If the hood is as rigid as you say, I wouldn't separate the hood halves. I would remove the center hood strip, and strip and prime it. While you have the center strip off, you can see how much corrosion there is where the two halves come together. If it isn't excessive, I would remove the paint in that area as far into the crease as you can, than apply Ospho so that it seeps in between the two hood halves. This will stop any corrosion.
Carl
