Hood-Rack

READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING

Tools Required

• Razor
• Knife
• Basic Hand Tools
• 2 (two) Magazines about ¼” thick
• Duct tape

Step 1: Assemble Component Parts

Place the supplied gasket material on the bottom of the 2 (two) Hinge Brackets (2 parts bent into an “L” shape), simply peel off the backing paper and stick it on the bottom. Trim out the holes and around the edges to fit. This material protects the paint on your vehicle.

NOTE: The following assembly IS NOT required if you are mounting a Hi-Lift ® style jack on the Hood Rack.

Assemble 4 (four) 3/8” Diameter X 3” bolts, 4 (four) 3/8” nuts and 4 (four) 3/8” washers to the Clamp Base Plate as shown in the following photograph. Tighten nuts as shown on right side.

NOTE: The following is required if you are carrying a Hi-Lift ® style jack.

Assemble 2 (two) 3/8” Diameter X 3” bolts, 4 (four) 3/8” nuts and 4 (four) 3/8” washers as shown in the following photograph. DO NOT tighten nuts at this time. Place bolts in OUTER 2 (two) ½” Diameter holes for 1996 and older Jeeps ® and in the INNER 2 (two) holes for 1997 and newer.

Step 2:

Open hood and place duct tape over the hinge thread bracket (on both sides) so bracket will not fall when bolts are removed.

Step 3:

Place a magazine on your fender under the rearmost part of your hood. Repeat on both sides of hood. Close the hood on the magazines. This supports the hood when you remove the hood hinge bolts.

Step 4:

Remove (3) hood hinge bolts. You may need a Torx ® style tool to remove. Only do ONE side of the hood at a time!!

Step 5:

Place Hinge Bracket (assembled with gasket in Step 1) over hood hinge and bolt in place with supplied 5/16” or 8 mm diameter bolts and washers. Compare the factory bolts you removed with the supplied bolts to determine the proper size.

NOTE: THE 5/16” AND 8 mm DIAMETER BOLTS ARE VERY SIMILAR AND EASILY MIXED UP, CHECK EVERY BOLT (6 each) AND COMPARE THE THREADS WITH THE BOLTS YOU REMOVED FROM YOUR HOOD HINGES. IF YOU USE THE WRONG BOLT, IT WILL STRIP THE THREADS.

Start all three bolts by hand and then tighten securely.

Repeat the last step on the other hinge.

Step 6:

Use 4 (four) 5/16” diameter X ¾” Allen head bolts and 4 (four) 5/16” nyloc nuts to assemble the long Angle Bar to the Hinge Brackets.

NOTE: Use this mounting method (Angle Bar forward) for carrying objects LESS THAN 20 POUNDS total weight. (Shovel, Axe, Pick handle, etc.) If you are going to carry a Hi-Lift ® style jack, skip down to the later instructions.

Install the 2 (two) Clamp Base Plates (assembled in Step 1) on the top of the Angle Bar with 4 (four) ¼” allen head bolts and 4 (four) ¼” nyloc nuts as shown in the following photograph. Note there are several positions these Plates can be mounted to accommodate different tools.

Place a Handle Clamp over the 3/8” bolts and another on top of any round or oval item you want to secure, place a 3/8” washer on each bolt and use the 3/8” Wing nuts to secure the item.

As you can see in the above photo, more than 1 item can be stacked (in this case an axe and shovel) on the Hood Rack.

Use this method (Angle Bar rearward) for HI-LIFT ® style jacks and any other object/s over 20 POUNDS.

Assemble the Angle Bar as depicted in the following photo; tighten the 5/16” allen head bolts securely. Tighten the 3/8” nut (finger tight only) on the UNDERSIDE of the Angle Bar so that it supports the Bar by pressing downward on the head of the hood bolt. Then tighten the upper 3/8” nut. This eliminates any bounce or deflection caused by the heavy weight of the Hi-Lift ® style jack. Repeat for the other side.

Place a 3/8” washer over each of the 2 (two) protruding 3/8” bolts, place the jack on the Hood Rack, aligning the two protruding bolts with holes in the jack I-beam. Place another 3/8” washer on top of the jack and secure with the 3/8” Wing nuts.

Be sure and secure the handle of the jack with a nylon tie or other method before driving!

Check the two wing nuts occasionally for tightness during use.

Thank you for purchasing our product, we also manufacture many other body protection and accessory items for your vehicle, our complete product line can be viewed at www.toughstuffproducts.com.