you will have a real struggle installing hoods without removing the levers, and when you do that chopping down the pivots will be much easier, too. If your tool selection is limited, try doing a rough cut-off with the levers still in place using a hacksaw (you have one, right?). Then with the levers removed you can file and sand the pivots until flush, but I'd take the pivots out and use a vise (pad the jaws) to hold them so you can do a decent job.
No power tools required, but a bench grinder (handled with care) works wonders in a case like this.