fiberglass hood
I used 2 springs off my kids trampoline for my hood, springs hold the hood up fine closes nice and smooth too. I think you can buy about 5 springs brand new for around $15 last time I looked online. If you know anyone with a trampoline ask if they got a couple extra springs!
Just for the record my car is an E body. I don`t know how different the hinge setup is compared to an A body.