A customer bought a reproduction hood a couple of years ago for a spare time project I was doing for him. It had a couple of small dings in it but actually looked pretty good in e-coat. It wasn't until I was ready to install it that I noticed it wasn't as nice as it first appeared. When I repaired the obvious spots and started blocking it I found it wasn't nearly as stright as I had thought. I also had a hard time getting it to close right. That's when I noticed that it was twisted. When it was open one side of the front was noticably higher than the other. When I corrected this it shut perfectly.
Now to the actual question. The outer sheetmetal is a little low at the 4 corners of the shaker opening. The trim ring lays in the hole perfectly, no high or low spots in the edge it attaches to. It has a nice fit with the edge of the hood, no high or low spots there. My problem is that my customer thinks I should have 'fixed' the areas at the corners next to the trim ring opening. He says the metal should be perfectly straight all around the opening. I really don't see how that would be possible with this hood. If the edge was higher in the corners, the trim ring would be 'sunken' below the edge on the corners. If the area where the trim ring fits was higher in the corners (to make the skin higher and more level or stright), then the area where the trim ring sits wouldn't be level.
I hope this make sense. What I need to know- are other hoods the same, either original or repros?
I'm attaching a pic which I hope illustrates the problem. All 4 corners by the shaker opening are low like you see in this pic. Yes, I know the hood should have been sent back but he had bought it quite awhile back and I didn't realize it had so many problems until I started working on it.
TIA,
Dallas

Is there enough or any factory sealer in this area between the two skins. This will bring the outer skin up.

The "puckers" in the front corners ahead of the trim ring opening are normal on all original Shaker hoods (Cuda & Challenger). In fact, if one of the kits I used to sell was installed properly you'd see the same issues. If you want to know if the hood is original or not take some CLEAR SHARP pics of the underside and I'll probably be able to tell you.

The hood is a repro but I don't remember the brand. The box seemed to be in good shape but the hood had problems. I think it looks ok the way it is now but my customer thinks you should be able to put a straight edge on it like the pic (approx 45 degree angle from the side of the opening) and the hood should be flat. If the skin was pushed up here the edge by the trim ring flange wouldn't be right. Here's another pic from the other side. Anyone have a similar pic of theirs, either original or repro? If this is common, as I understand Scott is implying, I think I'll be able to satisfy my customer.
Thanks for the responses.
Dallas