3D Printed Hood Trim For Cars & Trucks

Over the past year, I have made different 3D printed hood trim pieces for my 2024 Ford Ranger.  Like any customization effort, not every design looked right.  Thanks to the flexibility of 3D design, however, I found the right balance with the two designs shown below.

Related article:  3D Printed Tow Hook Covers.

Hood Trail Sights

The new Ford Bronco has trail sights at the front corners of the hood, which adds an interesting design detail.  Trail sights help drivers locate the front corners of their trucks when driving off-road. I liked that look and set out to design something more suitable for my Ranger’s hood.  

My local Ford dealer had several Broncos in inventory, so I spent some time measuring and taking pictures of the Bronco hood sights. It took several versions before finalizing the design.  Once I finished the final design, I printed two parts and painted them flat black using Rust-Oleum spray paint.  Installation was easy with 3M Exterior Attachment Tape.

The trail sights were designed using the free program, Tinkercad.  Tinkercad is an easy program to learn, so you cancreate your own design. If you like my design, you may download the files for free on Thingiverse.com HERE.

Louvered Hood Vent

Many new cars and trucks come with hood scoops, vents and other ornamentation.  Unfortunately, those scoops and vents don’t work on other vehicles.  Like the trail sights noted above, I played around with several designs until I found one that worked.

The louvered vent I designed measures 50mm x 150mm.  It works really well on my Ranger’s hood, and should look good on yours as well.  The vent can be oriented running north-south or east-west.  Installation is the same as the trail sights. To install the vents, use 3M tape and place them in a location that makes sense to you.

You may download my design file for free HERE.

Final Thoughts

3D print design is an easy way to create parts and trim pieces at low cost.  For exterior trim pieces, I use an HT-PLA filament.  This filament stands up to heat without deforming and is relatively easy to print.

All of the designs shown here are for ornamentation purposes only.