Hood Mesh

[LearningCurve]

Instead of the hood vent mesh and hood vent trim shown in the manual, I got no trim and rounded hood mesh. I don't see how I can make this work without it looking like crap. Since I don't have a trim piece to cover up my terrible attempt at cutting a straight line I am not sure how to go about this. Any recommendations for those with the same rounded mesh.

I have been looking for decent photos online but most are from the original design that included the trim piece.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RqpzMvDy1eyZQLnx5

[Zach34]

You can probably call FFR and see if they will send you the trim piece. It could have been an accidental omission. Otherwise you can use some hand files (recommend a flat and a round) to shape the cut and clean up the lines. A small hand-sized foam block with some 40 to 80-grit sandpaper comes in very handy, too. It will be faster and easier than you might expect. I've done a lot of modifications on the body, and that is my process for all of the holes. Start with an extremely rough cut, then shape with hand-files. Below is an example picture. My car will be painted so I'm not worried about the gel coat, but you can see the contour along the the opening came out pretty nice and smooth - all done with hand files and a small sanding block. In this picture I had not done final filing/sanding on the rear of the opening (with all the non-gel-coated fiberglass), so you can see the difference

111464

[Jetfuel]

Will these work for you?

http://zerodecibelmotorsports.com/products/front-hood-louvers/

[AZPete]

There's always another way around an obstacle, which is part of the fun.
Instead of the thick aluminum borders that FFR sent me (and you could likely get from them), I used vinyl door edge guard around my hood vents. I think it looks better. I also didn't like the supplied mesh so I bought a die-cut hex mesh. Like Zach says, you can sand or file the edges, then apply door edge guard to hide the cut edge. Door edge guard is available at auto stores like AutoZone but I found it in black on Amazon in long lengths. Look for stuff with hot glue inside - heat it then press it onto the edge. If you can't straighten your pre-shaped mesh, get whatever you like and shape it to fit around the outside of the opening and secure it with silicone sealant.

I took this photo to decide which mesh I liked best, then went with the hex mesh, but it shows the vinyl door edge guard.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87454&d=1529255286

[idf]

I used ZDB's louvers so have trim pieces and mesh powder coated black. Yours for shipping.

[Jetfuel]

111570

You just can't beat the the flowing capability of ZDB louvers or any louvers compared to mesh....and the killer look

[lance corsi]

I have a pair of ZDB louvers which have never been installed. Yours for $35 plus shipping. Pm me if interested.

[STiPWRD]

I have the original flat hood mesh and trim pieces from FFR if you want them for free.

[Ipassgas]

I have the same trouble.
I'll have to think about how to proceed.

[redbudrr]

My car is #506, Nov. 2017, and the trim pieces were no longer included at that time, so I copied AZPetes solution and that worked out fine.