I have an idea . My hood is vinyl wrapped "satin black." Its fairly cheap, $50 for a 4'x6' section, easy to apply & removable. What if you bought some vinyl wrap & laid it over the panel/window? You could stretch the wrap across the "window seam" to give a smooth appearance. It would be temporary but it would give the illusion of a solid panel so you can see if its what you want. At least you would be certain before putting the time & money making a solid panel... just a thought.