Hood clearance Question

The car is a Father Son project and on the bucket list is to get through a Hot Rod power tour, without too many issues. What I remember of last power tour was plenty of cars cooling system, vapor lock issues, ignition system failures, and car thefts in Tennessee. I really want this to be as reliable as I can for my son. The response from FABO members sharing they're experiences of what worked for them has just been awesome!