I have a 2000 QX4 and my tailgate struts died on me, so I purchased replacements online. The main problem I am having is that the originals have an eye hole on the top and a snap on ball shaped on the bottom. All replacement types that I could find online had ball shaped on both ends. I cannot remove the original strut from the mounting bracket to save my life.

Do I need a new mounting bracket for the top or is there an easier way of removing the eye hole portion of the strut from the mounting bracket?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There should be a metal c-clip on one end... Remove carefully, and the ball should fall easily from the socket.

Some also have a "latch", which requires some close inspection to see how it opens.

I was able to remove the bottom ball shaped portion as you stated, but the top eye hole portion has me perplexed. I can't get the eye hole off of the mounting bracket, so I removed the mounting bracket from the tailgate. The strut appears to be riveted to the to the mounting bracket. I have looked at this thing from every angle, but I do not see any latch or way to remove the top of the strut from the bracket.

Is a ball shaped mounting bracket for the top portion of the strut available or am I screwed?

10mm wrench, theres a nut on the inside closest to the body.