I think you are going to enjoy your 1863 as well...the front grille would be another item that I would put on the "fix it" list. Grilles are very expensive to replace and hard to find.
I fixed a crack in the lower front surround with a piece of metal that I formed to the damaged area to attach the pieces together and strengthen the joint. I painted the lower portion of the grille to hide the flat head screws that I counter sunk and filled. The lower section in the second picture shows my shadow in the foreground standing in front of the grille, which makes it look like the paint is darker. It is really a perfect match to the rest of the grille. Check out the pictures...
