Front panel on

Trial fitting the front panel was quite tricky because it has returns on both sides where it wraps into the door shuts. You have to sort of spring it into place.

After a few goes and adjusting the flanges to get a nice close fit I removed the panel, cleaned up all the joining faces with a flap wheel and painted with this stuff:

It's a weld-through primer. I haven't used this before and I can't comment about its corrosion resistance but it seems to do exactly what it claims: it is very easy to weld through.

I clamped it all up with a number of mole-grips and started on the windscreen pillar corners because I reckon that these would be the most obvious if they don't align. The first thing I discovered was...

...lead! - where the original panel joint had been filled. It really doesn't weld very well but after a bit of heating and wiping and welding...

Then just a matter of plug-welding and grinding the 200 odd holes. It took me quite a while to get the technique and it still isn't that pretty but it all gets hidden by the grinder.

And finally it looks like this 

A little more primer

While the front of the can was off I blasted and sprayed the back of the dashboard and the door pillars.

The inside of the roof also had a little surface rust so I gave that a coat too

This I rubbed down by hand because I could not bear the thought of trying to get all the blasting grit out of the return that runs round the top of the inner cab.