Rocklobster27

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resharp001

Hood looks like it turned out really well. So you actually had to cut the louvers for venting functionality? Didn't come functional already?

Rocklobster27

No all 10th anniversary hoods and the copy's like this stingray hood from smittybilt have the vents closed off for some reason? Even though they advertise it as a heat reduction hood. It's super simple to do though I just used a dremil tool maybe 5 minutes.

Rednroll

It looks good in the picture. How's it look in person and would you go back? Do you feel it was worth the $280?

And does Maaco have a PDR person? I want to get rid of my dimple on my driver side. I've been doing a lot of reading and watching videos on doing it myself, and am starting to think, the cowl doesn't seem like my best 1st project.

resharp001

I've always contemplated how successful I'd be at doing my own on various cars as well. Have watched a lot of videos and the equipment seems like it would pay for itself pretty quickly, but I still tend to think it's not as easy as it looks. I think the guys that do it as a profession might make it look easy cuz they are so experienced at it. I think that if it were a simple ding on a flat surface a random person might have a 40% chance of popping it out and it looking unnoticeable, but anything on a curved surface....ugh. Those guys sure can work some magic though. I had a ladder fall on a BMW 540i years ago and put a dent right were the front quarter panel rounded over at a pretty sharp angle. It killed me cuz it was on the driver's side and I saw it every time I got in. Ended up paying an arm and a leg to fix that one ding but PDR guys made it look perfect somehow. They had to have massaged it with unicorn tears or something from the underside which was not easily accessible.

That darn cowl.....lol. Slapped a flag over my dimples. My dimples came with some creases in my front doors thanks to Bushwacker flats at the time. Added insult to injury.

Rednroll

LOL, Yeah!!! I watched a ton of PDR videos on Youtube. I purchased 2 types of glue pullers with multiple tabs, a tap down kit and a line board. I watched some cowl repair videos and am now considering I need to add a push rod to the set of tools for that cowl dent.

The 1st time I tried to repair the cowl dent, someone mentioned being successful using the end of a broom handle to push the dent back. I said, "seems simple enough". I gave that a shot, the broom handle slipped off the crest of the dent as I was pushing upward, and I made a small outward dent about an inch away from the dimple. Tried again, and made another nearby outward dent. Then I surrendered at that point. I'm going to start by trying the tap downs, to see if I can knock down those mistakes.

I can tell you that after watching all the PDR JK cowl repair videos on YouTube, those PDR guys are trying to be very vague and not show the tools they're using to repair that dimple. Likely making a killing off of that repair. They're all about advertising their services on Youtube. A lot of them are just videos showing before/after results, like they're taunting us.

I even found this video, where this PDR guy is renting a training video to show on how to do the repair.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2015jeepwranglercowl

Actually, the "preview" of that rental video was one of the more helpful ones because it showed him using a glue puller in addition to a push rod. It was the only video I saw someone using a glue puller on that dent.

I recently tried using the heat gun/duster method and that didn't do anything for me.

I'm reaching the point where I'm starting to feel this is something that I have to do, and not let that damn dent beat me down. Taking it to a PDR guy would make me feel like I'm surrendering. It's like, come on!!! You mean I can handle installing a lift kit, bumpers, winch, headlights and all these other things by myself, but I can't handle knocking out this little cowl dent!?

With how common that dent is, and my determination, I'm thinking something could be designed specifically for removing that dent and it would sell like hotcakes.

Rocklobster27

I would definitely go back the paint looks great and you can't tell a difference with color but that is mostly going to be based on how old your jeep is and how much fading it has on it. As for a pdr guy I have no idea I never asked but I'm sure they do they work with insurance company's all the time on accidents and what not.

SprkEng56

I've added to my long build list or at my age bucket list, in replacing my hood and yes it does have a ding about 1/2" on one side of the hood on the cowl, I don't know how it got there. To me it stands out like a sore thumb.

I just started doing some research on Jeep JK hoods and as with any Jeep part there are a lot of flavors to choose from. They come in steel, aluminum, carbon-fiber, fiberglass, etc. I'm really liking not only the air functionality, but also the various looks of the available styles.

I know I can take my hood to body/paint shop and get the ding off my cowl and possibly have them install a few vents on the hood.

However, looking at the after market hoods, they can sure make your jeep stand out for around $1,000.00

My question is has anyone bought, researched and installed an after market hood on their Jeep?

I tried the search engine here on the Forum, but it didn't answer this question and its how I found this thread.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

karls10jk

I'd suggest going with the original hoods instead of the Chinese knock-off if you can help it. I had an accident at one point in time that required replacing the hood. They used an aftermarket factory replacement hood and you could tell the difference. It never fit right, didn't look right, and just downright irritated me. I drove to a junkyard and bought their hood as the factory hood fit much better.

I'm in a semi-similar spot as you are. I'm considering AEV hoods and the Mopar 10A hood to breathe some new life into the old jeep. Dinky Dau just bought a radical hood and he saw firsthand the difference between the knockoff and the original. Maybe search his name and experience.

resharp001

yup, Mopar, AEV, TOTL are the real hoods, and then various knockoffs by Smittybilt, DV8, and others. Seems like you've budgeted for a real hood knowing it's gonna be a little pricey upfront on top of the painting.