[tcruise]

The hood on my '76 Chevy truck has a slighty crease at the end of the hood hinge, causing it to stick up about a quarter of an inch above the fender.
There is a break in the metal on the side edge of the hood, and the metal on the inside that the hinge attaches to is bent inward.

The hood on this vehicle is very heavy, yet amazingly NOT rigid. There is damn little room between the outer and inner sheet metal.

I think I can figure out how to weld the break once it is straight. I am a bodyworking novice. I have a propane torch and a basic set of body hammers and the usual shop tools.

I'd appreciate your suggestions on how to straighten it and add reinforcement to prevent it bending again. Would prefer to use scrap or off-the-shelf material, since I don't have any metal fabrication tools.

Thanks!