Most fiberglass hoods have threaded inserts molding in the fiberglass for screws. Cervinis has them for hood props and latches. I'm not sure if I'd trust a rivet or screw.
Red Line tuning hood shock people.....
- Thread starter jeffsvt
- Start date
:bash: Had the same happen to me about a month ago, pop the pass. side out of the hood. Contacted Red Line and told them what happened and i was going to send back the hood shocks and brackets and wanted my money back. They agreed but said i didn,t mount tham correctly ,i told them i have been working on cars both drag cars and as a mech. for many years and don.t tell me i screwed up the install. They then told me to drill holes in the side of the hood and bolt the shocks on. Needless to say that didn,t fly.Finally sent me a return coupon to ship back the shocks. Then they tojd me i was the only person who had a problrm with their product. yea right.
Jeff go to your local hardware store and look for the panel push in clips you use for interior auto panels.Use a little silicone and pop them into the holes where the rivits were then paint them to match your hood.
hmmm. i havent installed mine yet. i think i may just forget about it. dont like the sound of holes in my hood for such a simple mod.
fiberglass and rivets dont sound stable. too bad i didnt make that connection before i bought them.
fiberglass and rivets dont sound stable. too bad i didnt make that connection before i bought them.
had mine on for many months now, lots of opening and closing, not a single problem. Those rivets are in there pretty good so not sure what would cause that unless the holes were made a little too big when you put the rivets in.
Same here... Had mine in for months as well with no problems (knock on wood). I will be more cautious from now on though. Before reading this, I would sometimes let the shocks raise the hood without me guiding it up. As Buff stated, those brackets are in there tight. I actually had a hard time getting a couple of the rivets through the holes when installing the brackets. :shrug:
Okay, I have one question.....How the hell do you do this MOD wrong ?!?!? (That's directed to the RedLine company actually). I put the shocks on my car and followed the directions exactly. I don't see how you can put them on wrong, there really is no other way to put them on. When putting in the pop-rivet, I just kept squeezing, kept the rivet flush with the bracket, and waited for it to snap loose. How could it be too tight, or too loose ?? When it pops, it pops.
If this happens to my hood, I'll be writing a very nasty letter to that company. If there is a problem with these shocks automatically "locking up", then they need to recall them and reimburse for the product, our time, and then give us a repair kit with some touch-up paint.
If this happens to my hood, I'll be writing a very nasty letter to that company. If there is a problem with these shocks automatically "locking up", then they need to recall them and reimburse for the product, our time, and then give us a repair kit with some touch-up paint.
I'd install mine with 3m tape to avoid holes lol
Are you all sure you used the correct rivet gun for installation? Did everyone drill the right size holes? Do you let the hood open by itself without guiding it?
The above three things can cause the rivet's to pop out.
The above three things can cause the rivet's to pop out.
I used a Craftsman poprivet gun my father owns. I used the correct size rivet insert for it. I drilled the holes in size, and location, according to the directions. Never once let it go up on its own - always put slight downward pressure on the hood with my fingers to slow it down.
Mine just locked up like Jeff's. For a few days it started making an aweful sqeuaking/moaning noise, then it one evening it wouldn't retract all the way.
Sorry to hear that. Sounds like you were just one of the unlucky ones.
Hopefully Redline fixes this.
Hopefully Redline fixes this.
I have found that sometimes when riveting through fiberglass that you may have to manually break the pop rivet because due to the softness of the fiberglass there is a huge chance to overtighten or even pull the rivet through the hood durring install. If you overtightened durring install then it may have only been a matter of time before it came the rest of the way through. I recommend that everyone buy a couple extra rivets and use the 3rd center hole on the bracket. I did, and I know that it has mad it stronger.
i had trouble with the rivets also. the ones i got ,even though they went in ok, were of the wrong type and also too short. they are of the type normally used for metal and work by pulling the ball down the shaft of the rivet to expand it, but that won't work on fiberglass because they don't expand enough, and when stressed opening and shutting the hood, mash the glass around the hole and pull out. i went to our body shop and got the type of rivet that, when squeezed, splits three ways and curls out and down. it was also a few mm longer to allow for any thickness difference in the hood. i also went two sizes bigger, as i also had two holes that were pulled out. and i do guide my hood up! mine are very solid now and are working well. ( crossing fingers!)
The reason mine popped out was because the hood shock locked up . It will not move at all .
RedlLines Instructions tell you to....
mount the shocks with the rod up. I deal daily with many machines which use gas shocks for covers in applications similar to the hood shock setup. What I've found out several years ago from an engineer at Gas Spring Co. is that the proper way to mount a gas shock is with the rod down .
This helps keep the rod seals lubricated, preventing a lockup as described by you guys. Just some food for thought.
I deviated from Redlines instructions and mounted mine down on both my 99 and 03 Cobra's and have had no issues yet...
Thanks for the warning though, will keep a closer eye on the pressure required to close the hood from here on out.
Lightning Bob
mount the shocks with the rod up. I deal daily with many machines which use gas shocks for covers in applications similar to the hood shock setup. What I've found out several years ago from an engineer at Gas Spring Co. is that the proper way to mount a gas shock is with the rod down .
This helps keep the rod seals lubricated, preventing a lockup as described by you guys. Just some food for thought.
I deviated from Redlines instructions and mounted mine down on both my 99 and 03 Cobra's and have had no issues yet...
Thanks for the warning though, will keep a closer eye on the pressure required to close the hood from here on out.
Lightning Bob
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Gas springs should be mounted so that when the hood is closed, the larger cylinder is higher than the extending strut. That would mean that the large end should be attached to the fender in almost every case. This is what we specify in our manuals and also what we specify in our FAQ and Tips page on our site.
http://www.redlinetuning.com/QL-tips.html
As far as the rivet problems, we have heard from 3 individuals with problems with thousands of QuickLIFTs on the road. We make our directions as clear as we possibly can and yet people will still have problems - some have written us with clearance problems, only to find out the brackets are upside down. We now have a dealer in So. Cal (GTR), and are planning additional dealers across the U.S. - they will all know how to put the QuickLIFTs on.
Riveting the steel rivets isn't a difficult task, but must be done correctly for them to bind and hold the bracket on firmly. Attaching the brackets to fiberglass or any composite requires a blind rivet - there isn't another option besides cutting an access panel on the side for nuts and washers. We have chosen what works best in our testing. We are always investigating other methods, yet without feedback to us there is no way to know problems exist. Please write us if you are having a problem - there isn't any issue that can't be resolved.
A very easy way to mess up your installation is to move the rivet gun while compressing the riveter. The riveter head must be held parallel to the hood - and it wouldn't even hurt to have someone help out because you are riveting to something that moves.
Again, we will address each and every issue our customers have - we are all about having happy customers.
Thanks to all of you - great forum!
Brian
Redline Tuning
http://www.redlinetuning.com/QL-tips.html
As far as the rivet problems, we have heard from 3 individuals with problems with thousands of QuickLIFTs on the road. We make our directions as clear as we possibly can and yet people will still have problems - some have written us with clearance problems, only to find out the brackets are upside down. We now have a dealer in So. Cal (GTR), and are planning additional dealers across the U.S. - they will all know how to put the QuickLIFTs on.
Riveting the steel rivets isn't a difficult task, but must be done correctly for them to bind and hold the bracket on firmly. Attaching the brackets to fiberglass or any composite requires a blind rivet - there isn't another option besides cutting an access panel on the side for nuts and washers. We have chosen what works best in our testing. We are always investigating other methods, yet without feedback to us there is no way to know problems exist. Please write us if you are having a problem - there isn't any issue that can't be resolved.
A very easy way to mess up your installation is to move the rivet gun while compressing the riveter. The riveter head must be held parallel to the hood - and it wouldn't even hurt to have someone help out because you are riveting to something that moves.
Again, we will address each and every issue our customers have - we are all about having happy customers.
Thanks to all of you - great forum!
Brian
Redline Tuning
Thanks for the heads up. Was just about to place an order today to Redline. Think I will stick with the prop for now. It's not that inconvenient.
Fred K.
Fred K.
I received a call from Redline this AM. I kind of got concerned while reading the problems. I was very impressed they took the the time for an immediate response. I e-mailed them at 0715 and was called at 1030. They are concerned about their product. Mine work fine, just make a moan when the motor is hot. I feel better after talking to them. If you are having a problem contact them as posted above. They want happy customers.
Brian _Thanks for the post!
First off... I love your hood shock setup. I think it is one of the best mods for the $'s I've done. As mentioned above, I bought and installed two sets on my two Cobra's. The only issue I had was my original rivet gun wasn't up to the task of the rivets you provided. That required a trip to Sears and purchase of the $20 swivel rivet gun you recomended. I also took the time to sandblast your brackets and painted them the body color of my cars. I also painted the rivets. The finished product looks much better than the zinc plating which comes on your brackets. You may want to consider offering "primed" brackets for those who might want to paint them.
In regard to your statement below... we both agree that lubrication of the seals is what is important. The question is which mounting position actually works better for this purpose.
If you look at the pictures on your website, you will see that in the open positon, oil in the shock will have run away from the seal area when the rod is extended.
I see your point in that in the closed position, the seal area MAY be lower in the front than in the rear, but it isn't by much if at all on a Cobra.
If the rod is mounted down, each time the hood is opened, the rod seals are bathed in oil. I open my hoods often enough to think I will keep my seals intact. If not I will buy more of them from you.
I would be curious to find out in which direction the failed units were mounted.
Thanks again for the product and the response.
Lightning Bob
First off... I love your hood shock setup. I think it is one of the best mods for the $'s I've done. As mentioned above, I bought and installed two sets on my two Cobra's. The only issue I had was my original rivet gun wasn't up to the task of the rivets you provided. That required a trip to Sears and purchase of the $20 swivel rivet gun you recomended. I also took the time to sandblast your brackets and painted them the body color of my cars. I also painted the rivets. The finished product looks much better than the zinc plating which comes on your brackets. You may want to consider offering "primed" brackets for those who might want to paint them.
In regard to your statement below... we both agree that lubrication of the seals is what is important. The question is which mounting position actually works better for this purpose.
If you look at the pictures on your website, you will see that in the open positon, oil in the shock will have run away from the seal area when the rod is extended.
I see your point in that in the closed position, the seal area MAY be lower in the front than in the rear, but it isn't by much if at all on a Cobra.
If the rod is mounted down, each time the hood is opened, the rod seals are bathed in oil. I open my hoods often enough to think I will keep my seals intact. If not I will buy more of them from you.
I would be curious to find out in which direction the failed units were mounted.
Thanks again for the product and the response.
Lightning Bob
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