I have a T/A hood and accidentally drove down the street with the pins off. You don't think about it till it pops up and damages your hood. I was only going about 25 so I was able to re-glass the support. It also happened to my friends original T/A on the highway. He was driving, it blew up, then broke in half at the hinges and landed behind the car, on the highway. If I reinstall my T/A hood, it will now have the safety latch installed.
Ask any T/A or AAR owner if they ever took off without their hood pins in. Sooner or later they do it. The safety latch can save your car. See if you can install your intercooler and retain the latch.