fbekholden.com

FireKraka wrote: Sun May 11, 2025 4:04 pm Started cleaning up the EK Mart upper tailgate, can’t believe how thick the red oxide is, I thought it was thick on the roof, it’s a wonder these things ever rusted al all

The extra red oxide that they put on the upper tailgates was saved from the lower tailgates

Cheers,
Harv

You have a point there Harv

Fitted the tailgate, playing with a gas strut but may stay old school

I have struts in the wagon - they work well.

Cheers,
Harv

Hi Harv can you show me a photo of how they fit at the bottom and maybe the strut type you have.

Stoney has struts on his wagon as well mate

FireKraka wrote: Sun May 25, 2025 6:59 pm Hi Harv can you show me a photo of how they fit at the bottom and maybe the strut type you have.

Some info on my install over here:

https://www.fxfjholden.com/forums/viewt ... rut#p58686

Let me know if you can't access it and I'll try and find the original photos etc.

Cheers,
Harv

Not a member Harv can't access

I replaced the original tailgate latches with gas struts on my EK wagon as I only had one working latch, and the little clicky locks were painful to use routinely. I did some measuring using this as a guide:
I took that to one of the local truck spare parts places. They sell gas struts, and can fill them to whatever pressure you need. I measured the tailgate weight using a "hanging fisherman's scale", divided the weight by two and that's the weight they were filled to hold. My tailgate can be lifted up by hand, and stays wherever I put it... it doesn't go pssssht and raise up on it's own, which is OK by me.

A word from the wise... I had images of driving around with the front windows open and the tailgate upper lifted. It's raucous (I like raucous ) and dangerously fumey. Won't be doing that again.

Mine bolts into the existing tailgate bolt holes on both the window and frame side. I moved the strut ends around using some steel brake tube offcuts as spacers. I used simple bolts rather than the ball-end ones you see on modern cars... they work OK, but there is a slight sideways load that the ball-end would take care of. Hasn't failed in 12 years of daily use though
Cheers,
Harv

Cheers for the photos Harv that makes sense.
The issue Cookie and I are having is that the bottom mount fouls a little when you shut the tailgate down and we think by moving the bottom in towards the D pillar by not using the original two hole mount it will clear, I'll post some photos if I get to do this.

Probably really have a lot more things to do before I worry about that though

These pictures probably show what I did better. I used the “lower of the two” lower tailgate holes it fits when closed with room to spare, albeit with an eye end rather than a ball end.


Cheers,
Harv

Hi Harv;
That's my thought precisely and tes the ball ends are a bit bigger will maybe look at eye ends thanks for the info it really helps mate

Finally got the large repair done to the old battery area of the subchassis, still have the wings to do that bolt to the fire wall and then modify the area where the radiator goes to sit is down a bit and open the area up.