Not that I am a mechanic but...
It sounds like you are having some sort of clearance problem with the seal. There are several versions of after market hood seals out there that are not made to exact GM specs ( I’m sure you already know that GM discontinued these air cleaner to hood seals many years ago). Therefore we are at the mercy of inferior after market replacements. You might have to trim the seal down a little so that the hood closes properly or there might be another reason that you are not getting the right clearance because of some engine mods made prior to your ownership, for example High Rise Manifold or sometimes there is a larger Carburetor Base Plate installed or maybe the wrong size engine mounts. Take a look at some of these areas to make sure these are not the problem. Or you just might not have the correct seal. GM made several cars that have the cowl induction hoods and they are different then the corvette. I am currently
Redoing my engine in my 75 and have purchased all the original air cleaner components but havn’t installed them yet which will be later this year. I hope this helps, Good Luck.
Joe V.
