Adjusting a Carbon Fiber Hood

Fixing gaps on a car hood
So you have a gap after you've installed your hood?  No problem, it can be easily fixed.

If you're looking for more basic installation instructions please check out this article.

The gap on both sides is easily corrected.  There are variations between a lot of hoods depending on where they came from and whether your car has ever been wrecked.  For instance, an OEM factory DSM steel hood will not be exactly the same as an aftermarket steel hood.  Most carbon hood molds are made from factory oem hoods.

Now, how to fix the gap...  Make sure the hood is lined up with your headlights and front bumper.  Now, loosen your fenders and they should move in and out.  Move each on in to the appropriate distance from the hood and hand tighten.  Shut the hood slowly and check the clearances.  Both sides should be the same distance away and same height with the hood.  If they are, good...tighten it up.

If they are not the same height with the hood, there is one of two problems.  99% of the time this is due to the front hood latch being too high.  There are 2-4 bolts in the front hood latch that need to be loosened.  You can then lower the latch down, tighten it up and test fit the hood again.  Alternatively, about 1% of the time the holes could be off a little on the hood.  It's rare but it does happen.  Fortunately, it's an easy fix.  All you need is a dremel to "slot" the hole in the hinge a bit.  If the hood needs to go down in relation to the fenders, slot the hole up higher than it is currently.  If it needs to go up, slot the hole downward.  

It's always nice doing stuff to your car yourself, but if you feel uncomfortable in the slightest or find yourself confused by this I highly suggest you take your car to a reputable body shop.  They're professionals and have installed thousands of hoods and setup tons of front ends.