Well I finally got enough "balls" to cut 2 big holes in my hood. :cheers:

I decided to take the hood off and do it off the vehical. After some debate, I decided it would be better to draw the lines on the bottom side so I knew exactly where I was cutting in relation to the supports.

I decided to go with Chrysler LeBaron Turbo vents. These are very common on the XJ's, and I liked the looks of them more than any other's that I had seen. I used the same paint (semi-flat black) that I used on my rock rails, and rear quarter guards.

I stripped the hood of the material on the inside, and removed my engine light.



I than placed some tape in the area I was going to be working in. I did not want to scratch the hood (yes it's the inside but still...). This would also allow me to draw my lines where I needed to cut.



I than placed the vents where I thought they looked and fit best.



I than placed the vent on the hood, and traced it with a pen.



Now, you'll NOT want to cut on these lines, as if I did I would of cut to big of a hole. I measered aprox 3/8" inside of this line and drew another line.

I also decided that since I was going to be cutting from the backside, I probally should place some tape on the other side to help prevent chipping.



It's no turning back now.

I started out with a dremel tool, but it was just not going fast enough. So I turned to the jigsaw.





One side done, one side to go...



And the other side done.



I had to make up some brackets. I ended up using 1/2 x 3/4 angle, and aprox 1.5" long. I than drilled a hole in the center of the 3/4 side for the bolt. I used stainless hardware, to prevent rusting in the future.

One side installed.



Both installed, a view from the top.



And than re-installed the hood.







Overall I'm pritty happy with the results. This should work good with my new cooling system I'll be putting in. I did ditch the hood spacer's for the moment. They will probally go back in once I start trying to fit the supercharger in for clearance.