I banged my 300D into the back of a small SUV with a tire-mount recently (bummer, but other driver was not injured). My hood absorbed almost all the impact by buckling and folding up because it hit the mounted wheel/tire of the forward SUV before the SUV's bumper.

All in all the SUV hardly looked different, but my hood was pretty well done. It still runs and drives fine though, and there are no radiator leaks to speak of.

I have already sourced a replacement hood which is ready to go, but once I took off the old hood I realized that my hood hinges were pretty well bent up. I need to take them off but I'm not sure the best way. I have heard that one can release the little stop-tabs located at one of the elbow joints on each hinge such that you can raise your hood all the way vertical (and thus release all tension on the springs?...), but my problem is that the hinges are so bent back that the "indent" in the hinge where it is supposed to clear the top cowl where the air scoops and wipers are does not match up any longer and stops the backward travel to raise full-vertical.

What's the best way I have left to release tension or remove the springs so that I can safely unbolt the hinges and replace them in this condition? Since these hinges are dead, I'm somewhat tempted to just take a sawz-all blade to the top of them, but I'm afraid of what the spring tension would do, so I'm concerned about the safety of that idea. I have seen that you can drill out the large rivet type fastener at that top elbow joint also, but again I'm afraid of the action of the spring tension on the parts.

Anybody have some ideas or suggestions?

Thanks.