My dad thinks i should cut a piece of steel and rivet it over the affected area after putting a rust converter on the rust. That sounds pretty easy to me, but i wanted to make sure that's my best option before i start drilling holes. See the attached picture. The passengers side is not quite as bad; the rust doesn't go past where the headlight sits.

I bet if you put a "wanted" ad in the classifieds, it wouldn't take long before someone offers some good replacement pieces for sale that can be welded on. Or, just cut out the rust and make up some patch panels and have them welded in. Riveted metal will only hide the deteriated metal and will not add as much strength or last as long as welding it.

should i be concerned about the surrounding steel warping if it's welded, or is this not much of an issue?

should i be concerned about the surrounding steel warping if it's welded, or is this not much of an issue?

Not much of a concern of warping occurring. Any proficient welder can avoid that and besides these are not highly visable finish panels. I would be more concerned of the hood hinges not being attached securely enough by only riveting a patch.

I'd hazard a guess that the rust you see is just the start. Is that more rust I can see causing the paint to lift? Look at the pic and peer through the headlamp hole.

It would be wise to remove the whole left hand guard and check the state of the hollow section right the way to where the footwell fresh air nozzle is located.

Check to see that the drains are all clear along that holow section. They nearly always fill up with mud and crud. There is a rubber strip that is installed between the guard and the inner guard to help stop crud from sitting.

FAIW, I had a welder weld the cracked metal (from metal fatigue) around the door hinges of an old truck. He insisted the repair might be a bit distorted and might not hold up. I told him to give it a whirl anyway. The repair was great and held for many years until I sold the truck.

Rivets, being made of aluminum, can present a different problem -- corrosion against the steel.

i'm not certain, but i think that rough texture behind the headlight hole may just be that insulating stuff sprayed all over the underside of the fender. i'll check it when i get home tonight.

i should probably also mention that though the rust is very near the hinges, it does actually seem to be affecting them.

i've never had any body work done before... is this the kind of thing where i can drive up to a shop and say, 'hey, fix this hole,' and they'll just be able to take care of it? any idea what i can expect to pay for a repair like that?

Cost would depend on how pretty you want the repair to be. I would think that any competent body shop could weld a patch into the area. Just ask for a few estimates from different shops. (It's hard for me to predict how much a job costs anymore. I've seen a tiny 6" scratch on a pickup quoted at $4000 and a mashed in fender on a Lexus quoted at $500.)

Rivets, being made of aluminum, can present a different problem -- corrosion against the steel.

They sell steel rivets you know...

yep, that texture in the photo was just insulating stuff after all. whew. i guess i'll just ospho it and leave it for now, until i can drive it to a body shop. the engine's in pieces in my garage :3