Fitting Gas Struts

[CraigJones]

Right

I have a 1979 Devon Moonraker. I am a complete novice, although I have been active and researched but don't seem to find the ansers to my gas strut fitting problem

2 issues:

- How do I compress the brand new gas struts purchased from camerpershop?  I only have one I can't fit because I need to compress it first. I can't seem compress them myself before fitting as they are incerdibly sttiff.  Will they compress when I pull on the roof?

- See photo's - how do I get this old gas strut off? It is so close to the roof fibreglass.  Any ideas?

Please see attached photos.

Cheers. this is my first technical post, so I hope you can help.

[CraigJones]

https://www.justkampers.com/uploads/assets/large/18817.jpg

https://www.justkampers.com/uploads/assets/large/18819.jpg

 

[oilybay]

Apparently ratchet straps will compress gas struts so you can pop them off and on.

[andrewvevers]

I had this roof on my last camper. Firstly make sure you are fitting them the right way round as there are two sizes.

Secondly, if you prop the roof up with a piece of wood it will open just a bit more than the travel of the gas struts so you won't have to compress them.

[SCHOALSEY]

as andrewvevers said, try to fit them when the roof is up then they dont need compressing. try to make sure they are the identical size type to the original or they may twist the roof.

Also check the condition of the fixing brackets as the new struts may put undue pressure on old brackets resulting in them failing under load and punching through the roof! (not nice, happened to mine)

[CraigJones]

Thanks guys for advice etc. I've completed the necessary work this week ready for my maiden trip south west! I'm noting this down for future users who may have probs. Thanks also to the thecampershop.co...

Solutions:

I wedged the roof up in the inside with three pieces of wood, between the mini rail that holds the uptop bed up and the grooves in the roof.  Then I need to the fit the back vertical gas strut.  So originally I thought there was not enough room between the curved end of the roof and the bolt. Although I knew there was a metal plate on the inside of the roof, I hadnt realised that I could bring that h=just off the inside wall and therefore release the space between the outside roof and bolt.  It was simple, I went outside and used a spanner to release the nut closest to the camper interior. That meant there was enough play for me to draw in the metal plate from the inside. I could then push the bolt inside the camper and fit the ' strut on.

Second problem was even more novice.  Having not fitted gas struts before I was concerned that I personally couldn't compress them and therefore I envisaged a scene from a vw camper horror movie wherbey the struts would remain straight and stab throught he roof.  This wasn't the case. The campershop.co.uk advised me, once all struts were fitted, to ease on the roof pulling it down and up to gradually compress the struts. 

Job done.

Thanks to all for the advise