I had small clearence problem too.It appears to be the fender bolt but it is not(well in my case).I took the fender bolt off and closed the hood and it still lifted the hood up.My neighbor does body work and he found that the ball is hitting the raised area of the fender lip just before the fender bolt(don't have pics)He took a small piece of wood with a rag and used a hammer to smooth out the raised area. we closed the hood and did it enough to get it perfect.I replaced the fender bolt and perfect fit.

If you look at the fender lip you can see the raised area perfect and the ball is just about touching it even though it appears to be the bolt.hope this helps out, just do a little at a time.

"we aren't punished for our sins, but by them" 2000 se sport tropic green/gray leather. V6,svt body kit and E1 wheels/Avon tech m500 rubber, many mods. 2003 Eddie Bauer Explorer V8 2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200S 1996 Mercury Sable