rr41mag - I'm not sure that the one piece tilt front end would be my first choice, but it's what was on my CJ when I got it, so I'm working with it.
Mine originally tilted forward, but I'm also trying to plan for a winch so I wanted to re-do it so it hinged off the tub. I added reinforcing so it would be sturdy enough to hinge on the back and not flop around so much. I started getting some cracks in my reinforcing strut, just from moving it around, so I added a steel strap to try to hold it a bit more rigid. Then I added regular hood latches at the front to hold it down. It seems to me I've seen one piece front ends with this reinforcing already built in. The whole unit doesn't weigh more than about 50 lbs and that's with a steel grill. I can pick the whole thing up myself. It's just a bit awkward because of the size. I haven't worked out all the issues with it though. It's easy enough to lift up to a point, but I can't reach far enough to fold it back against the windshield without help. I'm going to try to install some gas struts to help push it up and hold it open.
The pros are when it's open, you have great access to the engine. I have removable pins on the hinges, so I will be able to take the whole unit off and set it to the side.
The down side is that you lose a lot of spots on the wheel wells to mount stuff, you need to come up with some way to disconnect the wiring harness to pull the unit all the way off and it's just not as rigid as a steel front end.
Like I said, it wouldn't be my first choice.
Good Luck - Bill
