[Arran]

Karl;
Depending on the needs of the power supply you can either use a wire wound resistor, in smaller radios, or a filter choke in the larger ones. This one is sort of borderline being a seven tube set.
Is the field coil open on that speaker you plan to recone? What I use for repairing speakers is thin strips of film negative, though you could probably use any stiff plastic of the appropriate thickness as shims between the voice coil and the pole piece. I think that spider is likely cloth impregnated with phenolic resin, or something similar, which is what it has adjustments on either end, with the corrugated cloth or paper ones you can adjust them by using shims, and moistening the spider.
Regards
Arran