Front end damage

Time to begin with the front sheet metal.

All of the sheet metal ahead of the radiator has some degree of badly repaired collision damage. Things were just bent back into place enough to give the car back its external appearance.
So the lower radiator duct panel, the duct panel support, the bonnet latch upright support, and the bonnet slam panel will be replaced with new sheet metal parts. The inner wings will get some hammer and dolly work.

First thing was to remove the LH side wing. Right away several pounds of dirt fell out when the lower screws were released. The accumulation of dirt in the lower part of the wing is the main cause of rust there and to the forward outer sill. No rust-through was visible from the outside, but looking inside revealed heavy rust pitting and some pinholes. So this entire lower section will be replaced with new. This is why one should periodically remove the baffle plates (splash panels) from inside the wings to inspect and clean out any dirt accumulation.

 

Fortunately that was the full extent of the rust. The forward outer sill and the inner wing structural areas are all sound. As bad as my luck has been for hidden collision damage, I've gotten lucky with very little rust to offset that.