The vehicles that I've had with an FE plus ones that I worked on as a mechanic I found it much easier to do the job if I removed the hood. There is just no way to do it "gracefully" without being able to straddle the engine or even use a chain fall or cherry picker. While you might be reluctant to remove the hood as it would screw up its alignment, all you have to do is to drill an 1/8" hole in each hinge flange and into the hood bracket then when it goes back on, use a piece of drill rod for realignment.