NJ2FLIROC

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys
I am looking to replace my original rear hatch supports on my 88 IROC. All the catalogs have different ones. One set for car with spoiler AND rear wiper. Other option is no spoiler or wiper. Mine has the rear spoiler and no rear wiper. Anyone have a part number or link for me? Thanks so much.

Reddragon88gta

AMS4967 available from Rockauto. I tried a few different ones before that and they were all too strong and would push the decklid out over the back a bit. This one has just enough strength to easily hold the hatch up and when opening doesn’t shoot the hatch to the moon. I believe this one is listed under w/o spoiler and w/o wiper. For reference my car is a GTA with the fiberglass aerowing spoiler so weight should be similar to a IROC hatch I think.

i88aGT

Those look Strong Arms look good. I have an 88 IROC and a month ago I put on the Stabilis equivalent and they're working. Mine has spoiler no wiper.
Stabilis part# SG130002. Rated @ 123.2lbs. The strong arms are rated close at 118lbs.
Importantly, both of those have the nylon bushings you need so you don't melt your rear defrost connector!

JohnFB

Reddragon88gta,
I'm curious -- you mentioned that the struts that were too strong pushed your decklid out a bit. Did switching to the AMS4967 strut automatically restore the decklid alignment? Or did you need to make some adjustments to correct for what the overly strong struts did to your car?


I'm experiencing a similar problem with my 1987 IROC. Almost a year ago, I replaced my Strongarm 4900 struts with free (lifetime warranty) replacements. I immediately noticed that the replacements were MUCH stronger than the previous Strongarms ever were. (I also noticed that the design had changed, and the new ones were made in Turkey, whereas the previous ones were made in USA.) This year, I noticed that the decklid is now extending maybe about 1/8" past the outside fenders. I thought the struts might lose their excess strength in one year's time, but that doesn't seem to be the case -- they still seem ridiculously strong. I think I'll order some struts that have more appropriate strength. I would definitely do that if it might restore the alignment, which is why I asked the questions above.

Reddragon88gta

Hard to tell in my case because I already tore the hatch area apart once the new struts were installed but I would try the struts I mentioned before ripping the decklid off and re aligning. The new struts just might do the trick and would save a lot of labor.

JohnFB

Reddragon88gta, thanks for the quick response.

Yes, I agree. I'll try just switching the struts first. If that helps the decklid alignment even a little, it might be acceptable as my alignment error is pretty small (<1/8 in).

89fast5oh

Don't use FCS 84900. Too strong and the rear defroster tabs are not insulated and will blow the defroster relay.

JohnFB

Well yesterday I installed ACDelco 510-509 struts in my 1987 IROC. The blue label on the new strut
says "4967" and "Made in USA" on it. I wonder if it is the same as the AMS one that Reddragon88gta
mentioned (I guess it depends on who is making it for ACDelco). According to my research, both
numbers (510-509 and 4967) are nominally for cars "without spoiler or wiper", so they should be the
lowest force available. They are still plenty strong, though. When I release the hatch, it still pops upward
automatically, faster than I expected. However, these struts at least seem well-damped toward the end of
their travel, as they noticeably slow down as the hatch approaches the final open position. They come to
a stop pretty gently, so I'm no longer afraid of them causing damage. I'm glad I made the change from the
StrongArm 4900 struts, which were much stronger and raised the hatch up violently (I was afraid to let them
go all the way up automatically).

For those with cars like mine (IROC-style spoiler without wiper or louvers), I would definitely recommend not
getting anything stronger than these.

Above, I asked if replacing the struts would help the decklid alignment. Well, I got my answer yesterday
-- just a little. Before I changed the struts, the decklid extended past the outside fenders by about 3/16".
Changing to the less powerful struts reduced that by about 1/16", so the decklid now sticks out too
far by 1/8". After looking at some photographs that were taken when I first got the car 6 years ago, though,
I realize that there was always some small misalignment there. I just never paid that much attention to it until
I became concerned about the replacement struts being way too strong. Cosmetically the car doesn't look
really worse now than what I see in those photos, so I'm inclined to live with it (unless it gets worse for
some reason).

Reddragon88gta

UPDATE: I just wanted update everyone who reads/searches on those struts I have, I am pretty sure that I blew my rear defrost switch because I never swapped over the plastic bushings on the strut eyelet that connect on the deck lid from the old struts to the new. So be sure to do that. Luckily I kept the old ones that have the plastic bushings. The struts themselves still work great.

JohnFB

After reading Reddragon88gta's note, I checked the ACDelco 510-509 struts that I installed recently. They did come with the plastic bushings installed, so I guess they were not identical
to the ones that Reddragon88gta used (even though both of ours say "4967" on them).

I noticed that the StrongArm 4900 struts that I replaced also included the plastic bushings, so apparently some of the aftermarket struts do come with them installed.
But obviously it is something that one should pay attention to.

Reddragon88gta

If they both have that same part number they are likely the same strut, or built in the same factory at least, minus the bushing. Also I was lucky that after I put the bushings in my switch still worked after I tested it…I thought for sure it was done.

JohnFB

Reddragon88gta, do yours also say "Made in USA" on the label? If so, they may indeed be made in the same factory. (The StrongArm 4900 struts that I replaced say "Made in Turkey", so those are obviously made in a different factory.)

Glad to hear that you didn't blow out your switch!

Reddragon88gta

I will have to look when I get a chance, I think I still have the box holding the old ones too. Now I have a back up switch just in case, the aftermarket does not make those either from what I saw.

Reddragon88gta

I just checked on mine and the 4967 AMS were made in Turkey.

JohnFB

I wonder if those are made in the same factory as the StrongArm 4900 ones I just replaced (also made in Turkey). They are obviously a different model though (yours have a different number and are not too strong).

dmifflin

I just bought these. Back ordered. Let’s see how they work. I’m sure I will be replacing them often. Any one else have them?

https://www.classicindustries.com/pr...ts/154954.html

3rdgenzroc

Hope you have all the extras on your deck lid - that one is made for the heaviest deck lids. Strong arms were rated at 118lbs, the stabilis at 123lbs, the ones you purchased are over 150lbs.