37 caddy hood installation tips???

[harvey b]

on my 37 caddy,have stearted to reassemble all the painted peices,anyone installed the hood on one of these?have the 4 peices painted in base/clear black,dont want to scratch them when putting them back on.whats the best waY to do it,assemble all 4 and put in 1 peice.or put center strip in first and slide each side in seperatly?.i never took the hood off of this car and am not sure what to do,i dont want to scratc or chip it.  thanks Harvey B

[harry s]

Harvey, I would assemble it first, then tape the surrounding area (cowl, radiator support, senders, etc). If the hood was not fitted prior to painting I would measure to be sure it will fit properly and then with the help  of another person set it into place. I attached mine in the back first and then assembled the front attaching bracket and hood ornament.  Good Luck.