QuickLIFT FAQ

Gas-spring installation direction?
What is the difference between the QuickLIFT and QuickLIFT ELITE?
Aftermarket hoods - Will the QuickLIFT kits work with my aftermarket hood?
Aftermarket hoods and the problems with them.
My gas springs squeel or chatter when opening the hood, what do I do?
Has your hood bracket loosened or not remained properly attached?
Will my hood close like normal after I install the QuickLIFT?
If you don't have a QuickLIFT for my vehicle, can I try one out on mine?
Riveting 101 - Procedure and tips to proper riveting
Riveting to fiberglass and composite hoods?

	Gas spring installation direction - IMPORTANT: Install the gas springs as each manual directs you to...  In almost all cases we recommend the large gas spring housing to be attached to the hood bracket and the extending rod attached to the fender. If the gas springs are not installed in this fashion, the strut will not allow for the built-in slow release over the final inch of travel... if you are noticing that your hood is raising to fast or does not slow down on its own as it reaches the end of stroke, then reverse the gas springs as shown. What is the difference between the QuickLIFT and QuickLIFT ELITE kits? For a detailed answer to this question, read over our QuickLIFT & QuickLIFT ELITE comparison chart.
	Aftermarket Hoods - Will the QuickLIFT kits work with my aftermarket hood? We get a lot of questions about whether aftermarket hoods of all types (fiberglass, carbon fiber etc.) will work with our QuickLIFTs. With most high-quality hoods, the answer is yes, however, you must understand the following to find out for sure if yours will work. First, we design our QuickLIFTs to fit the stock hood and fender, unless specified in the kit. That means that we have carefully calculated what gas-spring length, force and size is required to lift and hold the hood up, along with the correct bracket geometry and mounting locations so that the QuickLIFT fits without interference. To determine whether our QuickLIFT will work on your aftermarket hood, just compare the mounting area on the aftermarket hood on your vehicle to the corresponding photos of our installation manual. The most important area to examine is the hood bracket mounting area. You will want determine whether the hood bracket mounting area is the same as the stock hood because that is what we designed the kit to work on! Anything beyond this does not matter! For a more detailed explanation, read the next paragraph. More details to determine fit... Since most aftermarket hood manufacturers generally mold from the stock hood frame and then design a new hood skin to mount to this 'copy' of the stock frame, most aftermarket hoods will work with our QuickLIFT kits. Carefully look at the mounting surface on the hood where the bracket should mount (shown in the installation manuals located here) looking for similar angles, flats or other key features to determine that they didn't modify the shape or size of the hood's frame. If aftermarket companies make modifications to the shape and size of the hood frame, it usually reduces the amount of room there is to mount a bracket or might require a different bracket than what is supplied. In general the hood type (carbon fiber, composite, fiberglass etc.) has no effect on whether our QuickLIFTs will work, it is solely the mounting area that is of concern. Aftermarket hood bracket kits... Nearly every QuickLIFT kit we sell includes the hardware needed to install the QuickLIFT on an aftermarket hood. You should only order the aftermarket hood/hardware kit if you already own a QuickLIFT and are installing a new hood - thus the need for two new hood brackets and hardware.  The kit doesn't come with fender brackets so don't order thinking you are getting all of the hardware minus the gas springs. Our warranty does not support kits for aftermarket hood applications, but we have found that in 99% of the cases our QuickLIFTs will work with no problems. But, for this exact reason we do not allow returns on our QuickLIFTs. We stand behind our products and cover all components included for 2 years from defect or failure (4 year limited warranty for QuickLIFT Elites), but we do not allow test fitting and returning. All of our kits will work on the designated vehicles, but some aftermarket hoods will not work and there is no way we can test all of them.
	My gas springs squeel or chatter when opening the hood? Simple solution - use them... The gas springs self lubricate themselves when used. If the gas springs get limited use, the gas spring shafts dry out. Remove them one at a time and fully compress them as you were supposed to do when you originally purchased them.  The gas springs will them lubricate themselves and the noise will go away.   Problem with hood bracket staying properly affixed? We have run across a few of our customers at car shows and noticed that the hood brackets were not attached properly or were loosening (only on vehicles with composite hood understructures, not steel). Some of them were crooked, and some of them were just simply not holding on properly. Many things can cause the hood brackets to come loose from a composite hood. Follow the installation manual closely and only use the rivets supplied with the kits - also be sure to contact us if you have any questions.   Will my hood close normally once I install a QuickLIFT? There is no difference in operation between hoods with or without our QuickLIFT installed when it comes to closing the hood. Once the hood is lowered beyond the mid-point, the force behind the gas-spring drops fast (the acting force becomes parallel to the hood and no longer 'lifts'). So, as you are closing your hood with our QuickLIFT installed, you will find that the hood can be dropped to close from 6-10" or whatever is normal to overcome the strength of your latch. The gas-spring force is parallel to the hood and does not hinder standard closing at all. I have a vehicle that you have not yet created a QuickLIFT kit for, can I purchase a kit and make it fit my car? Absolutely not. All of our QuickLIFT kits are designed to fit only the vehicles listed. We do not allow test fitting of our QuickLIFT kits to other vehicles. Please email us with the vehicle information, type and model year and we will let you know when it is the QuickLIFT will be created.
	Riveting - IMPORTANT Be careful while riveting the brackets. First time riveters should practice on something other than their vehicle before installing the kit - if this is not possible, then follow these simple steps. 1. Hold the riveter with two hands if helps to stabilize it. 2. Be sure that the rivet is entirely through the hole and that are putting pressure on the rivet through the riveter when squeezing. 3. Squeeze the rivet gun firmly while keeping the head perpendicular to the hood. In other words, you do not want to tip or angle the riveter during the squeezing of the rivet gun. Keeping the rivet gun head perpendicular to the mounting surface and bracket is desired and will help create a solid bracket mounting. We have found that having someone help hold the hood and bracket while riveting helps out a lot - otherwise, you are trying to rivet to a moving object and is difficult to apply adequate force. 4. When the rivet snaps off the rivet gun will jerk and the rivet stem will be loose in the gun. Be careful to not slide the gun or jerk when snapping off the rivet, you don't want to scratch the paint with the loose rivet or gun. Having someone carefully hold the rivet gun head while you squeeze the gun will help to avoid this (especially when attaching the first rivet). Riveting on Fiberglass or composite hoods Customers with fiberglass hoods need to pay close attention to the riveting process. Our kits are designed to work great on your hood, however, the riveting process must be done correctly. You need to place the brackets exactly the way we intended them to be placed - drill holes correctly and rivet correctly - this is NOT brain surgery, but a little attention to detail will ensure a long lasting and incredible finished QuickLIFT installation. For those who have installed their QuickLIFT and have had a bracket come loose, need to move the brackets to a new hood, we have an aftermarket hood bracket / rivet kit available.
	Bracket Installation: When installing the supplied brackets in your QuickLIFT kit, closely examine the photos in the manual to determine the proper placement and orientation. If you have any questions, contact prior to installation. For every vehicle, the bracket should mount securely once riveted or screwed in position.
	Protecting drilled surfaces: After drilling each hole for the bracket installation process, be sure to protect the metal from corrosion.  This can easily be done using the factory touch up paint on the drilled holes prior to riveting or screwing the brackets in place.
	Safety Clips: Though the supplied safety clips seem small and meaningless, they should be installed.  These clips will lock the ball-studs in position and keep them from popping off.