Just a boring update. I have completed all the first time thorough body panel sanding to 220 grit, all of the mods to the bodywork, and all the panel fitting. I will need to cover all the body panels again with 400 and then plan the paint time table.
It's not that it takes a long time. I just hate sanding so much it's had to force myself to so it. My best guess would be that a completely standard body could be surface prepped for a street paintjob (I don't know anything about show cars) in a full weekend. 16-18ish hours. The panels gaps lined right up and the doors went on without any real issues that wasn't figured out pretty quickly.
A couple of weeks and one of these body's could be on the car and ready for paint if a guy really wanted to work full days on it.
That's frigging good for a kit car believe me!