OK, didn't do to the KJ, but it's going to happen.
My son's XJ's hood latch broke on the passenger side last week. After I found out he continued to drive it like it's cool (because why wouldn't he... He's 25 and going to live forever) and administered a fatherly ass-chewing, had him order some Aerocatch locking hood pins. These require a moderate level of surgery on the hood to install (remove the factory striker loop, use that hole for the pins, more or less even them up side to side (2.5" from fender, 1.75" from front of core support) and transfer the mark to the hood. Drill, and then spend hours with a Dremel tool and various cutting discs peeling back all of the layers of the hood to top-mount the pins). It took him about 6 hours (he's never done this kind of stuff before so I got him started, and once he got 80% of the way through the passenger side I left him to do the rest as I had to go work on at least caulking up the new facia boards after replacement of the roof Friday).
He did a jam-up job, the only issue we have is once the latches are unlocked and opened, there's nothing to push the hood up to enable you to lift it... Looking for a spring I can mount in place of the factory latch along rhe CL of the hood.... Gas strut kit is also a possible.
Have a similar issue on the wife's ZJ... the factory release cable broke (cabin end) and has already ripped my fingers open a few times trying to get the hood open. We will be deleting that, and installing the Aerocatch locking pins on her vehicle as well..
In fact, I like them so much I will be installing on the KJ as well, and on my 89 S10 project vehicle, which presently has oldschool clevis pins rusting away...
