas inside them). Wait perhaps a bit longer into the summer and see how much they change as the weather goes from cool to hot outside.

+1

Leave the torsion bars alone for now. Looks as if it is still rather cool (in Massachusetts?) this week. You want to be checking them at >70deg F.

[David T]

If the doors stay open all the way and don't drop back down the torsion bars are adjusted right and the struts are fine. Too much and the doors will bounce and that is very hard on the roof structure. Even if you get struts with a little more "oomph", in a year or so the extra oomph will be out of them. Struts last about 5 years but every batch seems to be different so it is hard to say. You do NOT adjust torsion bars to compensate for weak struts. If you do, when you eventually replace the struts the doors will pull you right out of the seat if you hold onto the pull strap. And they will bounce very hard. When the weather gets warmer you will see the struts will have a bit more oomph.
David Teitelbaum

[JRNY13]

If the doors stay open all the way and don't drop back down the torsion bars are adjusted right and the struts are fine. Too much and the doors will bounce and that is very hard on the roof structure. Even if you get struts with a little more "oomph", in a year or so the extra oomph will be out of them. Struts last about 5 years but every batch seems to be different so it is hard to say. You do NOT adjust torsion bars to compensate for weak struts. If you do, when you eventually replace the struts the doors will pull you right out of the seat if you hold onto the pull strap. And they will bounce very hard. When the weather gets warmer you will see the struts will have a bit more oomph.
David Teitelbaum

I don't think I've opened them with temperatures above 65 yet, so maybe the warmer weather will be just enough.

[LordFly]

I have 1 brand new DMC one and one older DMC one of unknown age. Both will lift the doors right to the top even when the temp is below freezing, but the used one is noticeably easier to close. I believe if the struts are off the car, the torsion bars should only open the door a few inches. You could check that, but like everyone else says, I wouldn't mess with them unless you absolutely HAVE to.

[jawn101]

The DMCH struts are kinda weak to begin with, even when new. Did anyone ever try those ones from Amazon?

[Ryan S.]

Don't do it. Over adjusting tortion bars can cause a roof separation and other problems.
I have John H's Softlift struts and they work really well.

[Josh]

Thanks for this thread guys. I have a very similar problem. The doors wont open up all the way but if I push them up they will stay. Have had them open for hours at a time so I know now the torsion bar is not an issue. Sounds like my struts are a little tired! Will look into replacements.

[Delorean02378]

I recently purchased the same door struts you did and I have to push mine up a little as well. The old ones ( PJ Grady's) when new, shot right up but these don't. Before getting a torsion bar adjustment, try another vendor and see if there's a difference.

Actually, I'll order some tomorrow from Rob and post a video showing the door with DMC struts and PJ Grady struts and we'll just see what's up.

Kirk


Just ordered the new struts. I'll make sure the comparison videos are done in the same day and same hour so there won't be any difference in temperature.

[Chris 16409]

The DMCH struts are kinda weak to begin with, even when new. Did anyone ever try those ones from Amazon?

I ordered a pair off amazon and they seem to work okay. For the price, they are fine until I want to spend money on some struts from Gady. I had a buddy just order a complete set from him, and his are noticeably stronger. When it's warm, the StrongArm struts work fine. They are better than my old/weak Stabilus struts anyway.

[awildermode]

Have you checked your lower strut mounts? If they are bent, or worse...cracked the fiberglass under body, it could effect the door position.

Get a Lower Strut Support Bracket Set, DPI has some, and it will fix the problem. Depending on how bent or cracked your fiberglass is, it can be quite a job. Not fixing the mounts and just getting new struts will cause more damage to the problem area. You are constantly putting stress on the mounts every time you open/close the doors.

[Delorean02378]

Alright, here are the results of the comparision.

Both sets of struts are new and the videos were taken within 30 minutes of each other. Temperature was about 83 degrees. I remembered to show the label on the first video however due to the mosquitos and limited sunlight left, I forgot to show the second.

The first video is of the strut from Delorean Motor Company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WzCQJgRjSw

The second video is of the strut from PJ Grady's. I believe this is the same strut that John Hervey sells.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6web11mYG0s&feature=youtu.be

Amazing how much difference there is, one is too soft and the other is a little strong. Before adjusted your torsion bars, try another door strut.

PS - Yes, I know my front light is out and fortunately, I have extra bulbs. I'll be switching that out this weekend.

Thanks to Kyle for opening the doors.

[jawn101]

Interesting, did you get the "Soft Lift" ones from John? Or the Stabilus brand? The "soft lift" claim to have damping that slows down the piston travel at the top so you don't get the bounce, which seems like a great idea... if it works.

[Delorean02378]

Interesting, did you get the "Soft Lift" ones from John? Or the Stabilus brand? The "soft lift" claim to have damping that slows down the piston travel at the top so you don't get the bounce, which seems like a great idea... if it works.

The struts ordered from PJ Gradys "came from John" are labeled as "Soft Lift".

The ones from Houston do not specify.

Both the driver's side and passengers side showed the same difference.

I buy parts from all vendors and will continue to do so.

[jawn101]

The struts ordered from PJ Gradys "came from John" are labeled as "Soft Lift".

The ones from Houston do not specify.

Oh, sorry - misread above; thought you said you got them from John and were the same as Grady sells, not the other way around.

Houston's are what they are, which is to say pretty weak. Thanks for the videos!

[JRNY13]

Alright, here are the results of the comparision.

Both sets of struts are new and the videos were taken within 30 minutes of each other. Temperature was about 83 degrees. I remembered to show the label on the first video however due to the mosquitos and limited sunlight left, I forgot to show the second.

The first video is of the strut from Delorean Motor Company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WzCQJgRjSw

The second video is of the strut from PJ Grady's. I believe this is the same strut that John Hervey sells.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6web11mYG0s&feature=youtu.be

Amazing how much difference there is, one is too soft and the other is a little strong. Before adjusted your torsion bars, try another door strut.

PS - Yes, I know my front light is out and fortunately, I have extra bulbs. I'll be switching that out this weekend.

Thanks to Kyle for opening the doors.


Thank you very much for the comparison. My driver's side door is very similar to yours with the Houston struts. Is there reason to worry with a small bounce at the top?

[Delorean02378]

Thank you very much for the comparison. My driver's side door is very similar to yours with the Houston struts. Is there reason to worry with a small bounce at the top?

Yes, I normally would not let the door bounce like it did in the second video but I figured just pulling the handle and stepping back on both would show the best comparison.

Don't let them bounce like that.

[David T]

I have also noticed different batches from the same vendor can have different strengths. In fact, when you order 2 door struts one can be a little stronger than the other. It pays to try to match them to the door, ie, switch them around and see which way is best. A little stronger is OK, they lose their power over time so a slightly stronger one will last a bit longer. Just try to never let the doors bounce. For those with door poppers they need them to be strong so the doors fully open but it is a very fine line between fully opening and bouncing. And then there is the temperature problem.
David Teitelbaum

[Farrar]

For comparison, "soft lift" struts on my car. Bought from Hervey about a year ago. You can see the "damping" effect as they reach fully-open.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NXRSEgZE84

[dmc6960]

I bought a full strut kit from DMCH around early 2004. They were supposed to be all newly produced high quality struts. Well, the bonnet and louver struts were, but unfortunately I had an old batch of door struts. The kind that were too long. Fortunately I knew to watch out for those, and I had JUST installed the reinforcing brackets for from Grady at the time. I brought them with to DCS in Pigeon Forge that year and exchanged them with James for the correct new ones. At the time, they also had a damper to slow them down at the end of travel. A few years later though they lost that ability. What I am mildly impressed with though is their longevity. I'm still using them. My drivers door, which may be one notch too tight on the torsion bar still has no issues going up all the way on its own. The passenger side, which may be correct or one notch too loose on the torsion bar no longer goes up all the way unless its a warm sunny day. It will still hold there though if pushed up. The more I hear about people changing out their door struts every few years the more I remained impressed with what I have. I wonder though if these exact ones are no longer available if I wanted to purchase them again. My ONLY complaint was that they eventually lost their end-of-travel dampening. The bonnet and louver struts are still nearly as good as new.

[Evildeli]

My doors open like Delorean02378's first video. I kept thinking it was weather related, but it never really gets cold in Florida. I think I'm going to buy the Soft Lift's and test those out. I love the doors opening all the way on a D. I feel like it's part of the allure.

[JRNY13]

My doors open like Delorean02378's first video. I kept thinking it was weather related, but it never really gets cold in Florida. I think I'm going to buy the Soft Lift's and test those out. I love the doors opening all the way on a D. I feel like it's part of the allure.

I agree. It looks like there's a fine line between just right and too much. I know not to let the doors bounce but I'm probably asking too much from a passenger to be just as careful.

[Delorean02378]

I agree. It looks like there's a fine line between just right and too much. I know not to let the doors bounce but I'm probably asking too much from a passenger to be just as careful.

If it's your wife or a lady friend, tell her to sit tight and you'll get the door for her :hihi2:

[JRNY13]

If it's your wife or a lady friend, tell her to sit tight and you'll get the door for her :hihi2:

The car is my lady friend. :o

[Byrne H&A]

Gas strut ball joint stud leaning?
Don't replace useful gas struts, replace the leaning ball joint stud.
See our Gas Strut Bracket on Deloreanupgradeparts.com
You may order either side or both sides at a savings. Byrne

[jawn101]

For comparison, "soft lift" struts on my car. Bought from Hervey about a year ago. You can see the "damping" effect as they reach fully-open.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NXRSEgZE84

Yeah, that's what I meant! :) That looks ideal, but not if they eventually lose the damping effect, since the initial thrust seems to be pretty powerful and they'd just end up banging around at the end of the travel without it.


The bonnet and louver struts are still nearly as good as new.

My DMCH bonnet and louver struts are also perfect after several years. But the door struts are completely useless and were so after about a year. The doors go up about half way on their own, and with a little coaxing (or in very hot weather) they will travel the rest of the way. They always stay up if I lift the doors by hand. And my doors are lighter than stock, with the DPNW actuators at the heaviest point rather than the big heavy lock solenoids.

[Starglider]

For comparison, "soft lift" struts on my car. Bought from Hervey about a year ago. You can see the "damping" effect as they reach fully-open.

I also have these and they work great. IMHO they're essential if you have the remote door poppers, for a smooth look. They're brand new though, don't know how they do as they age.

[John U]

amazing difference between the two videos
I replaced my struts with DMC ones a few years ago. Wasn't too happy so I bought the "temperature compensating" ones from DMCNW...driver's door will stay open, but passenger door sags a little. I was thinking I need a bar adjustment, but maybe John's struts may be the answer....

[Evildeli]

Better than advertised. I got the soft lift struts today. Money well spent. My results look exactly like video 1 to video 2.

[jawn101]

Better than advertised. I got the soft lift struts today. Money well spent. My results look exactly like video 1 to video 2.

Who'd you get them from, out of curiosity?

[Evildeli]

Who'd you get them from, out of curiosity?

Hervey.

[JRNY13]

Hervey.

Put on Hervey's struts today. They definitely have more lifting power than Houston's. I have to say, the safety clips were difficult to get on. It's almost as if there wasn't enough space to threat them through the joint. Anyone else experience this?

[David T]

Put on Hervey's struts today. They definitely have more lifting power than Houston's. I have to say, the safety clips were difficult to get on. It's almost as if there wasn't enough space to threat them through the joint. Anyone else experience this?

You put one end of the strut on and stick in the pin before attaching the other end of the strut. A drop of grease can't hurt too.
David Teitelbaum

[JRNY13]

You put one end of the strut on and stick in the pin before attaching the other end of the strut. A drop of grease can't hurt too.
David Teitelbaum

Did that, but it took a lot of playing for the safety clip to fit through.

[Delorean02378]

Did that, but it took a lot of playing for the safety clip to fit through.


Yep, had the exact same issue with one particular pin. That PIN was a PITA :banghead:

[Farrar]

I find it helps to pull down on the door enough to where the ball "floats" in its receptacle on the strut. No problems putting in the pin in then, regardless of strut or vendor (and I've tried them all).

[JRNY13]

I find it helps to pull down on the door enough to where the ball "floats" in its receptacle on the strut. No problems putting in the pin in then, regardless of strut or vendor (and I've tried them all).

Makes sense. I'll try that next time. My passenger door was the stronger of the two; it pretty much went up all the way when it was warm with Houston's strut. Now it open really well--no bounce. Before, my driver's side would barely go up halfway with Houston's and now it bounces a little at the top-so strange. It started today but wasn't doing it yesterday after installation. It's like they have a mind of their own.

[Farrar]

The longer my doors have stayed shut, the more they tend to spring open. Same goes for how warm it is outside, of course -- the warmer it is, the more I appreciate the damping action. :)

[jawn101]

The longer my doors have stayed shut, the more they tend to spring open. Same goes for how warm it is outside, of course -- the warmer it is, the more I appreciate the damping action. :)

Ditto... gonna be 106 here this weekend, and in that temperature even my broke ass Houston struts will make those doors rise like a phoenix.

[DrJeff]

I fitted my Hervey SoftLifts this evening and they do help decelerate the bounce. I've still got over-torqued torsion rods, but that is already on the long list of things to fix.

I did have to fiddle a good bit with the passenger side to get the holding pins in place.

On close inspection I'm going to need to secure the mounting for the ball. On both the passenger and drivers side the balls and mounts are leaning outwards and are no longer perpendicular to the frame.

[dvonk]

Ditto... gonna be 106 here this weekend, and in that temperature even my broke ass Houston struts will make those doors rise like a phoenix.

haha, awesome quote... for some reason this made me laugh out loud. maybe it was the mental image. :lol:

[Dangermouse]

I find it helps to pull down on the door enough to where the ball "floats" in its receptacle on the strut. No problems putting in the pin in then, regardless of strut or vendor (and I've tried them all).

+1 on this.

You're then not trying to force the pin past the ball.

[John U]

just installed one of these struts on my passenger door. With my new Houston struts, the door would not even stay fully open. With the new strut from DAP, it actually bounces a little (the dampening action doesn't seem to work that well).
If you think you need to adjust your doors torsion bars, you owe it to yourself to try these struts! I cannot believe the difference!
I only hope the door struts weaken a little with age because mine are too strong!

John

[kings1527]

Another +1 on the Hervey soft lift struts. I just put them on the other day and they're great. The big reason I went with these was for passengers that let the door fly open. I can only correct the girlfriend so many times before I start having issues.

It was a little hot the other day and I let the door go and it shot up like a rocket. So just be a little careful in hotter weather. Overall, I'd consider this a relatively cheap 'must have' to help preserve the body of the car.

They did squeak a little bit but after working in a dab of grease, all's well.

[artisticent]

Ordered the Hervey soft lift struts based on this thread. They arrived and I installed them yesterday. Ummmm lets just say....AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Nathan

[Chris 16409]

After about 2 months of using these struts, I'm not as thrilled with them as I could be. It really needs to be warm for them to work properly. I am going to try them on a friend's car to determine if my torsion bars are out of adjustment. I think I'll order a pair from Grady if mine don't pass the test on my friend's car.