Replacing front hatch gas shock??

[GTX185]

I've searched and haven't found much on this topic. I have an 05 GTX SC. The front gas filled shock that keeps the front latch from slamming down has broken. Actually the bolt that connects the latch to the shock broke. The shock is under a great deal of pressure and has now extended another couple of inches past where the bolt would connect to it.

Can't seem to locate the DIY steps to fix this. I'm thinking the entire latch may need to come off first as I'm not sure I can get enough leverage to compress the shock enough to get the bolt thru.

Any thoughts out there?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[activtodd]

This is not detailed step by step, but hopefully it will give you the idea of how to overcome the problem of the shock being a little too long to attach back into place. First, connect the shock to the bottom support bracket. Next, the cover is held by a black, pivoting bracket that attaches to the body in two places. Remove the two aft bolts that are nearest the shock rod when the cover is lowered. These bolts should have small caps on them. Once removed, raise the cover until the top shock locking device lines up with ball attachment on the top linkage bracket. Attach shock to top linkage bracket. Then, carefully lower the cover, compressing the shock, until removed bolts of pivoting bracket line up with their associated holes. Attach bolts, replace caps, lower cover, done.