how about a piece of clear acrylic rod about a 1/2" in dia, cut them about 8"'s long and put them under the hinges near the back of the hood to give it a stealthy appearence.
or you could use what I use, i have a connecting rod I got from the junkyard i put some felt on the top and teh bottom and use it hold up my hood. Its all about originality.
if you wanted to be real original you could get some japanese beer off of ebay and use that.