The Maverick hood (especially the Grabber hood) has a natural curve from front to back when increases the strength incredibly. Think about the hoods you see get bent, they are all pretty flat. (Mustangs, Torinos, Chevy Trucks) Body lines and curves create strength. The curved hoods are very strong and the reinforcement is curved also making it even stronger.
Hard to say one way or another... I have never seen a Maverick hood buckle, however they don't have springs. I guess we need a guinea pig. I still think the struts would be easier.
I think a few people have tried to use the hood shocks on a mav hood and it didn't work due to the strange motion of the 4 bar linkage (hinge).
I don't mean to sound like a know it all or be a party pooper but the hoods were made to bow / bend in the middle in case of an accident so the hood wouldn't come through and decapitate the passengers (cut their heads off). The maverick hoods do last longer because they are smaller and don't use the springs. My used 69' fairlane (parts car) hood bent due to the weight of the bigger hood and old rusty hinges when i first bought it. I've also seen bent Maverick hoods in the junkyards because their hinges were rusty also. I hope it works for you with no problems. An hydraulic or electric opening hood would be pretty cool to. Good luck.....Frank-o
I can remember someone here posting they had either done it or seen the gas shocks done on a Maverick at a show. I can almost remember there was a picture and a thread. A year ago maybe? My F150 has tidy hinges with coil springs and they pick up a huge Ford hood that is wider but shorter than my Comet hood. I would estimate they weighed close to the same thing.
I simpler solution would be to just use hydraulic rams like boats use on the their engine cabins. A few other cars would be 84 cadillacs used them on the hood, 71-82 datsun Z's used them on the trunks. They are fairly easy to install too.
