I had one of those hood locks previously for my JK that latches itself to the hood hook. Unfortunately the salt and elements that are the Michigan winter ate the lock to the point I had to saw it off. I think this idea will work a little better.

Parts list:
- Master Lock Magnum (weatherized), about $16
- 1/8" stainless steel clamp set, $5
- 2.5 feet of 1/8" coated wire rope, $2
- zip tie, 10 cents
- (optional) grease

Project time required: About 30 minutes

The following photos and steps can also be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/webcomp...7618195513271/



Here's the parts:



Pass the wire rope through the holes in the hood as shown:



Use one of the clamps to form a loop:



Add a zip tie to the bottom of the loop. This helps you pull the cable through the opening the hood latch also passes through:



Once the wire rope passes through the hole, I latch the hood and then pull down on the zip tie so I can pass the Master Lock through the loop:



This is how it looks in the end:


One optional thing I would recommend... LOTS of grease in and around the lock openings. I really recommend this if you live in a state that uses road salt like they do here in Michigan.

 

Great idea. I caught someone fiddling with the hood latches about a week ago, and started seriously considering a hood lock. The prices aren't that high for what they do, but I have all of these things lying around. I guess I know what I will be doing this week. Only problem is that my weatherproof lock is blue.

By the way, is there lots of rattling between the lock and the radiator?

 

I ended up with the Mopar hood lock that codes itself to your key with a 180 degree turn. Whats nice is that it has a rubber cover to prevent salt and moisture from getting in. I've only had it on a month but it really seems to be the best option since you also do not need to carry an additional key.
I am a locksmith and locks do have moving parts so I lubricate any exterior locks on a monthly basis. As long as it is maintained and greased regularly there should be no issues.

 

So far no rattle is detectable. One thing I failed to mention is I bought a 2 foot length of the wire rope, and it was BARELY enough... I mean barely! So when I pull the cable down and through that hole, I have just enough wiggle room to fit that lock on there.

I have not tried to unlock this thing when the engine is hot, it's a concern of mine. Hopefully I don't need to ever unlock it when it's super hot.

2.5 feet of rope will give you enough slack to adjust the wire clamp to your liking.

 

Cool! Good idea, and nice write up and pics! Will go on my list of things to do.

 

Very creative

That said, I live in Cali (unfortunately) and do not have to deal with the road salts so I bought one of those hood latch locks off of ebay.

It will keep an honest person honest, but like anything, if someone really wants to get in they will.

 

I've had that lock, threw it out. You can still open the hood. Just try to open it without unlocking and you'll see...

 

I bought the cheap little rugged ridge hood lock off quadratec and its a piece of garbage you can still open the hood with it closed just like the mopar one. It does fool people though because when I had the jeep in the shop they workers had to come and ask for the key so I guess its worth something haha.