Tacoma Hood Struts Install - Redline Tuning QuickLIFT

Replace your truck’s OEM hood prop with an aftermarket gas hood strut from Redline Tuning. These seem to be the most popular gas hood struts available for the Tacoma so I decided to purchase and install for myself. I’ll be going over the installation process so you can DIY install these Tacoma hood struts.

Really quick about the product, I purchased the version with the Carbon Fiber sleeve. It’s an extra $20 or so, but it adds a nice touch to the engine bay details. There are a few different variations of this product including different rated shocks for those that have a heavier or lighter hood.

Disclaimer: this article does contain affiliate links which means if you purchase after clicking on one of the included products links I will get a small commission. If you decide to purchase, I greatly appreciate it if you buy through one of my affiliate links in the article. This will help pay for server costs and maybe a beer to keep me motivated. Thank you for your support!

1. Pop open hood and prop with OEM Tacoma hood struts.

2. Mark holes on hood for drilling.

2.1 Starting with driver side first, measure 19″ from hood hinge bracket and mark your location. Keep in mind if you have aftermarket ditch light brackets it may protrude past the OEM hinge so account for this length if so.

2.2 Mark 2.5″ from edge of hood and mark your location.

2.3 You now found the corner point for your Redline Tuning hood bracket.

2.4 Repeat the same for the passenger side.

2.5 Align the hood brackets with the ball head pointing outwards away from the engine.

2.6 Place the corner of the bracket as pictured below and mark your 2 holes.

3. Drill hood bracket holes

3.1 Use a punch tap or small drill bit to create a pilot hole.

3.2 Drill holes using 3/16″ drill bit. I taped off my drill bit and left about 1/4″ exposed so I don’t accidentally drill into the underside of the hood.

3.3 Use touch up paint to cover up the exposed metal to prevent corrosion.

3.4 Repeat for other side.

4. Install Redline hood brackets.

4.1 Use the supplied rivets to install each hood bracket. I recommend getting your own rivet gun. The one that comes with the kit got stuck for me and spent 10 minutes just trying to release the gun.

4.2 Repeat on other side.

5. Drill fender bracket holes.

5.1 Starting from the passenger side, remove the plastic fender cover by sliding the cover sideways. There are 3 pop it clips attached. Do not pull up as you’ll probably break the clips.

5.2 Measure and mark 12.5″ from the steel tab that sticks out. It’s located underneath the top hood hinge you used to measure on step 2.

5.3 Place the fender brackets with the holes facing up. Also make sure it’s positioned so it’s closed to the front of the truck from the 12.5″ mark you created. Before you drill, you might want to re-measure so you have 12.5″ from the bracket to the steel tab.

5.4 After drilling, use touch up paint to cover up the exposed metal to prevent corrosion.

5.5 Repeat for other side.

6. Install Redline fender brackets.

6.1 Use the supplied rivets to install the fender brackets.

6.2 Reinstall the plastic cover.

6.3 Repeat for other side.

7. Install Redline gas shocks.

7.1 Each end of the shock has a metal clip. You can keep these clipped fully in and just press onto the ball head. The gas strut should be towards the hood side. If installed properly, the clips should snap right in with the clip being fully seated.

7.2 Install for each side and you are now done!

A few important things to note when installing the Redline Tuning Hood QuickLIFT. I have a power tray installed on my Tacoma and the driver side strut did not clear with the factory terminal plastic cover so I had to remove it. Even with it removed, the clearance is tight and it rubs once fully closed. It did not scratch the Carbon Fiber sleeve, but if you have a power tray I would probably not opt for the Carbon Fiber sleeve as it adds a few millimetres of extra thickness which takes away from the clearance. You can see the picture in Step 7 with the power tray terminal cover on – the clear white thing. In this picture below, I have it removed.

Anyways that’s all. I hope this article gave you more insight on the install and maybe you also realize now you want one. If you want to look at more DIY articles please check out the DIY section on this site!