Maybe, maybe not. I have watched Ron Covell hammer a butt-weld joint smooth and finish it off, no grinding whatsoever, and half of that bead was TIG welded while the other half was gas welded. I have the sample piece in my garage to prove it.

Am I an expert at doing this? No way. Ron is an incredible artist on metal, but I understand the process and am working on being better with it. Wouldn't it be easier for me to bond panels? YES, but I keep working at being a better metal worker. My biggest concern with a butt-weld is pinholes or small cracks and letting moisture under the finish, so what do I do? Practice practice practice.

My best friend from high school has quit his full-time job to deal cars full time, been doing it over a year now and I would say it's a success. I go to a few shows with him each year and we look at lots of cars for sale when we go. Looking at investment type cars, the thing I look at first is the quality of the bodywork. He has looked at lots of cars that I immediately pass on because of a big nasty and clearly cheaply done flange joint or lap joints on the patch panels, and some not even undercoated when finished??? I don't know what those guys are thinking, but man they are proud of that trunk with the lid open for all to see.

You're obviously way ahead of me in this area, and will surely make me look the fool easily. I'm just saying I think there are some advantages of each method and the type of car would influence my choice. Avoiding a flange or lap would be a priority for me on any valuable or collectible car.