When prepping the shell and nose I'm assuming having the nose fitted to make minor adjustments to the guards (filler etc) to ensure an exact fit? When refurbishing the nose is it best to have it fitted to the car to assess what needs to be done before removal for any repairs? Would a normal panel shop deal with the nose cone repairs and fitment?

Definitely fit the nose cone firmly in place to allow for any adjustments to the guards to get a nice flush fit. I painted mine separately and then found I had to get guards panelbeaten to make it line up neatly.  I would also recommend getting the inside of the cone painted and fitting to the body in its final position to allow the front to be painted at the same time as the rest of the body.  I found fitting the plastic headlight surrounds to be a struggle ( again, painted separately) and ended up getting some cracks in the paint, even though primed with a proper plastic primer.  My car is fully colour coded in Diamond white- grill, bumpers front and rear, the lot.

hi all, this type of plastic is a nightmare to repair. most repairers use a 2 part glue to join and fix holes. its not too hard to do this , but its only the start. all primers and top coats need to have flex add in them to minimize cracking. getting these straight are not fun. usually a similar injected foam/plastic is used. it will not weld. hence the glue.

I'm about to find out if they can be welded - apparently they can with the correct fill rod which has been referenced elsewhere. I may be able to glue and reinforce mine from behind and fill / sand from the front. I have 2 nose cones but my other one has all the grill cut out for better cooling so it's a little flimsy in this area.

Look up TERESON plastic repair kit. If the plastic is yellow , this will be a safer option to fix it. also the glue they use is flexible . If you had another spare bar you could use strips of this to use as filler rods. a hot air gun would probably be best.

The RS2000 nose cone is made from a form of polyurethane.
From what professionals have told me the material is not weldable.
I have successfully repaired my nose cone using a two part Loctitie adhesive (can't recall exactly which one Though).
Also the professionals are having success with an adhesive called Q Bond.

Hmm. Decided to use a polyurethane adhesive as I have plenty of room behind the repair to allow for excess product for strength. How are imperfections delt with - fillers etc?

Have a look at this one, its a pontiac but the nosecone is polyeurothane like our Escorts. Fingers crossed it works, this will be my first 'link' the little lady is trying to teach me some computer skills lol...
 70 GTO Judge Convertible restoration series 5/13 Legendary Motorcar TV

Informative. Thanks.

Back when I owned/restored a RS2 I bought a used nosecone for $150 it was actually 2x nosecones welded... and done very well without any signs of being done or cracks, so they can be stitched up if needed