Good idea on splitting the cowl to fix the gap. Definitely weld that back together off the truck. You should be able to weld it without distortion following MP&C's procedure of welding individual dots and planishing them individually before welding the next set of dots. Good luck.

Good work on the helicoil, too. I rely on those things.


Kevin
1951 Chevy 3100 work truck
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1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car)
Busting rust since the mid-60's
If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.