Thanks, Pagoden and Waltklatt,
When I recently took off the hood to start the restoration, I found only three of the hinge captured nuts were captured. The other was loose somewhere in the hood frame. I got it out, but apparently it had been there for years.
I suspect the holes were someone else's attempt to get the nut out. A little like using dynamite to kill mosquitos, because it apparently didn't work. I got the nut out through a gap between the frame and the hood skin by shaking the hood in various positions, then using a skinny magnet.
I'll ask the body guy to fill the holes and make it look original.
Tom Kizer