my entire hood site 1/8-1/4" above where it should. It looks like its floating. Is there a way to lower the whole hood? I lowered the stops in the front

 

Adjust the latch to hold it down tighter.

 

That will only pull the front down and tear up the fiberglass. The back is up too.

 

Is it an aftermarket hood? You might have to unbolt the hinges from the car and drill the wholes out so you can make adjustments. Should be three bolts.I bought a aftermarket ss hood off ebay and it didn't fit at all in the back and the corner edges stuck up like wings did the above and it fits great.

 

I've never been able to find a guide for hood alignment online specific to Camaros. Surely somebody has one...?

 

It is an OEM ram air hood.

 

if you have had no luck with adjusting your hinges i would remove them and drill bigger holes in them so you can adjust every which way until you get it right. you can also just enlongate the holes so you have more up and down adjustment only.

 

And here I was thinking the OEM hood should have no fitment issues. How do they do this in the factory so easily!?!?!!?

 

they do it everyday so they can practically do it with their eyes shut. have you tried reaming out the hinges. also use washers in between the mounting holes and hinges to get it just right if needed.

 

As has been said before you need to slot the lower mounting holes in the hinge. It's the only way other than trying to raise the rear of the fender. If you fender lines up with the door properly don't mess with it, before you know it you'll be adjusting doors and strikers and god knows what else.

The procedure for alining a hood on a camaro is no different than any other car:
-Start without the latch installed and get your gaps correct left to right and front to back if need be.

-Raise or lower the stops as needed. If additional lowering is needed, like in the back for this example, check for further adjustment BEFORE cutting/drilling anything. If no more adjustment is allowed in the needed area, slot the bolt holes to allow enough adjustment.

-Install latch making sure it's not too tight or loose and look for binding or rubbing of hinges, latch, and other adjacent panels.

This is common on 4th gens with aftermarket hoods. I've done three and had to adjust the hinges like this It's not a big deal I would just advise that you not take the bolts directly out of the hood. Remove the lower two bolts that hold the two pieces of hinge together. That way you don't lose your gaps.

Also keep in mind that just because the hood is OEM doen't mean it's right or that the fenders haven't been messed with at some point. Everything at the factory is new and if a piece doesn't fit it gets rejected. Try to avoid using shims and washers. Use these as a last resort only because they usually end up doing more harm than good. Remember that each adjustment effects the entire hood. A little movement can do a lot so take it easy and check often.

 

The hood on my '97 fits terrible along the front edge against the bumper cover. I've tried to adjust the bump stops on either side to try and line it up better, but nothing seems to work.

 

I had the same problem with my 94. I put on a ss hood and it would not match the bumper. I came to the conclusion that it was more flat than the bumper cover. If you notice the bumper tapers up in the center. My hood did not. I was either low in the center or high on the fenders. It's a chance you take with aftermarket hoods. You can cut the hood and try to fiebrglass it back together in the shape you need but honestly it's more trouble than it's worth. I just lived with it.

 

scoot the entire hood hinges down a little if that's your problem. you may have to drill new holes to do it, or enlarge the original ones. had that problem with my VFN, not a big deal though.