Peter,
I finally got a chance to read through the whole thread last night. The thing that occurs to me is that we're kindred spirits in the 250 GTO brotherhood
My applause on your ability to rise to the challenge and the resilience you've had when issues arise!!
Here's a story for you to give context to the Puckett body parts. I made a trip down to San Diego, CA to visit the Puckett facility back when I was in the early planning stages of my GTO project. When I had talked to Charlie Puckett on the phone for an appointment, he gave me the impression that he was working from a modest but suitable facility in making his kits. When I finally found it, his fiberglass facility was a dirt/sand lot enclosed in a chain link fence and the only structures were makeshift tents/shades made of tarps on poles. There were random fiberglass parts and molds strewn about the lot, very much in junk yard fashion.
My first and lasting impression of Charlie can be summed up in 2 words, "Odd duck". He had a few of Z's in various stages of conversion, all of them very rough. He was loading bondo on a Cobra body by the gallon saying that he was going to make the "perfect" Cobra mold and add Cobra bodies to his product line. The more he talked, the more he lost the credibility I had given him prior to our meeting. My impression is that he went out of business because of quality issues and not so much legal issues (well maybe legal issues stemming from poor quality products).
I was there with a long time friend and custom car builder. After about 30 minutes, we both looked at each other, shook our heads, and thanked Charlie for his time. It was at this point I ruled out ever using any Puckett parts in my project.
I tell this story, not to convey anything negative about Peter's project, but to let others know the beauty they see in the finished car has little to do with the base parts and everything to do with the work he's done. I hope my words of encouragement help Peter to the project finish line.
Ok, back to the project. Do you plan to put a "finish ring" in the radiator opening? I think it's a piece of bling that really adds to the finished look. I made one for my GTO and it was fairly easy. If you can make the headlight fairing rings, you certainly have the skills to make this piece. I can give you some pointers if you'd like them.