Mainer54,
There is no need to take the hood off in order to take off the head. The one advantage of having the hood off is that you will be less likely to inadvertantly bash your head.
I have found it is helpful to have two people when reinstalling the head and helpful to use a couple "guide bolts" when reinstalling the head. Use two, cheap, long bolts with their heads cut off placed in head-bolt holes in the block. They will serve as guides for exact placement of the head.
Do you have a shop manual?
Good luck,
Tim
