How-To replace SVX Trunk Struts with more affordable off-the-shelf local auto parts store gas shocks (by gsodonis)

BOM:2 Strong Arm gas charged lifts #4468 ($19.95ea @ Advance) $39.90 + tax4 10mm X M6 ball studs stainless steel ($1.65 ea @ Ameritool) $6.60 1 Freight for ball studs (UPS Ground to TN) $6.00 Lower cost option: 2 packs of 2 cad plated 10mm ball studs @ NAPA

$4.95/pack $9.90 +tax4 6mm hex nuts (I had them laying around) $0.00

Necessary ToolsDrill press (or cordless/corded drill)Drill press vise (or vise grips)Center punchSmall diameter drift punch¼” drill bitOptional ‘D’ letter drill (.238”) if you want to be preciseHacksaw (or die grinder/Dremel with a cut-off wheel)Optional (but recommended): thread locker – (like Loctice)

I chose Strong Arm because they come with a lifetime replacement warranty.

As noted in the BOM, I chose stainless steel ball studs. The shipping was almost as expensive as the studs themselves. The company said the freight would have been the same for 100 studs, so a group-buy before the next big meet would drop the unit price considerably. Napa has cadmium plated ones for around $2.50 each + tax, but I wanted stainless.

Stainless ball stud supplier online.

These struts have the same total travel as the originals, but have different mounts, which reduce their overall length by approximately ¾”. You can account for the length difference by drilling a new ball stud mounting hole in the upper bracket (in step 7).

Step 1: Remove the old struts. You can remove just one side at first – the remaining strut will keep the trunk open, unless your struts are shot and it’s windy! Below is the factory lower bracket and the back side of the riveted stud.

Step 2: You have to drill out the riveted studs. When I tried this the first time, the studs started spinning in the bracket before the drill had completed its work. This happened to both struts - that’s why you need the drill press vise or vise grips to hold the stud.

Step 2 (continued): That’s better! Drill the rivet until you are just below the surface of the bracket. The flared portion of the rivet should break off (and get stuck on the tip of the bit). Unclamp the bracket and drive the stud out of the bracket using your drift punch. - You can drill out both studs & remove from both ends of the strut at this step.

Step 3: The hole that remains is 6mm diameter. If the ball studs you buy are M6, you don’t have to enlarge the hole. The stud fits perfectly in the pre-existing hole, but is a little long. Insert the stud & thread the nut tight (don’t use any washers as you need the fished product to protrude as little as possible toward the inside of the bracket – you’ll see in a later pic). Mark the stud where it exits the nut, remove the stud and cut it to length. Reassemble (preferably with Loctite). Below is the assembled shortened stud on the lower bracket.

Step 4: Test fit the bottom bracket on the car. You’ll see that the stud threads you cut and nut just clear the body nicely (below the bracket). Do not tighten the bolts fully as you will have to remove both bottom and top bracket to fit the new replacement strut; there is insufficient space between the ball socket and the body to attach the strut with the brackets already bolted down.

Step 5: repeat step 2 for the upper bracket. (sorry, no picture, but you should understand what to do from the above pictures as the rivets are basically the same).

Step 6: below are three pictures of the ball socket installed in the stock 6mm hole left in the upper bracket once you remove the original rivet. (pic 1 is the test fit before marking the stud and, pic 2 is after trimming the stud to length, pic 3 is of the bracket test fit to the trunk) Note: These pics are for reference only! I’m going to save you a step because if you use the stock hole as I did, the finished length of the Strong Arm strut that I mentioned above is a bit shorter than stock will not support the trunk lid sufficiently over center and it will want to close to easily.

Pic 1: Fit and mark for cutting. (You can do this using the original hole)

Pic 2: Installed to check fit after cutting – do not install here move on to step 7

Pic 3: Just a test fit – note how little room there is between the cut end of the stud/nut and the inside edge of the trunk lid – the reason that they have to be trimmed. Remove the bracket from the trunk and move to step 7

Step 7: Drill a new hole. You can use the ¼” drill bit, but the hole will be slightly too large: ¼” = 0.2500”, 6mm = 0.2362”. The closest correct drill bit is the letter ‘D’ drill at 0.2380, but I’m sure that the ¼” drill will do in a pinch - certainly if you use a thread locker (like Loctite).Using a center punch, mark a new hole center ¾” (19mm) away from the first hole. Drill a new hole using whichever bit you selected. I used the drill press vise but you can use the vise grips if need be.

Step 8. Attach the strut to the new ball sockets (with the brackets REMOVED from the car).I initially tried to install the brackets on the car first, then the struts, but there simply wasn’t enough space for the strut sockets to fit over the ball studs.)

Step 9. Position the new strut and bolt both upper and lower brackets to the car and trunk. If you removed one strut and kept the other on the car, you must first remove the one on the car before installing the new one because the original is just a bit longer and you’ll be fighting it.

The fit is nice with absolutely no rubbing or contact.

Step10: Repeat steps 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 & 9 to the other strut

Here is a pic of the lid from the side. Not as vertical as stock, but much improved. The wind will not close it and it won’t ‘fall’ accidentally like it did with the dead stockers. With the weight of the factory wing, the trunk will still slam if you let go completely, but nowhere near as hard.

I’m satisfied with how it turned out. The struts have a lifetime warranty and replacement in the future will be a snap having installed ball studs.

For those of you that want to perfect this, you can experiment with drilling the hole in step 7 even further away than ¾” from the stock hole than I did.

Enjoy!