That's because the shortcuts come with experience. When you start getting proficient, you'll know how much to cut off, when to fill with weld and grind a bit, when to stop and redo what you've just done, and when to not make it perfect. I suffer from the "too perfect" syndrome, where I'll continue carefully shaping things until I can't tell where the repair was. Some people would say that's great, but it still takes more time than most people would pay me for! I say most because I do manage to get work. Sometimes the best way to get over a fence is to throw your hat over! But make sure you have a backup plan before making the cut, and I'd highly recommend paying someone to come in at the beginning and at strategic points to make sure you're on track. Or go cut up a car that you don't care about (any Ford will do), and play on that! Make some fender flares, a hood scoop, a rear spoiler, fill in some of the chrome trim holes, put a set of zoomies just in front of the rear tires, whatever, just have fun! You'll learn a lot quicker having fun than you will if you're worried about how good the final product will be! Just my thoughts!
