Rear Door Strut Installation Tips

Included with each Rear Door Strut Kit:

• 2x Solid Aluminum Frame Mounting Brackets
• 2x Solid Aluminum Door Mounting Brackets
• 2x 36" Struts of your Choosing
• 8x M6x16mm Low Head Mounting Screws
• 8x M6 Rivnuts
• 4x 10mm Ball Studs

You will require additional tools to complete this install.

• A cordless/corded (if you still live in the 90's) drill
• A 25/64" Drill Bit - We highly recommend this stepped tip version.
• A center drill or small split point Colbalt drill bit for pilot drilling holes
• A centerpunch or mechanical marking tool
• A 4mm Hex/Allen Key
• A T30 torx screw driver or bit.
• A Rivnut setting tool, we prefer the pull type either pneumatic or manual (spin or drill types work okay too but don't set as well based on our experience)
• A rust prevention material (either paint or anti-sieze) to coat drilled edges
• (Optional) Painters tape to create chip traps.

The frame pieces sit 2.9" (~74mm) away from the seam shown below. I like to draw a line at this distance and then line up the bracket centered on the frame and use it to mark the hole locations with a sharpie.

!IMPORTANT: Once the locations are marked it's very important that you follow proper rivnuting best practices to ensure you get your rivnuts set in the right place. There is not a lot of margin for error here, so if you don't feel comfortable or confident or have the right tools, professional installation in recommended.

• Centerpunch each hole location
• Center drill or pilot drill with a nice sharp small sided split tip colbalt or purpose made center drill
• Drill to size using a stepped tip 25/64" (10mm) drill bit
• Debur the front & most importantly back side of the hole. **NOTE: Failure to debur the back of the hole correctly causes rivnuts to not set straight. I like to use a classic deburring tool for the front and the Noga RC2200 for the back.
• Apply anti-corrosion measures. We like Marine Grade Anti-seize.
• Use a quality rivnut tool. Pnuematic Pull style are the best. We use an Astro PRN1. When you set the rivnuts make sure the setter is tangent to the framing curve for each rivnut!

The door pieces are designed so you only need to remove 2 out of the 3 screws on each door (leaving this door latch adjusted in place). Hold the piece up to see which door screws need to be removed. Remove them and then install the door pieces with the same screws.

For the struts to work correctly the rod end needs to be pointed toward the inside of the van when the doors are open. This keeps them slightly slopped downward with keeps the shaft lubricated and makes it so the oil bleed functions correctly.