Im gonna cut the passenger's side off and fab up a new piece.

 

You got that right! There way heavier than they look!

 

I would only cut back to good metal and patch... The outside shape is still there :-)

 

Thats what I'm hoping to do!

 

What kind of welder are you using?

 

My brother in law has one. He's teaching me.
You got any good tips?

 

Depends on if it stick or wirefeed. I don't know anything about stick, just wirefeed.

If using an auto darkening helmet, make sure the batteries are good, and that it's in fact on before you start... I made the mistake of not checking in between welds and mine auto shut off... Needless to say, it hurt

 

I'm pretty sure its wirefeed.

Ouch, I bet that wasn't pretty.

 

Just make sure your angle is correct, have enough power, and have enough wire going in. Through trial and much error, I figured out what happens when you weld too cold and don't have enough wire going in

 

Just curious, what happened?

 

Not enough power, and the arc skips around. No hope of solid welds. Doesn't hold worth crap either. Basically you end up about 2 steps away from absolute crap.

 

I see what you mean now! That metals kinda thick though. How many amps were you using?