At a recent aftermarket products event we ran into Rob Camp and Jeff Garrett of Quik-Latch Products of Mesquite, TX. They had a great 1969 BOSS Mustang show car that had restomod custom touches about. But upon closed inspection something caught our eye, these high-tech flush mounted billet hood latches.
They weren’t your father’s hood pins who’s cables mar your paint. They don’t rust and get nasty looking and have no pins to get lost or stolen. No, these were a highly machined precision set up that uses ball-bearing locks, push button actuation and look terminally top deck. Chatting with Rob and Jeff, it turns out that Quik-Latch actually makes three different variations of their new hood-latch sets, each with a different look and character.
Keep in mind these are not cheap. They are expensive in fact. But if you are building a top-end custom Mustang you want to use top-end parts. These can be used in three different finishes from brushed aluminum, polished aluminum, anodized and even painted if you want.
The first style is their Low Profile set. A low profile look, and with just a push of the button, the hood is unlatched. The patent pending design features one finger activation. The button stays in down position until re-latched and then button pops back up. Suggest retail price $299.99 per set.
For a more OEM retro look, they have their Twist-Lock style is designed to have the look of original 1969-1970 hood pins popular back in the day. Also low profile, these use the same patent pending smooth push button action. These are a bit more starting at $399.99 per set.
The third and most interesting style is their “GT” style set. Designed to compliment the look of the 2005-2011 Mustang rear deck emblem, they are an obvious fit for the newer Mustangs. These sweet ones also retail for about $399.99 per set.
Installation can be done at home and instructions are provided. Obviously with hood pins they are a commitment as a modification since you are cutting holes in your hood. But common sense says that if you are going to make the plunge, you might as well make it worth it. And having held these babies in our hands and checked them out it can be said that these are likely one of the best hood latch options on the market today. More information at www.q-latch.com
