The new panel is held in place with Cleco clamps, and then a series of tack welds was used to weld it into place. The tack welds prevent heat buildup and warpage.
After the welding, some careful grinding blends the new panel into the old making a seamless repair.
Meanwhile, the body shop crew began sanding the paint with a dual action sander. We know this car is pretty solid, so it does not require stripping to bare steel.
The lower valance panel was removed, stripped, and body worked as needed.
Any problem areas are repaired (like the quarter panels), but the front sheet metal seems very clean. The plan is to leave the sheet-metal installed, get the panels aligned and straight, and prime the outside of the car. Then the car will be block sanded.
The body panels will then be removed, and the jambs and backsides of panels addressed This way, we will only be removing the panels and reassembling the car once because this job is very time sensitive.