Thanks Brent. Pennies or washers seem to be the most common suggestion, with washers probably being the easier of the two to pick up after installing the spring (can use magnets or even strings or something through the washers).
I have a slight problem however -- I don't have a "safe" way to bend the spring enough to put enough washers or pennies or quarters or anything into the spring. I with I had a workbench with a good solid vice attached to it! Any suggestions?
I raised the hood extra far and "popped" the hinge! Boy did that set me back (time wise). Now that I have the hinge situation back to normal, I'm going to work on getting the spring back on.