A new hood is always a great way to stand out from the crowd, congrats! I wanted to get hood pins too, IMO they look bada$$ but like you, I am afraid of scratching my paint, I always wondered how people that do have them on their car keep them from scratching.

 

congrats....it's going to look great

As far as hood pins with lanyards....I know what you mean. On my 2005 Mustang GT, I started with them, then after a few weeks of driving, I noticed they were etching the front of the hood....not bad, I was able to buff it out, but I ended up removing them and liking it even more.

Here's a few pics...

 

Sweet lookin ride. ^^