Roadster Boot Lifter Fix

Mod Details

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Boot Gas Struts Pulling Out

I don’t know how prolific this fault is or if it will become more common but it’s something that had happened on OTV’s Roadster. So just in case it becomes more common, here is the fix I created.

The Roadster coupe boot gas lifters are very strong at 200Nm each, you need this to lift the weight of the glass. The problem is that the coupe boot frame is fibreglass which doesn’t accept a point load very well.

On both sides of the boot, the hatch end of the gas rams had started to skew because of the pushing power.

After a a little investigation,  one side pulled clean out. The captive insert had worked its way out.

Initially I tried to Rivnut the hole which worked for a while but fibreglass doesn’t hold them for long. So I decided to create a a new plate that spreads out the pressure of the gas ram.

You’ll need some 5mm rivets suitable for a material thickness of over 7mm. I went for 9mm. You will also need an M8 nut to hold the ball joint to the new plate.

I used 2mm thick aluminium as it’s strong enough and easy to work with. The plate was cut 20mm x 100mm and drilled with a 5mm hole each end and an 8mm hole in the centre.

Push the original 10mm ball through the new plate and fit a nut.

To save any future issues, use some thread lock fluid so the nut doesn’t become loose over time.

Tighten it up, tape the ball up and spray it black to blend in with the car.

Make sure the plate fits properly. (The back nut might be tight in the original hole). Drill through the 5mm hole at each end…

Push the rivets in place and set them with a rivet gun.

Grease the ball slightly and refit the gas ram.

The spread of the force should stop it happening again.