I did a fair bit of shaping and smoothing inside the hood bay (with the 2' of nose removed) and things are looking close to a point when I can glue the nose on:
The smallest Stanley Surform in definitely the most useful - I got a new yellow one today, because I keep misplacing my old one, which is black. I also tried out a Norton foam sanding block - it works fairly well, but it not all that durable. Bits and pieces fall off it as I use it.
The rectangular area is where the electric motor and the differential will be located, and the two triangular areas will be where part of the subframe will bear on the main chassis, and the small ovals just outside these, are air duct inlets, leading to the cabin.