Yeah, the metal filter pulls right out. I used a needle nose pliers. No matter what, you'll probably wind up bending up the edges a bit but shouldn't matter much. I forgot to add that I have a Treats HP coil on mine. Original wire & coil was pretty tired... the HP coil has spark to spare.
I'm not a porting expert by any means, so I'll recommend you ask someone who knows more than I do.