Thanks for the encouragement and nice comments!
The bad portions of the windshield frame are now out. Unfortunately the lower channel was not in stock, so I am going to be forced to wait a little while for it to arrive.
This spot weld cutter bit from eastwood makes drilling out the spot welds a thousand times easier than using regular drill bits.
Unfortunately the pillar is in worse shape than i thought and will require a repair section on the top. I knew it needed a small repair, but I didn't realize quite how pitted it was underneath the windshield frame.
I thought these welds were made by someone messing with the windshield frame, but after looking the assembly manual, i see that arc welds were used on the center sections of the outer metal, while spot welds were used on the edges. So, that is a relief...at least the upper portion and driver's side is unmolested.