Looks like the black color is the encasement Gel coat... only 1970-1971 and up Corvettes had that.. good call putting it back on.. A+++++ on the work my friend !!
I'm sure by now you know this, but there is a support rod beneath the nose that will aid in closing that gap between the hood and the nose. just loosen and adjust the rod
Thank you. We had the paint stripped in a weekend (3 of us) The bodywork probably took 200 man hours after that. Thinking about 600 man hours to do everything.