While working on my Dad's 1965 GMC 1000 (C10) he let me know that he wanted Hood Struts on it. A daunting tasks as the hood on a 60-66 Chevy / GMC truck is no joke weight wise. So we got to work on it. My Dad sourced some junkyard Ford Expedition Liftgate struts and associated parts for the build. We designed custom cross braces for the hood to provide bracing as well as a mounting place for the hood struts themselves. We ended up using one of the original hood hinge mounting bolts, and installing 2 rivnuts into the front hood crossmember to mount the new hood braces. The hood struts my Dad sourced were a little too weak, either due to age or their original design. A company called, Lift Support Depot, had heavier duty versions of the same overall design. These worked perfectly for our needs: https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/lift-supports-depot-4964m10-gas-charged-lift-support/
If you want to be a bit more scientific about how to calculate the Hood Struts you need follow these links:
Formula: https://www.sgs-engineering.com/help-advice/how-to-calculate-the-force-required-for-a-gas-strut/
Here are some photos showing the parts fabricated to make this install happen:
Tools Used: *** Nutsert Tool: https://amzn.to/3jd0pgV
*** Swag Offroad Bandsaw Table: https://amzn.to/3cDhZcp
*** RotoBroach Cutters: https://amzn.to/3pPSU1N
*** HRH Amazon Affiliate Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/hotrodhippie
Parts Used:
*** Switch Suspension Hood Hinges: https://switchsuspension.com/c-10-parts/hood-hinges/
*** Lift Support Hood Struts: https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/lift-supports-depot-4964m10-gas-charged-lift-support/
Check out the YouTube video for more information here: