I've been thinking about doing the same thing, my hood prop is a pile of &*$# and this is what I've been thinking of doing, on the cheap: take two struts off the hatch of a corolla station wagon in the yard. they're designed to hold the hatch (probably heavier that the hood) up horizontally. They're pretty tough.
Thanks. I'll look in some junk yards. Hard to believe nobody has made this mod. seems so simple and much better than the prop stick. My tundra has the struts.