Probably could of got away with just using the two closest bolts to the middle and trim the rest off

 

I guess the OP never found my thread... This is the sole reason I oriented mine, salvaged from an Infinity Q45, so they were pushing on the hinge bracket. Self-tapping or pop rivets will lose their hold on the thin sheet metal over time. Remember, they are still pushing like hell when the hood is closed. Plus, mine only gets into an angle where it can assist the opening once its a ways up. This will prevent the struts from trying to raise the hood in the case the latch fails. You can see my build (HERE) I strongly recommend this orientation over the typical install.

 

Do you find that the struts get in the way while working inside the bay?

 

Not at all.