help on installing hood struts (lift supports) on 2001 Camry

[dscek]

Hi,
I need to replace the hood struts (lift supports) on my 2001 Japan-built Camry. I originally ordered the StrongArm 4326 lift supports from Amazon.com (

http://www.amazon.com/StrongArm-4326-Toyota-Support-1997-00/dp/B000GBBOXK

http://www.amazon.com/StrongArm-4326-Toyota-Support-1997-00/dp/B000GBBOXK

), which stated it was compatible with 2001 Camrys. However, when I got them, they did not come with any mounting hardware for me to attach them to the car. And I could not re-use the mounting hardware from the old struts as the ball studs and brackets seem to be permanently attached to them. There's no metal clip like I've seen on other hood struts to remove the strut from the ball studs attached on either end. So I ended up returning the StrongArm lift supports I bought from Amazon.com because there was no way for me to install them.

So now I'm looking to buy the OEM lift support parts. I'm confused though on exactly which OEM parts I would need to buy. I went to http://www.toyotapartszone.com and entered my VIN #. In the Hood Lock & Hinge parts listing section, they have a link to see a diagram of the hood parts. (This diagram is at http://www.utoyot8.com/FullImage.asp...(9908-++++)JPP.) The diagram shows the top ball stud as a separate piece from the hood strut (not already attached and integrated like the one I have). It does show the bottom bracket/ball stud as already attached to the strut. So does this mean that I need to buy two of the PNC 53440B (top ball stud) in addition to PNC 53440A and 53450A (main lift support pieces)? It looks like these PNC codes refer to part numbers 53440-69045 (53440A), 53450-69045 (53450A), and **961-23010 (53440B, not sure about the 1st two digits of the part number here). Or if I buy 53440-69045 and 53450-69045, would it come with all the necessary mounting hardware (ball studs, bolts) I need to install the lift supports?

I'm also confused because there seem to be different part numbers involved for 2001 North-American built Camrys. Again using http://www.toyotapartszone.com, if I manually enter information for a 2001 North-American built Camry, I can access a different hood diagram (http://www.utoyot8.com/FullImage.asp...(9908-++++)NAP). Here they show the top ball stud (53440B) and bottom brackets (53481A, 53482) as different parts to the main lift support (53440A, 53450A). The PNC codes here seem to refer to part numbers **961-23010 (53440B, not sure about the 1st two digits of the part number here), 53440-AA020 (53440A), 53450-AA020 (53450A), and 53481-AA010 (53481A, 53482).

So additional questions here:

1. If I had a 2001 North American built camry, would buying part numbers 53440-AA020 and 53450-AA020 include all the necessary mounting hardware (**961-23010, 53481-AA010) or would I also have to buy the brackets and ball studs?

2. Would buying the parts for a North-American built camry work in my Japan-built camry? They are quite a bit cheaper. For example, 53440-69045 (53440A for Japan-built car) is $69.72, but 53440-AA020 (53440A for North American built car) is $49.11.

3. Could I have just bought the ball studs and bracket parts for use on the North-American built camry (**961-23010, 53481-AA010) and use them with non-OEM lift supports like the StrongArm 4326 ones I originally bought from Amazon.com?

For some reason, the part numbers on the current lift supports I have (which are original to the car) don't seem to exist when searching at http://www.toyotapartszone.com or in the parts section of any Toyota dealer's web site. The part numbers I have are 53450-33070 (left support) and 53440-33080 (right support). The part is labeled with Toyota on it but also has "Tokico Made in Japan" on it.

Sorry for the long post. I tried to provide as many details as possible to explain the situation. Hope someone can provide some useful input.

[Stillrunning]

I used aftermarket struts and drilled out the OEM ball stud as it's just riveted into the bracket and replaced it with the one that came with the strut. I believe the hood ball stud just unbolts (car not here)? Toyo parts guy could work this out for you if you need OEM

[dscek]

Originally Posted by Stillrunning

I used aftermarket struts and drilled out the OEM ball stud as it's just riveted into the bracket and replaced it with the one that came with the strut. I believe the hood ball stud just unbolts (car not here)? Toyo parts guy could work this out for you if you need OEM

Could you provide more details on drilling out the OEM ball stud and replacing it with the one that came with your strut? Not sure what you mean by that. The StrongArm hood struts I got before didn't come with any ball studs or mounting hardware at all.

I'd prefer not to do any drilling or cutting of metal as I only have basic tools. I did already remove the hood struts from the car as that was fairly straightforward. But it just didn't seem easy to re-use the top ball stud and bottom bracket with ball stud, which are already attached to the hood struts.

I would also prefer to use non-OEM hood strut replacements as it's much cheaper and I think it will perform as well. But I would need to get replacement ball stud and replacement parts, and I'm not sure if part numbers **961-23010 (53440B) and 53481-AA010 (53481A, 53482) will work for my 2001 Japan-built camry.

[Stillrunning]

Got mine at Advance Auto where I could actually see what I was buying. If your "basic tools" includes an electric drill then that's all you need. Pick a drill bit size just under the rivet size and drill the flared end off then use a punch to knock out the old ball. You may need to drill the hole a little larger to accept the ball bolt. I'll look at my Camry tonight to confirm what I did.

[cf99]

I got these recently for my J-VIN '01:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

They fit both the J vin and US model. No drilling and comes with all the brackets. 40 bucks for the PAIR (plus about $7 bucks shipping)

EDIT: Some photos of my old (original) ones after removal. All original hardware is still attached since the new ones came with all new hardware:

My original part numbers are the same as yours (I assume you made a typo in one of them):


Close-up of the ball stud end (note the blue loctite on the threads--it takes some elbow grease to get them removed, as you can see by the semi-stripped hex fitting:


Close-up of the other end:

[dscek]

Thanks cf99 for the pointer to that ebay listing. I see that listing is for StrongArm 4547 supports. Strangely, according to Amazon.com, these should only be compatible with certain Lexus ES300 model years (and only the StrongArm 4326 is compatible with 2001 Camry). But I guess both you and the ebay seller are confirming this should work fine in my 2001 Camry as well.

Did you also get the gold-colored ball studs shown in the picture of that ebay listing? Also, the way the bottom brackets are attached to those lift supports seems a little flimsy compared to how the brackets are attached to the OEM lift supports via a ball stud connection. I'm wondering how reliable that attachment will be.

And yes, I made a typo in my original post on the part numbers for my current OEM lift supports. They are 53450-33070 (left support) and 53440-33080 (right support), exactly like the ones in your pictures. (I'll correct my original post.) Strangely, these part numbers don't come up anywhere when doing an internet search on them.

[cf99]

Yes, it works just fine. It's stronger on the lift stroke, and also takes a little more effort to get it started in lowering it, than I remember from the original when it was new. The ball studs are included. Can't say for sure about the long term reliability, but it seems initially pretty solid. I had the same problem locating the original part numbers anywhere.

The 2 that you get will be identical (i.e. no separate left and right part) so you have to twist one of the shafts a half turn, which takes a bit of effort. You'll probably figure it all out when you get them, but if you have questions installing them, I'll do my best to answer them. If you're doing it by yourself, tie a rope through the hood latch loop on the hood and then tie the rope to a hook on the ceiling or over a beam or whatever you have handy, to keep the hood propped up while you change them out.

[dscek]

Just wanted to follow-up that I bought the StrongArm 4547 lift supports from the ebay seller mentioned by cf99. They came with the ball studs and installed fine in my Camry, although I did have to re-use the bolts from the original supports that hold down the bracket end since the ebay seller didn't include these. Overall though, it does seem to be a pretty good replacement. Thanks again cf99 for pointing me to these. Saved me at least $100 vs buying Toyota OEM supports.

[slavie]

Can you post a picture of the new hood lifts installed? Especially where they screw in.

I got inspired by this thread to install hood supports on my 99 US-built Camry, which originally did NOT come with them. I bought the same kit from fleaBay, but the way I installed it, my hood only closes half-way down, so I figured maybe I attached it to the wrong place?

[jmjnet]

They finally have the exact replacement for this.

When I had to do mine, I had to butcher the ball end.
I used a power metal saw to cut a slit and get the ring out so the ball can come out.

IIRC, I found the direction here somewhere.
It is not important now since they made the correct one now.