It's been a LONG time since I've had to fit body panels. One thing to remember is to mark panel positions before removing so they can be put back in the same place. If everything is being painted that will be minimal help since the marks will be removed/painted over so you'll need to measure from unchanging points of reference and take lots of pictures. Assuming it's too late for that I would first fit the fenders, setting the fender-to-door gap as evenly as possible. Your friend was correct in that you don't fully tighten anything until everything is fit correctly. Then hang the hood making sure you slowly and carefully close it to check the fit to the fenders. It'll help if you put several layers of tape on the panels in possible rub points before doing this. A bit a scarred tape is far better than scarred paint. Since nothing is marked you'll just have to tweak and adjust for best fit. Good luck.

Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet.
The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion.
Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.