Don't know if anyone else had trouble getting the hood springs off- I did. This truck sat covered, but with the hood raised and no tension on the springs. I don't know if that contributed to my difficulty or not.
Since I like my fingers, and I'm sure others do as well, thought I might share how I got mine off.
I put a block of wood behind the hinges, and loosened the front bolt and removed the back bolt of the hinge. Obviously, once that back bolt is out, the hinge will pop backwards pretty hard.
I still couldn't get the springs off easily so I got creative.
this allowed me to control the spring, and was actually very easy.
Just a little FYI for anyone else that doesn't want to get pinched.