I agree with you about hoods being a PIA. I spent more time fitting the hood than anything else on the car. My body is an Outlaw 3-window, and the Rootlieb hood was not a perfect fit. The problem I had was the opposite of yours--mine sticks up a little on the edges of the cowl where it rounds down into the sides. I worked with it until I got it as good as I could get it and I had to live with the fact that it was "good enough." It's not all that noticeable except to me. If you ever look at an original '32, Henry's were not perfect either.