1936 hood hinge rod removal, whats the trick?

[ford nut]

i want to separate the hood top from the hood side, so i need to slide out the long rods/pins that hold the two together. very stubborn to do.

i've only managed to slide it out about 1/4 of an inch. the rod can only come out one way because of the front curve of the hood, that also make it impossible to use a punch very long as it begins to hit the hinge barrel and i don't want to bend things up. any great tips i should know about? thank you, kurt.