JL Hood Latches on a JK Wrangler - Install and Review
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Tired of your Jk hood flutter? Have faded stock hinges? Looking for a cool adorable mod to do? This is How to Install a set of JL wrangler Hood Latches onto a JK!!
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Link For Rugged Ridge JK Latches: amzn.to/2MU8F40
Part Numbers:
Latch: 68240952AD
Catch Bracket: 68240951AB
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Worked for me!
I just bought a set, the code worked for me. Save me 18 bucks!
Just ordered
I think gas mileage was thrown out when you put 40’s on it 😂
Haha honestly it hasn’t been bad so far! With the gearing I’m getting a tad bit better!
We did this to my Jeep about as soon as the JL hit the market and you don’t have to drill I took the alignment tabs off the body side and the hood side I just made shorter and the alignment is perfect. And no need to touch up paint or drill metal. Just a trim on the cheap good side part.
Made the tabs shorter on the hood side?
Tip when drilling the holes out in sheet metal is to use a step Uni-bit. It drills a lot nicer and wont catch like a twist bit will. It also makes a nicer rounder hole.
The "tooth" on the top part of my JK hood latch broke off so it was barely hanging on. Saw this and stole yet another mod idea from Ben at JK Gear and Gadgets. Went on easy, looks better and functions better! Thanks again man!
Yup! That's perfect. Wondering what else we can jack from the JL design
There are a few things I’m eyeballing, but not sure how compatible they will be. These hood latches were a pretty easy swap
The new soft top!
Maybe the fenders! The front grill!🤔
Looks great. I definitely am going to do this
Nice work man. I'm definitely one of those guys who's hesitant to drill...HAHA!
Just installed mine. I took the grill off and used a 13mm ratchet wrench with a swivel for the bottom nuts. Good point about not over tightening. In fact, I tighten the factory nuts before removing and confirmed they were not very tight. Thanks for the free shipping code!
You are an enabler! I just did this to my Jeep- couldn't be happier! Thanks!!
Jeep guys are such ricers.... Check out my new 13 projector Halo headlights With 10 million color options to match my neon under glow bro !!!!CUSTOM PAINTED AIR CONDITIONER VENT KNOBS!!!! Also check out these sick para cord velcro handles and tactical high lift hood latch mounts... What a waste of money.
What do you drive?
JK Gear and Gadgets Toyota's....lol lc80 and a runner.
I just want to know who could thumbs down this video.. good video ben
Probably people that saw the drill come out. There's a better version by Rampage that require no drilling and use a key lock.
Just what I want a key and lock, that way when I have to open the hood the lock is seized up!
I’ve gotten a lot of feed back from those latches we put on our Jeeps. So many others are ordering them that Mopar has them on back order. Crazy!!!
This mod DOES NOT require you to DRILL HOLES. I put JL latches on my 13 JK no problems. I took the aligment pins off.
I really want to try & switch out the jk rubber bumpers with the jl footman loop/bumpers/washer nozzles they have now
I just ordered. Fun fact- if you order the 2 of each JL Latch: 68240952AD and
Catch Bracket: 68240951AB on that website- INSTEAD of together in the "JK upgrade kit"- it is $5.07 less.
Hmmm I didn’t know that
Hey man... thanks again for the vid. I just did the mod, and included a minor change that might help people... but other than that... I pretty much stayed in your ruts! lol
oh.. vid is here if you want to check it out. ua-cam.com/video/0WuVScIR2FU/v-deo.html
What was the minor change? I want to do this but I'm wondering if this will keep the hood from flapping and also keep the correct gap
Thanks man, I just got them and had not idea how to go by install them. great detail job
They need to make the hood lock standard
I literally was about to comment yesterday saying Get metal hood latches but I fell asleep.You read my mind.
Any reason why this wouldn't work on a TJ? JKs and TJs had very similar (if not identical) hood latches.
I don’t see why not 🤷🏼♂️, but I don’t want to say yes or no because I haven’t tried it out. I’d go park at a dealership after hours and take some measurements to see if it will fit
QUESTION: My latches don't pop back. They lay back over the fender. So when you go to put the hood down, the clasp is out in the way. Am I missing something?? 😕
Installed on a 2017 JKS and didn't have to drill. I was installing them on a hot day so I think it made the plastic tabs a little more flexible so as I slowly ratcheted down the fender latch the tabs pressed into the undrilled holes. No drilling also allowed me to keep the hood aligned.
Looks good!! May do that mod on mine.
Thanks
Steve
Xtreme Overland USA
Man, I'm having a heck of a time. The lower OE latch on mine, on the passenger side, was accessible, just barely, but although I do have a 13mm wrench, I didn't have a flex shaft for a socket. It wouldn't have made any difference though because at a certain point, the through bolt started spinning and I no longer made any progress with loosening the nut. Now I'm at a point where apparently, I'm going to have to carefully either hacksaw the bolt or even more scary, use my sawzall. I've already scratched my fender a bit, but for now just used the same color touch-up paint. I intend to eventually replace both the fenders and the flares and inner fenders, but I wasn't ready yet. I think this is going to be more of a nightmare than I expected. I'll get there. I'm certainly not taking my fenders off.
Just came back for a follow-up. If your JK is like mine, do not expect yours to comply like his or any of the other videos you’ve seen of people doing this ‘simple’ swap. The bottom fender mounted OE parts were reachable with a 13 mm wrench and I’d offer, the longer the better (she didn’t say that to me 😊) but once the nut inside the fender gets just loose enough, the entire thing starts to spin. I couldn’t think of any way to hold it, even putting a smaller Phillips head screwdriver through one of the holes that you’ll later enlarge didn’t hold it. I resorted unfortunately to getting my cordless angle grinder with a cutting disc and cutting carefully as I could until the bolt (it’s headless, FYI) broke. Then I just pushed it through. I did some small damage to my fenders in the process and they will be a bit ugly to those who get near it, but I do have factory touch up paint and applied that. Now comes an equally fun part; I get to put the new ones on. That’s not easy either and would help to have a second pair of hands. Although I may duct tape that new fender mounted piece to the fender so the bolt will be held in place. Then I can reach through and spin the nut on. Even though it’s not in the plans for this year, I know in advance that I’ll be buying new non-factory fenders, flares and inner fenders to replace those and painting the whole of the Jeep in Rhino Liner so whether I’ll be able to get these new hood latches off then, or will have to buy another set, I know I won’t booger up my fenders again. But heed this; if you run into the same issue I have, I hope you’ll be able to resolve it better than I have.
Just got mine today & just got done installing, Thanks so much for this video, been wanting these since I first saw them!
Bad ass man!!!!! Just ordered mine, thanks for taking the time to post this!
Thanks for DIY instructions. My jku looks much better this way!
That's awesome. Great idea. I agree. I just don't like other latches out there and the ones I do like are so expensive.
That is a great upgrade, have to look into this. Thanks for sharing!
I am replacing mine as well just got them today. Another question where did you get your fender flares. They look sweet
Thank you so much for this. I was able to get away with only drilling the top two holes for the latch. Everything lined up and worked perfect (2012 JK Sport). So worth it!
Thanks for the tip about drilling the holes. Worked like a charm
I did this mod with my new DV8 avenger hood... Killer..!
Just did this to mine. Awesome mod. Reason it seems to drill the wholes to 3/8 is to get adjustment to align properly. Thanks for the video and great mod.
Question….Will a Red Rock Series Hood With Functional Air Vents that is for a JL and Gladiator JT, fit on a JKU 2018?
No. Jl hoods won’t fit on a jk
I’ve been wanting to do this every since I saw the first JL pics. Thanks for sharing!!!
When you latch the JL latches notice how the fender pulls in out of alignment with the hood. The camming action of the lever pushes fender below hood line towards center.
Another AMAZING video! Thanks for the videos and step by step instructions! Ill be ordering these tonight
If you take the grill off it's easier to get to the nuts. I didn't need a extension on my socket wrench
Love the video. I am definitely a new subscriber. Ordered the latches right after I saw video.
Thanks!! I was thinking about this mod!! This will definitely be my next one. Those look great and I'm sure this will become a popular JK mod.
Rhino Willy's just installed today. They’re awesome
Sean Gottke Nice!! Such a satisfying feeling after a new mod.✋😀👍
This is awesome! Just found my next upgrade! Thanks for the outta the box thinking!
Finally someone made a good video on how to add the new latches on to a JK! Great job!
Thanks! I think it’s an amazing mod and will become a pretty popular swap. Feel free to share the video to any friends!
OMG , i did this , Just use a small wrench.....
Thanks for making this. I’ve heard of this being done, nice seeing how easy it is
Making a list of part numbers for Jeep beach prep....you make that search so easy :)
They actually have kits on amazon now. I’m not sure if they are mopar brand but they look pretty close
Hope you make more videos with that XJ!
I might! Trying to keep it stock haha but it’s so hard
JK Gear and Gadgets Not a bad idea. Maybe do mechanical videos on it or things like that. Not many people do high quality videos on XJ’s that aren’t pieces of rusty crap.
Just put some on my 2017 Willy's and they work great and look even better
FYI you will need to remove the airbox to do the passenger side latch
Just did this to mine (plus the hood bumps, because, why not). The only thing I had to do different was take a rat-tail file and modify the lower mount holes slightly to get the upper lip of the latch to sit even with the curve of the fender. Other than that it was a simple mod and it looks great! Thanks for the great tutorials!
Yeah I’m hearing that from some people, and some others say they didn’t, it must be a hit or miss 🤷🏼♂️
I seen it's been almost three years since you did this how are the hood latches doing
Sixxxty fiye dollars!?
Thanx for the video & the idea. I helped a buddy swap out his latches from the jl. And I pith them on in my jk. 👌 win win 😜
@ mymoparparts.com these are on back order just to let you know. 6-19-2018
Thanks for the heads up
If it fades hit it with a torch and it’ll bring it back.
That is a sweet call on the JL latches. Nice job!
Thanks bud!
I just did this to mine. I didn’t drill anything, I snipped the 2 alignment tabs off of the body part of the latch and bolted it right up no issues
Do the secure the hood better?
IDK man, the risk of your JK catching fire cause of JL parts it's too much.
Hahahahaha gottem
Solid video! If I didn't already have the rugged ridge ones, I'd be doing this!
Great video. Awesome
Very helpful! Thanks! 👍
Great video. That internal spring in the latch seems a little flimsy. I think that looks like the weakest part in the JL latch.
Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about it though as it’s not part of the structural design, just there to push the actuall Metal clasp out
Great video! Thanks for all the information.
Drilling into a new JL? Salt air will KILL it if you miss a single spot. Most shops will also use silicone to seal it tight FWIW. Rugged Ridge has a direct fit, tougher looking set.
This isn’t a JL. That’s why I mentioned painting the holes after they are drilled. In my opinion the RR sets look cheesy, and the powder coat fades and chips within 2 years.
@@JKGearandGadgets Just saw on one a JK and it got hit by a stone and looked pretty rough. I'm leaving mine for now because they tightened them up on the JL. Thanks for the reply.
Looks better than any aftermarket ones!
Good video, I’m not a fan of them though
Great video some other guy did them before but he started to cut the rubber pads instead of drilling the holes out like you did. He made a mess of it had to glue on the pads and stuff. Yours is cleaner
Yeah my buddy just sent me that video a few minutes ago 😂 quite the mess, cut the alignment tabs off and the rubber pads...
Just what I'm looking for I'll be putting them on next week thank you
You’ll love them! Thanks for watching, stay tuned for more videos!
What brand fenders do you have on your Jeep?
Just found your video today, after Googling "JK hood latches" I just got my '08 JKU Sahara and hood flutter bugs the heck out of me, and even though this is four years after the fact, thanks for this vid!
Just ordered a pair for my 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (MW3). Looking forward to delivery!!
Aerodynamics, hahahaha, good one
Very helpful. Thnanks
Anyone try this with bushwacker flat flares? The sit higher than factory flares and worried that the wouldnt fit.
Nice job. Was wondering if these would work on the JKs. These are the best looking latches out there.
I have to agree! Clean and simple but still look amazing
Huhh ? ....Its a JK he installed it on
Awesome idea! We’ve been looking to upgrade our latches for quite some time. These look like a winning idea! Thank you very much for sharing!
Yep I think they look killer! A lot cleaner than other aftermarket options
Great video. Goodtimes
Does the hood louver do anything to decrease hood flutter?
It does a little, the latches are the big thing though. But yes a louver let’s out the air that gets trapped under the hood.
Do you think this could be made to work on a TJ as well?
Sadly no, since it’s vertical it won’t work
What size tire, lift, and spacers do you have?
4.5” lift, 37” Yokohama Geolandars and no spacers, the wheels have 3.75” backspacing so that sticks them out.
just encase you didn't know, www.moparpartsonline.com is using this video as part of their JL hood latch upgrade for install instructions
If you have a stock air box the fastest way is to pull the grill off. If you do that you can access the 13mm nuts super easy with a flexible end wrench.
I’m installing similar latches on my 2010 JK and noticed that when you remove the old latches you are also removing the rubber bumper that’s on the original bottom latch which means that you will have no cushion or resistance when adjusting the new latches. Did your JL latches come with a rubber cushion to be between the hood and top of fender to prevent metal on metal?
Removing the lower piece is the only hard part! How did that not make the video? Gonna try it by taking the grill off.
I installed the JL latch after watching your video. This was my first mod where I had to drill in my Jeep or any vehicle. I was not able to get the hood down all the way. Not sure what this will do in the future. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if it didn’t work. I’d like the hood to come down more. But I see yours isn’t lining up the way it was before either. It could be because I didn’t have a 3/8ths drill bit. I don’t like that when I go to close the hood now I have to manually move the latch out of the way on both sides. I only had a step bit. Can’t wait to do more. My next mod is a 2.5” lift. I’m hoping I don’t have to do any suspension mods till later down the road. I was hoping to post a pic but I don’t see where to do that.
Awesome job. Wonder what else can be used from the JL.
Stay tuned!
Great install, just using a metal file for lower bracket makes a much snugger fit. Also, if you Jeep does not have a hood seal, install one before doing this.
Just did this to mine. Drilled everything 3/8 fit with no issues. This video helped thanks.
I would mess with the idea of flipping them upside down.
I don’t think that will work. The recess in the hood is too thin for the hinge mount side.
I just did this mod last night, didn’t see your video before hand, but wanted to see how you may have done it different. Only thing I’ve noticed between the stock latch and the JL is there is little more gap between the hood and fender. It’s not much, but you can tell
I saw a tip the other day on getting rid of hood flutter. All you have to do is remove your hood spring. It rakes about 15 seconds. The stretched out hood latches and the spring are what cause the hood flutter. I removed my spring several days ago and that stopped hood flutter on my JK.
Just finished the install, this vid inspired me. Thanks for the tips. BTW nail polish works to cover up the drilling. Your not ever going to see it anyway
The hood is aluminum @6:40
If you have big hands it is a big pain in the butt!!!!! Take the grill out, definitely or pull the inner liner and that is still difficult to reach.
Lol he’s talking about aerodynamics in a Jeep😂😂
Haha it’s a brick, but it’s even when the bring has a hood flapping around 😂
JK Gear and Gadgets ya I had to ditch my stock latches for some Rugged Ridge ones. 1000 times better than stock
Can you swap out the JK rear-end tailgate hinge with the JL hinges? Mine is rusting and the JL Hinges are stronger looking and seem better.
This is one of the best DIY modification videos I've seen. Great attention to detail, great explanations and easy step by step process.
So 2 years later, how do feel about this install?
Thanks I did one side and it didn’t sit well then watched the video and realized the drilling is necessary. You’re awesome man love your videos. Learning a lot and getting great ideas for my JK!!!