Hood Troubles (1997 TJ Wrangler)

P. Waldo

New Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2021
Messages
19
Location
Knoxville
So, to make a long story short, I've got an issue with my '97 TJ. Its more or less a project vehicle that I'm turning into my daily driver... You can find some old posts from me about oil pressure and the like. Well, we've moved past that, and currently have issues with our old hood. TL;DR, previous owner busted it up with a bad crease across where it meets the frame if you were to rest the hood in the 'up' position. This bent the latches out of position, meaning they don't properly lock... We've nearly shredded one latch, and the other is bending awkwardly to even lock in.

Fenders are fine, there's some kind of aftermarket setup installed and they aren't damaged, but the hood latches don't match up with the bottom half on the fenders. Solution? New hood. Problem! My jeep is an early series TJ. The early series (First year run) use a different hood latch than every other TJ. Instead of being a center latch, there is a mechanism in the grille that 'hooks' into the hood, in a slot off-set to the passenger side. This means that, to replace the hood, I need to find a hood made for a '97 TJ Wrangler... ANY hood on a TJ from '98 onwards uses the other mechanism, and is incompatible.

We've tried a few pick-a-part places, local dealers, local salvage, and the like. No dice. Hoods, it seems, are pretty uncommon to find second-hand in really good shape, especially from salvage. I've tried looking at OEM and aftermarket online stores, but every single "'97-2006" TJ hood is either a one-nozzle hood, or a two-nozzle hood for the '98 and onwards TJs.

I'd kill for some advice on how to find a compatible hood without having to jankily dremel out a notch for the latch. I'm not above swapping out my entire grille for a '98 or newer model, but it's a last resort, given that I would then need to find an intact and complete -grille-, on top of the hood.
 
Here are some images outlining exactly what I'm talking about. So far as I'm aware, this sort of hood is ONLY on a 1997 TJ Wrangler.

PXL_20220903_020130319.jpg


PXL_20220903_020122777.jpg
 
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You could try calling daveysjeeps.com I'd be shocked if they don't know the difference for the 97 hood and surprised if they don't have one, or more, in stock but not shown on their web site.

I don't know what it costs to ship a hood but maybe it's cheaper than buying a newer grill. Even if it's a similar cost replacing just the hood is much easier and quicker.

Good Luck
 
$300 will get you a new 1997 hood from multiple places.

Can I get a source on those 'multiple places'? I've been looking, but they are almost all exclusively '98 or newer hoods, sometimes without a latch included at all.
Check out this thread: Grill Variations

Since the OP has a 1997, it would be good to check out this thread: Quirks of the 97 Model

If you can't obtain the appropriate latch or hood, could you then change the hood and front grill with latch to the newer style?

This is the plan if we can't source a hood, grab a '98 or newer grille and just do a full conversion. It isn't really the route I wanted to go, but I can live with *that* more than butchering my hood or grille with a saw and dremel. This thread also told me what we already knew, but I appreciate the help all the same!
You could try calling daveysjeeps.com I'd be shocked if they don't know the difference for the 97 hood and surprised if they don't have one, or more, in stock but not shown on their web site.

I don't know what it costs to ship a hood but maybe it's cheaper than buying a newer grill. Even if it's a similar cost replacing just the hood is much easier and quicker.

Good Luck

Checking them out now. Doesn't seem that they have hoods in stock for the TJ, but I had no idea this website existed. Making a run up to Ohio for some parts is rough, but I'm sure they'd be willing to work out shipping, or we could always save up and do a big bulk order.

Have you compared it to a YJ latch?

Did some brief comparisons. The YJ and TJ are incompatible as far as hoods go... Even if the latch matches, the problem is the hood being bent out of position. I can *get* a brand new pair of latches for less than $40, but they'd have the same problem my current latches have.