Thanks for everyone's input. I'm just a hobbyist and don't do a lot of welding and just guessed that there is something better for bodywork than what I am using. I welded up the seam on my 52 hood last night then spent a long time grinding. I am planning on pie cutting it to pancake that nose down a few inches. To me the car looks better without the hood because of the tall, blunt nose so I'm hoping this will smooth up the front. I wanted to try a softer wire on this hopefully to create less heat and to save a little time with the grinder. I welded in 5 second passes and jumped around to keep the heat down but still had some warping. It may not have helped any that I used about a half dozen pair of vice grips along the seam to close it up before I welded it. Now I've got to figure out how to straighten it back out but I would guess I'll do that after pancaking it. Some stress may get relieved when I cut it up. Feel free to throw any advice my way.
Bob