DIY Hood-Lift for the Jeep Cherokee - Quick and Dirty Install

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The Go Anywhere Jeep Cherokee

By 2002 the rear-hatch struts on my 98 XJ were getting too weak to be effective during the cold Chicago winters.
On a previously owned vehicle I stupidly tolerated this behavior for way too long, despite new components not being terribly expensive.
Not this time though, shortly after the winter gave way to spring, I purchased a new set of struts directly from Jeep as they were starting to flush out excess parts from the discontinued XJ model.
The new struts did the trick and 5+ years later they're still going strong.

After removing the old struts and installing the new units I began "Phase 2" of my plans, creating a hood lift system utilizing the old struts.
There are a couple of commercial kits that provide the same end result, but I already had a set of used struts that I had no other practical use for, so I figured what the heck and gave it a shot.

First thing I had to do was get a ball mount bracket for the end of the OE strut that lacked a mounting bracket.
The bracket I wanted has a ball-stud much like a scaled-down trailer hitch that the strut snaps onto.
I visited a local RV/Camper/Topper Sales/Repair store and quickly found a bracket with the correct ball stud for under $4.00.
Now it was onto figuring out the mount location.

After a bit of pondering we decided to mount the strut on the left-side of the engine bay.
Our thoughts going this route were to keep the option of using the factory hood-prop open in the event that precaution or necessity warranted its use.

After a bit of experimentation, we decided to attach the lower mount at the left-rear corner of the engine bay as shown in the link on the right.

We took an awl and put it through the center of the two bracket holes and gave it a quick rap with a hammer.
Then removing the strut took the appropriate size drill bit and drilled two holes.
Taking a couple of stainless steel screws we put a little anti-seize onto the threads to help the freshly drilled metal avoid developing rust.

Another option to use both as a rust-inhibitor and to prevent the fasteners from vibrating free is Loctite.
I have a bottle of green, purple and perhaps blue and red that all claim to be effective in preventing rust.
Something to consider testing in the future.

Lower strut mount - Pic #1

Lower strut mount - Pic #2

The only step left is to figure out just where on the hood to attach the upper mount of the strut.
After a fair amount of experimenting the pictures to the right will show exactly where we ended up at.
Don't assume this will definitely work for you if you're using something other than a late-model OE strut.

The silver bracket has a ball stud and is screwed to the hood (purchased at a local trailer store).

We started with one or two screws initially as we opened and closed the hood repetitively while making sure
no bind or interference was occurring.

You can see that we used sheet metal screws. After 5+ years they're starting to loosen in their holes.
It may be time to find another method to attach the bracket, such as pop-rivets.
All in all they worked just fine during that time and I bet would last a couple more years if left alone.

Any questions regarding this document just let me know.

Upper strut mount - Pic #1

Upper strut mount - Pic #2

Upper strut mount - Pic #3

Hood lift in action

***Disclaimer***

The above information has been created by someone that is an enthusiast and not a trained
automotive professional. My intentions are not to have any physical harm come to anyone,
but to highlight what I have done to my own personal vehicle or share my knowledge or
experiences. If you decide to use any of my information, you bear the responsibility to
verify its safety and accuracy.

***Please do not link to this article or republish it without my permission***

By 2002 the rear-hatch struts on my 98 XJ were getting too weak to be effective during the cold Chicago winters. On a previously owned vehicle I stupidly tolerated this behavior for way too long, despite new components not being terribly expensive. Not this time though, shortly after the winter gave way to spring, I purchased a new set of struts directly from Jeep as they were starting to flush out excess parts from the discontinued XJ model. The new struts did the trick and 5+ years later they're still going strong. After removing the old struts and installing the new units I began "Phase 2" of my plans, creating a hood lift system utilizing the old struts. There are a couple of commercial kits that provide the same end result, but I already had a set of used struts that I had no other practical use for, so I figured what the heck and gave it a shot. First thing I had to do was get a ball mount bracket for the end of the OE strut that lacked a mounting bracket. The bracket I wanted has a ball-stud much like a scaled-down trailer hitch that the strut snaps onto. I visited a local RV/Camper/Topper Sales/Repair store and quickly found a bracket with the correct ball stud for under $4.00. Now it was onto figuring out the mount location.
After a bit of pondering we decided to mount the strut on the left-side of the engine bay. Our thoughts going this route were to keep the option of using the factory hood-prop open in the event that precaution or necessity warranted its use. After a bit of experimentation, we decided to attach the lower mount at the left-rear corner of the engine bay as shown in the link on the right. We took an awl and put it through the center of the two bracket holes and gave it a quick rap with a hammer. Then removing the strut took the appropriate size drill bit and drilled two holes. Taking a couple of stainless steel screws we put a little anti-seize onto the threads to help the freshly drilled metal avoid developing rust. Another option to use both as a rust-inhibitor and to prevent the fasteners from vibrating free is Loctite. I have a bottle of green, purple and perhaps blue and red that all claim to be effective in preventing rust. Something to consider testing in the future.	Lower strut mount - Pic #1 Lower strut mount - Pic #2
The only step left is to figure out just where on the hood to attach the upper mount of the strut. After a fair amount of experimenting the pictures to the right will show exactly where we ended up at. Don't assume this will definitely work for you if you're using something other than a late-model OE strut. The silver bracket has a ball stud and is screwed to the hood (purchased at a local trailer store). We started with one or two screws initially as we opened and closed the hood repetitively while making sure no bind or interference was occurring. You can see that we used sheet metal screws. After 5+ years they're starting to loosen in their holes. It may be time to find another method to attach the bracket, such as pop-rivets. All in all they worked just fine during that time and I bet would last a couple more years if left alone. Any questions regarding this document just let me know.	Upper strut mount - Pic #1 Upper strut mount - Pic #2 Upper strut mount - Pic #3 Hood lift in action