Hood Pins and Dzus Fasteners: Keeping Fiberglass Hoods and Body Panels Secure

Published on October 20, 2026

Hoods and body panels have to do two jobs: stay put at speed and come off quickly when you need to get at the engine. Factory latches and rusty hardware do neither well on a trail rig, a desert truck or a fiberglass-bodied build. Here’s how we think about hood pins and Dzus fasteners, and which Autofab parts to look at.

Hood pins: the basics

Our core hood pin assembly is urethane with a stainless center pin, a retaining lynchpin and a plastic grommet. It is mainly used for mounting fiberglass hoods and bed panels. Note that pricing is per assembly, so a hood normally needs more than one.

Autofab Hood Pin Kit

$17.50

Urethane hood pin kit with a 1/2″ stainless steel center pin, 3.25″ long, a 1/4″ lynchpin and a plastic grommet. Available in red, blue, black, white, yellow and orange. Price is for one assembly, not a pair.

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Autofab Hood Pin Kit with Leash

$20.00

Urethane hood pin assembly with a leash for the retaining clip, so the clip stays with the truck. Fastens under one mounting screw. Six colors; specify color in the order notes. Price is for one assembly.

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Styles: locking and Euro

If you want something that looks different or secures the hood, we also offer two other styles.

Locking Hood Pin Kit 2.5 Inch Diameter

$42.00

2.5″ diameter locking style, sold in pairs. Each assembly has a black plate, a rubber gasket, a chrome steel finish plate, hardware and extra keys. A 3/4″ mounting hole is needed.

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Sliding Clip Euro Style Hood Pins

$40.00

A European-style hood pin assembly with a sliding retaining clip. Sold as a set of 2.

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Mounting: where the pins go

Pins are only as good as what they bolt to. For Broncos we make brackets that locate the pins for you.

Early Ford Bronco Hood Pin Mounts

$135.00

Bolts to the radiator support and fender and works for metal or fiberglass hoods. Fits 1966 to 77 Broncos. A kit of 2 brackets and 2 Autofab hood pin assemblies, with your choice of colors.

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Later trucks have their own kits too, such as the Ford Bronco / F150 Hood Pin Mounts 1992-96 ($110.00): 2 brackets that spot weld to the radiator support, plus 2 Autofab hood pin assemblies.

Dzus fasteners for panels

For larger panels, especially fiberglass, quarter-turn Dzus fasteners are a classic fabricator’s choice. We stock buttons, springs, plates, assemblies and the tools to install them.

Large Captive Dzus assembly

$8.80

Primarily used for mounting larger panels, especially fiberglass. It comes with a shorter spring intended for fiberglass; tell us if you are using it on sheet metal so we can change the spring. Long (3 inch) and short plates are the same price; specify in the selection box.

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For flush-mount buttons in sheet metal, our Dzus Dimple Die ($25.00) flares the metal, and the Dzus Tool ($13.00) gets into tight areas.

Hood pin and Dzus checklist

Decide on metal or fiberglass panels, since that affects the Dzus spring and plate choice.
Remember hood pin prices are per assembly; count how many you need.
Pick a style: standard urethane, leashed, locking or Euro.
Check the mounting hole size on locking kits (3/4″ needed).
For Broncos and F-Series, pick the bracket kit that matches your year range.
Pick colors when ordering and note them in the order notes.

Need help choosing?

Not sure which kit suits your truck or hood? Contact the Autofab team and we’ll point you in the right direction, or browse the full catalog.