Yesterday, I received a door strut from McMaster Carr (part #11615A14). Matt Dralle has an excellent kit-log for installing the strut. The top bracket that attaches to the door rib is 11/32” from the edge of the door skin. On Matt’s lower bracket, he was 8” from the edge of the fuse skin—mine was actually 7.5”. I used three LP4-3 pop rivets to secure the top bracket, then I clamped the lower bracket in position at 8”, but my door would not fully close. A bit of trial and error, but I finally ended up a 7.5” and drilled #19 holes in the angle that runs across the back of the firewall. I used #8 screws and nuts to secure the lower bracket. You could install nut plates here, but I didn’t think it was worth the effort. I did loosen up the fit of the door just a bit—I was afraid I would twist off the key. It still requires pressure on the door to lock, and the fit is still good. Movin on to something else!
