Resurrecting this five year old thread to add my experience, since this thread is what gave me the bone headed idea to attempt this nonsense.
I gave this a shot.. you can see the results in my photos. Trying to remove the cowl up and to the rear without taking the hood off is not possible at least on an '83. The metal tabs on the front of the cowl prevent it from sliding back. With the hood open, it's not possible to lift up the cowl far enough to get the tabs to clear. With the hood closed, the wiper splines and rubber push locks keep you from lifting the cowl up. With the cowl popped up and over the splines, it's not possible to close the hood without it impinging on the elevated cowl.
Taking the hood off seems to be the only reasonable way of removing a cowl designed like my 83's.
