Replacement canopy strut for RV-4

RBD · #1 02-11-2011, 11:00 AM

I need to obtain a gas spring for my canopy, and was wondering/hoping that someone could point me in the right direction, as I haven't had much luck looking on my own. Ideally, I would like to replace it with the exact one shown below, but am open to other suggestions.

The spring was made by the Gas Spring Company in Colmar, PA (of which I've had no success locating) and has "FEN117-045" and "329 7" printed on it.

If I remember correctly, it is roughly 7" closed and 10.5" open.

AX-O · #2 02-11-2011, 01:29 PM

Go to NAPA auto parts. When I built my canopy I went to NAPA and checked out all their in stock shock. If they don?t have what you need, they can order you one based on the lengths (full open and full closed) and the force. I ended up buying one that could support 25 lbs for my set up. Check out post #3. http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...light=fastback

RBD · #3 02-11-2011, 05:31 PM

Thanks Axel. I'll stop by the local NAPA to see what I can find.

David Paule · #4 02-11-2011, 09:13 PM

Another source is www.mcmaster.com. I bought a couple for a different project from them last year. They also sell a large variety of the attachment points and related fittings.

Nice source for a lot of things. Excellent service. (I'm just a customer, no other connection.)