Going to be doing a hood swap on Saturday before I trade my '09 JK in.. Does anyone have any tricks/tips they can bestow upon me? The 2 bolts on each side of the back of the hood hinges are in a very tight place.. Should I remove the wipers and cowl venting to get to them? Is there an easier way? How the hell do I take off the wipers?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance : )

 

It sounds like you intend to remove the hood AND the hinges - this shouldn't be necessary. Leave the stock hinges, just unscrew the top facing bolts and the hood will be free. These bolts are held darn tight, mine needed extra leverage to break free.

The wipers snap into place, you'll see when play with them. Unclip and push them 1" down the shaft towards the hood.

 

Thanks Westchester.. You're talking about the painted torx bolts on the top of the hood right? Does it mess up the paint much? When you say leverage, how did you get it done? Would a torx bit on a breaker bar do the trick?

 

You're talking about the painted torx bolts on the top of the hood right? -- Yes

Does it mess up the paint much? -- No mess, you could run a knife around the bolt head to ensure no additional paint comes off.

Would a torx bit on a breaker bar do the trick? -- Should do, Ive heard others got them loose this way.

how did you get it done? -- Mine wouldnt budge. I put so much leverage with a metal pipe extended on a wrench that I stripped the bolt, and had to drill the bolt head off, remove the hood, and use vice grips to unscrew the remaining bolt.

 

i've never taken my hood completely off, but i have removed the torx bolts to install a hood mount for my hi lift jack. i just used a torx bit on my 1/2" rachet and they came right off with just a little bit of force required. when the bolts came loose, the paint wasn't messed up at all.

 

I didn't have any trouble removing the bolts and dislodging the hinges when I removed mine to put on my hood louver. Paint chipping was very minimal.

Remember to disconnect your hood ground wire and washer fluid hose before you remove the bolts. Learned that one the hard way.

 

Thank you all.. I loosened them today so I can do it quickily tomorrow morn.. They broke loose fairly easy.. Should be good to go!!

 

I've pulled my hood so many times (love living where it hails, LOL) that I've lost count. When you do it, a magazine between the hood and the fender on each side can help prevent damage to the finish. Or just be careful.

 

Everything went nice and smooth.. Thanks for the help!!