i have recently bought a 1989 xj, and it came with no liftgate supports. since then i have bought them off of rockl auto, but one of the thingeys (i think it is called a nipple, but i am not a native speaker so im not sure) is badly bent, and i cant seem to find where to get them, as one lift support sometimes gets dislodged and pops off, letting the liftgate hit me in the head.

any help would be much appreciated, so thanks in advance,
Benjamin

 

They are called Ball Studs. May be also listed as Liftgate Ball studs.

Are you sure it's bent? Lift struts can have different style ends. See the pic below. I see both styles available on Rock Auto.

The one on the left is prone to coming off when you raise/lower the liftgate when it's mounted to the upper stud (on the pillar). If your struts have both style ends, try having the end on the left, mounted to the lower stud (on the liftgate) and the other "ball end" on the pillar. The "ball end" uses a pin to hold it in place. If your struts have both ends like on the left, I'd return them (if you can) and get a different set.

 

You had me at nipples

 

it is the part this ball stud attaches to that is bent, but the ball studs are like the one on the right

 

This took a bit of wordplay to find but incase this is what your looking for - if not hopefully other who are looking for these find this useful

 

You can buy something from this search.....


https://www.bing.com/shop?q=jeep+xj+...7ADB2D54B6E22E


I dont know the jeep thread size, it is possibly metric. So I show this link as only an example. Do a search for "lift strut ball stud"

To remove the bent ones, you can first remove the plastic trim on the pillar, then you will see the hex head to turn with a socket wrench. I highly recommend you presoak the threads with penetrating oil. The thread might be seized up, and the nut welded to the backside of the pillar can be ripped off, then you will need to weld or make a repair piece, after you figure out how to remove the stud with its nut torn off the pillar!!! One of mine broke off, so i had to weld repair. Use care with removing the stud, if it is too tough to turn, then soak in more penetrating oil, or use a torch to heat the threads. You dont want the captive nut in the pillar to be torn off!!!


Side note, I hate lift struts, They rarely last ten years, and are expensive to replace. The old school torsion spring lifts rarely ever failed, even after 50 years of use. The modern lift struts are just one more thing that fails and must be replaces. I have two cars with them, so on average every five years, I got to replace one set. I hate it, such a waste of time and money, and they offer no advantage over a torsion spring.

 

The big advantage is they're cheaper - for the manufacturer: nothing else is important! The fact they last 10 years is a miracle, given the vehicle they're fitted to only needs to last 5-7.

 

found out im looking for ball studs, does anyone know where they might be in stock or what specs i need for a random one to fit?

thanks in advance

 

so... i figured out the specs for it, posting this here so that anyone who might be looking for them can get correct ones:

the ball diameter is 10mm or 3/8 and thread is 5/16x18 or M8x1.25