We've had a rough summer in CO. Not once, not twice, but three times this summer my wifes Jeep hood has been beat to a pulp with hail. We're not getting it fixed as of now, but it looks like it's been through a war currently. My 1997 F350 sits next to the jeep and the last storm beat out all my roof clearance lights and I can see maybe 3 or 4 dents in the hood, but my gosh that jeep. Also a friends Dodge Dakota is currently beat to a pulp. Maybe this is the reason the hood flops around during wind on the highway? My wife's sick about the jeep, but what can you do? Apparently wafer thin metal used? Not happy with that. Why would we bother to fix every 3 months?

 

Ha... I decided to take mine through a car wash this weekend. Not something I usually do...

When I pulled to the air-driers and saw how the hood nearly turned inside out from the pressure, I popped it into gear, and free-tailed it out of there...

 

The reason the hood flops around on the freeway is the hood latches. You need to get the new 2009 recall latches, or some from other aftermarket ones and that will solve that problem.
As to the sheet metal thickness, I have to agree that it is poor quality. I have a small area on my hood where someone leaned into it with what appears their palm, and it has a slight depression which I cannot get to pop out. Wish I had some better news.....

 

The JK's not a flyweight to begin with. I accept the soda can quality of the sheet metal and wouldn't want significantly more rigid body panels due to the weight penalty involved.

 

If you want something stronger the AEV hood is twice the thickness, and also the stamping makes it stiffer and more resistant to flexing.

 

I left the jeep out under an oak tree last fall for one night. The result is a hood full of dents. I am really curious about the AEV robustness because before having my hood fixed I may put a new one.

 

I know that feeling ...



That's a quarter in the inset picture ...

 

Man. Glad we don't have hail like that here. How do you like that cover? I've been thinking about getting something like that. Is it quick to stuff in a sack and through in the back or does it take time to put up and take down?

I can second that the AEV is heavier. The bends are the key though. That's what all other previous Wranglers had and it makes a big difference. Most vehicles have bends in the large sheet metal areas for that reason.

 

Last Friday afternoon on I-70 at the CO/KS border. Over $4K in damage.

 

I was in the same boat......this was at my house about a month after I bought it.



The hood looked like it went through a war zone. I hit the dents from the underside with a heat gun, and then dumped a small bucket of ice over the area I just heated. It popped 99% of them out. There are still a few, but you have to really look for them.