That all ended late 80's when the aerodynamics took over. The sloped windshields, engine tucked back farther under the cowl, huge plastic shrouds to cover the now very large gap between the grill and front of motor, shorter fenders to accommodate the sloped hood, and the hoods didn't open as much as they used to. There just stopped being room to sit inside the hood and work on a vehicle.
I remember sitting on a fender with my feet resting on the frame while working on more than one truck when I was younger. Of course I was a bit more flexible and didn't get sore quite as easy back then too.