> The rear hatch shocks on my 87 westy gave out during my trip 
> to Colorado.  The hatch wont fall immediately but within a 
> couple of seconds it comes down.  Needless to say, loading 
> the back of the vehicle has become a pain because now it 
> requires the loader to use one arm to hold the hatch up.  
> Does anybody have extras on a parts vehicle or any other 
> suggestions about how to replace these at minimal cost?

Hatch struts, like shock absorbers, are best replaced in pairs. If you use
one good one and one worn one, the good one will tend to wear prematurely
because it is handling some of the load that the worn one should have been
handling. So you can end up replacing one side after the other on somewhat
of an ongoing basis. These are not all that expensive new, so it's worth
buying a new set and being done with it.

The original Vanagon setup consisted of a weaker hatch strut on the left and
a heavier-duty one on the right. But many people replace them with a pair of
the heavy duty right-hand ones instead. That setup lasts longer and works
better.  In fact you will probably not have to replace them again for a
very, very long time!  

My OEM German heavy-duty ones are $19.95 each.  This is about the same price
as (or less than) most places charge for aftermarket ones, but the quality
is much more consistent.

Link:  

<http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=251829332>

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT