Hood Pins...
 

with out a hood latch can you prevent hood pin locks from marring up the plates?
I can't use the latch with my hood.

What about Dzus fasteners instead of pins...or perhaps the Moroso pin that has a guideplate and slide clip arrangement that rivets to the hood? Every pin combo I've ever seen has some sort of scratch due to the pressure the hood applies to the bottom of the pin.

You could perhaps cut a thin section of Lexan and cover the plate...or raise the pin height and install a small spring between the hood and the pin...

...just a few ideas.

It's really not a big deal. Mine are scratched a bit....there hood pins man! It's better than having your hood fly up too. By the way, why can't you use your stock hood latch?