Nice work spud. Looks like a lot of precision to have cut the circle around the bonnet bulge though. I'm going to try and deskin one of mine that was in an accident to repair it. At the moment it's scrap so I've got nothing to lose. Also buying the front valance for $500 seems sensible to me or else I pull apart a complete four cylinder car I have already bought but it's in good straight condition so can't bring myself to do it.

Now for the big question how many man hours have you spent doing it. That wire brush you use must be pretty weird. Whenever I've used them they melt the paint, leave crap behind and take a month of patient Sunday's.

I used paint stripper - it took approx 12 hours to repair.
The $500 apron is more than worth it - it's very clean and easily fixed - will b a lovely panel
U could spend $200 on a gumier one - it would take u - ? - to fix, and u won't have one as clean

geeze good work Spud, talk about not messing around.
 
I hate it when someone does things properly. I got my Mig/Tig/Arc welder out of the box last weekend for the first time to learn with. A few hours later I have a welding trolley, complete with blowholes on every corner.
 
Mig is fun though, and actually a bit addictive. Maybe its the fumes.
You have obviously spent a few hours holding a Torch Spud.
I wouldn't know where to start on your bonnet .

I agree with you Spud. That's why I bought it plus for $500 on something great and usable going to work for a day or two gives something that fits right is right and probably far cheaper than trying to install a fiberglass one. Although I am fixing the original by buying half inch plate that fits inside the grill support section perfectly allowing the top edge and front section to be hammered out straight and nice. But this one had been fixed by an idiot so would take a master panel beater hours or days to repair properly. $500 is cheap and metal replacement new ones don't fit correctly.

when you did the welding Spud, can you tell me did you just do multiple tacks, or can you end up doing short sections together?I saw a UK escort site where any MIG welded patch basically consisted of just millions of tacks. The weld  looked pretty average and not what you'd expect like any oxy  would give you, but I suppose it minimised any distortion. It cleaned up ok, but seemed a messy and slow way of doing things.
 

I have little clamps to hold the sheets correctly, clamp them, tack across, then small runs, tapping as I go to stress relieve the metal

Went out on a limb and brought some stuff from outback WA. It arrived this week. $542 worth.
I took the trailer in case - ****!
Full of stuff from a hot orange / black interior 72 v6.
Lots of yummy stuff for this project - sometimes u get lucky.

Umm that box looks smaller than the massive thing on your trailer.

There were a couple of other things...