jgrooms

I purchased a set of Figs hood struts on ebay and was going to install them today. When I matched them up to the current factory struts the Figs are slightly longer. It looks as though I will have to compress the strut slightly to get it to fit. I tried and I cannot do this by hand. I had to place the strut on the ground and use my body weight to get it to move, and as soon as I let off the strut went back to it's original position.

My question is:

Has anyone installed the Figs hood struts before? What is the trick to getting them on?

Thanks,
John