I removed my baffles before I had the hood replaced and the only problem I had with the rain was that it would make my engine a lot dirty because some water would get by and spray on the engine bay. Other than that, no issue at all. I'm sure if one was to seal the hood to the air box, that issue would be almost non-existant. - Pat

 

Drilling out the 8 rivets (4 on the bottom, 4 on the side looking right at you) will make removing the front two baffles a lot easier.