Rampage lockable hood catches
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945 Posts
Don't have any experience with them, but if you only want them so you can lock the hood, have you thought about the Bolt hood lock? Only about $50 and you use your regular jeep key to unlock it...
https://www.boltlock.com/product-specifications/jk-hood-lock/
https://www.boltlock.com/product-specifications/jk-hood-lock/
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295 Posts
I've had the Rampage locks on for close to two years now. They've held up very well and I'd buy them again if I had it to do all over. I've yet to run into any I like better.
Last summer one did loosen up. I discovered an E Ring on the inner shaft had disappeared. A quick replacement and the problem was solved.
Last summer one did loosen up. I discovered an E Ring on the inner shaft had disappeared. A quick replacement and the problem was solved.
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502 Posts
I have had mine for a few years as well. No issues to report.
Gets rid of hood flutter on the highway. Install wasn't too bad. Just have to be able to reach in to a tight spot if I remember right.
Gets rid of hood flutter on the highway. Install wasn't too bad. Just have to be able to reach in to a tight spot if I remember right.
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336 Posts
I've had mine for about a year, and I love em. I don't like the one that uses the factory key, and I like the look of the rampage ones too. Built solid, locks firm, I think they're great.
There was someone who said that their lock quit working after a while, so theirs was stuck unlocked, but, I still think it's worth it to have locking latches, that look good
There was someone who said that their lock quit working after a while, so theirs was stuck unlocked, but, I still think it's worth it to have locking latches, that look good
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83 Posts
I needed a n alternate fix because my AEV bumper has left 0.05 nm (or thereabouts) clearance between the winch and the base of the grille.
So I went the way of the Drake Off Road Hood Hold Downs (Lockable). Not a bad install and I am liking the look of them big time:
So I went the way of the Drake Off Road Hood Hold Downs (Lockable). Not a bad install and I am liking the look of them big time:
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1,181 Posts
Yes to all. Have had mine on since day one, so going on 2 years now.
Install is easy-ish. As has been said already, small hands are a major plus. I paired the install with swapping my headlights since they have to come out to get the best access anyway. One side is a lot tighter than the other for some reason, although after 2 years I can't remember which that was.
Be sure to do a test latch before you tighten everything down to make sure you've got everything lined up properly.
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7,805 Posts
I installed a set on my wife's '13 JK the day we brought it home. They worked well for the first two years. Then one day one of the latches got stuck in the unlocked position. It still latches, it just doesn't lock.
I emailed Rampage customer service numerous times but they never replied. I have concluded that the company couldn't care less about their customers after they have your money. If you get a set you'd better hope you never have a problem with them later on.
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76 Posts
Rampage Locking Hood Latches
@EdwardB
I opted for locking hood latches in lieu of the center mounted hood lock because of my already installed grill screen, and aesthetic reasons. I did some research first and decided to go with the Rampage latches, despite the known issues users have reported (Latches too tight, Inadequate rubber stops, Locking issues, etc.). The install is fairly easy, although some slight modifications are required to achieve proper fit and function.
"Hood latches too tight"
Almost everyone reports the hood latches to be too tight out of the box. This causes multiple issues such as difficult latch operation, binding of the locks, and inadequate hood to fender gaps causing the hood to come in contact with fenders, thereby chipping the paint and ultimately inducing corrosion.
Upon installation, I found the "too tight" issue to be caused by the lack of adjustment in the supplied hood catch that bolts to the hood. The catch itself actually has enough adjustment designed into it, rather, it is the existing holes in the Jeep hood from the OEM latches that do not allow for proper adjustment. The argument has been made that Rampage should have accounted for this, but that is not the point of this post, and customization is inherent in most Jeep modifications in my experience.
The OEM hood catch is secured by two Keps nuts. Upon removal, you will find one drilled hole (lower), and one slotted hole (upper), of which is odd because the two studs in the catch are fixed, therefore making the slotted hole pointless. While test fitting the first Rampage latch and catch, I discovered that full adjustment could be had by extending the slotted hole down by a little less than the size of the supplied bolt. This was easily accomplished with a Dremel and some OEM touch up paint.
Note: Extending the slot will not interfere with reinstalling an OEM catch if desired due to the lower drilled hole being fixed. However, the extension of the slotted hole might require a slight modification to the supplied Rampage washers due to the proximity of the two mounting bolts depending on how far down the catch is adjusted.
Once the slotted hole has been extended, the Rampage catch can be set to its lowest position, allowing for proper hood to fender gap adjustment, as well as the desired latch firmness.
"Inadequate rubber stops"
The supplied combination rubber gasket/stop is a bit thin when compared to the OEM stop, especially when factoring in how tight the latches pull the hood down to the fender right out of the box. They should work just fine if the modification described above to the slotted hole (allowing for proper latch/catch adjustment) has been completed. Several people have posted their fixes for this gasket/stop issue with varying results.
I chose to omit the supplied rubber gasket/stop and instead reuse the stops from the OEM latches (after some significant but fairly easy modifications to them) along with custom gaskets I made to go in between the latches and fenders. Some trimming to the OEM stops was required to match the rubber gasket material thickness, and then some reshaping (sanding) of the stop to match contour of the fender since the stop sits more inboard then with the OEM latches. After modification, the stop is sandwiched in between the latch and the fender holding it in place, serving as part of the latch to fender gasket, and alleviating the need to glue it to the fender, or using double sided tape.
"Locks binding"
I read where if the latches were left too tight, the locks could bind, but I have experienced no binding at any point regardless of how tight or loose the latches were.
1st Picture: Slotted hole before and after.
2nd Picture: OEM latch and rubber stop.
3rd Picture: OEM rubber stop modified.
4th Picture: Custom gasket; Stop and gasket fitted together.
5th Picture: Modified stop and custom gasket installed under Rampage latch.
@EdwardB
I opted for locking hood latches in lieu of the center mounted hood lock because of my already installed grill screen, and aesthetic reasons. I did some research first and decided to go with the Rampage latches, despite the known issues users have reported (Latches too tight, Inadequate rubber stops, Locking issues, etc.). The install is fairly easy, although some slight modifications are required to achieve proper fit and function.
"Hood latches too tight"
Almost everyone reports the hood latches to be too tight out of the box. This causes multiple issues such as difficult latch operation, binding of the locks, and inadequate hood to fender gaps causing the hood to come in contact with fenders, thereby chipping the paint and ultimately inducing corrosion.
Upon installation, I found the "too tight" issue to be caused by the lack of adjustment in the supplied hood catch that bolts to the hood. The catch itself actually has enough adjustment designed into it, rather, it is the existing holes in the Jeep hood from the OEM latches that do not allow for proper adjustment. The argument has been made that Rampage should have accounted for this, but that is not the point of this post, and customization is inherent in most Jeep modifications in my experience.
The OEM hood catch is secured by two Keps nuts. Upon removal, you will find one drilled hole (lower), and one slotted hole (upper), of which is odd because the two studs in the catch are fixed, therefore making the slotted hole pointless. While test fitting the first Rampage latch and catch, I discovered that full adjustment could be had by extending the slotted hole down by a little less than the size of the supplied bolt. This was easily accomplished with a Dremel and some OEM touch up paint.
Note: Extending the slot will not interfere with reinstalling an OEM catch if desired due to the lower drilled hole being fixed. However, the extension of the slotted hole might require a slight modification to the supplied Rampage washers due to the proximity of the two mounting bolts depending on how far down the catch is adjusted.
Once the slotted hole has been extended, the Rampage catch can be set to its lowest position, allowing for proper hood to fender gap adjustment, as well as the desired latch firmness.
"Inadequate rubber stops"
The supplied combination rubber gasket/stop is a bit thin when compared to the OEM stop, especially when factoring in how tight the latches pull the hood down to the fender right out of the box. They should work just fine if the modification described above to the slotted hole (allowing for proper latch/catch adjustment) has been completed. Several people have posted their fixes for this gasket/stop issue with varying results.
I chose to omit the supplied rubber gasket/stop and instead reuse the stops from the OEM latches (after some significant but fairly easy modifications to them) along with custom gaskets I made to go in between the latches and fenders. Some trimming to the OEM stops was required to match the rubber gasket material thickness, and then some reshaping (sanding) of the stop to match contour of the fender since the stop sits more inboard then with the OEM latches. After modification, the stop is sandwiched in between the latch and the fender holding it in place, serving as part of the latch to fender gasket, and alleviating the need to glue it to the fender, or using double sided tape.
"Locks binding"
I read where if the latches were left too tight, the locks could bind, but I have experienced no binding at any point regardless of how tight or loose the latches were.
1st Picture: Slotted hole before and after.
2nd Picture: OEM latch and rubber stop.
3rd Picture: OEM rubber stop modified.
4th Picture: Custom gasket; Stop and gasket fitted together.
5th Picture: Modified stop and custom gasket installed under Rampage latch.
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