Phil,
I pretty much agree with everything you said, so not disagreeing with you. I will add that I couldn't agree more about welding on some old 'burb panels, welding is an acquired skill. Mig would actually be a good choice, and these days from what I have seen in body work, mig is the most common, using the tack technique. I do have a tig setup, and it's my favorite process of any of the welding, but it's also the most difficult. Panel work is not as difficult with tig as it's typically doing the tack technique.
On my '46 there's a tig weld on what appears to be a fender tear, about 4" in length, it looks like the fender was sewed closed, I kinda like it, it's like a battle scar.
Funny thing about my truck, it has it's own patina. Even thought it's slathered with Rustoleum applied with a brush, it has a patina of it's own. No saying my truck ain't original, it's actually more original than most of the fully restored trucks, IMO.
