Gas struts for Excel boot lid
Discussion
The boot-lid on the Excel is held up by a couple of torsion springs acting on the hinges. As the springs age, their adequacy dwindles, and that is particularly a problem for the later cars with larger, heavier spoilers.
Fed up with being clonked on the back of the neck, and using wooden props to hold the boot open, I decided to spend the 2026 NEC Resto Show experimenting with gas struts.
I ordered a couple of generic gas struts off eBay - 250mm long, 50N force - the lightest available, they go up to 1000N. A mere £16.81 delivered.
First thought was to fit them so they’d be hidden in the rim with the lid closed, attaching to the boot lid by the spoiler-mounting bolt. However, it was soon apparent that this would not put them at a good angle to push on the lid.
So, I switched to fixing the inboard end to the bolt holding the boot hinge to the lid, and the outer end to the flange on the car body. This gave a better angle. The only modification to the car was a 6mm hole drilled through the flange (not too low, to avoid any risk of water draining into the boot).
The result was very good - the boot lid self-lifts from about half-way open, and holds very securely in the fully open position. It is not at all too tough to close again. I have left the existing springs in place, the two work well together to give an appropriate force. No doubt with stronger gas struts the springs could be eliminated, and maybe only one strut required rather than two. I’m happy with two weaker struts, as this minimises the load into the fibreglass of the surround.
When open the struts are not visually intrusive, or at all in the way of accessing the Excel’s generous boot space.
Fed up with being clonked on the back of the neck, and using wooden props to hold the boot open, I decided to spend the 2026 NEC Resto Show experimenting with gas struts.
I ordered a couple of generic gas struts off eBay - 250mm long, 50N force - the lightest available, they go up to 1000N. A mere £16.81 delivered.
First thought was to fit them so they’d be hidden in the rim with the lid closed, attaching to the boot lid by the spoiler-mounting bolt. However, it was soon apparent that this would not put them at a good angle to push on the lid.
So, I switched to fixing the inboard end to the bolt holding the boot hinge to the lid, and the outer end to the flange on the car body. This gave a better angle. The only modification to the car was a 6mm hole drilled through the flange (not too low, to avoid any risk of water draining into the boot).
The result was very good - the boot lid self-lifts from about half-way open, and holds very securely in the fully open position. It is not at all too tough to close again. I have left the existing springs in place, the two work well together to give an appropriate force. No doubt with stronger gas struts the springs could be eliminated, and maybe only one strut required rather than two. I’m happy with two weaker struts, as this minimises the load into the fibreglass of the surround.
When open the struts are not visually intrusive, or at all in the way of accessing the Excel’s generous boot space.
Gassing Station | General Lotus Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff