Jason, I'm sure there's a bunch of ways to do this, but this way has worked pretty well for me. Mark the hinge plate locations on the hood. Unbolt and remove the hood, but do not disturb the hinges on the car. When you are ready to re-install the hood, bolt it up to the hinges using the marks to align it, but leave the bolts relatively loose. 2 people help alot here. While pulling up and then back toward the windshield, slowly close the hood. You're pulling the hood back so you don't pinch it at the front as it closes. With the hood an inch or two open, you can get a good idea where it is versus where it needs to be. Push/pull the hood fore or aft and side-to-side to get it sitting on the latch posts. Check the alignment to make sure it's good enough to close the hood all the way without pinching anywhere. It doesn't have to be perfect at this point. Close it. Using your hands on the completely cured paint and/or a soft wedge (stubby screwdriver in a heavy rag) or two in the cracks between the hood and the fenders get the hood exactly where you want it. This is why you want the bolts relatively loose...so the hood will move pretty easy. Reach up from under the front of the car through the air inlet holes and you can tighten all 4 hinge-to-hood bolts. This way you aren't opening and closing the hood a million times experimenting and you can see where it is and get it perfectly aligned. Of course, you need to be very careful with the new paint.
Hope this helps.
