need some welding advice

[garylau]

I found this damage after I pulled the carpeting. It's near the seat mounting hole at the rear of the front seat next to the tunnel. The wierd thing is that the metal is bent around the damaged area. It looks more like a tear in the metal, rather than rust damage. The opposite area on the driver's side looks exactly the same. the rest of the floor is good. I know the previous owner took this car offroading. I think it took a hit or two from underneath by a big rock or something. I'm going to pound it back into shape the best I can. I'm assuming I need to weld a piece in for support. I have a cheap little Cambell Hausfield arc welder, but I've never used one. Is this welder good enough for the job, and if so what kind of rod do I use? Can I just clean up the area, weld a small brace across the damage and then fiberglass over any remaining gaps? I know that sounds like a ghetto fix, but it seems to me it should work okay.
This is the welder I have:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=8727990

[garylau]

Upon further inspection, there's a little more rust than I thought, and the whole area seems kinda weak. I'm really not sure how to fix this with my limited tools and metalworking knowledge. Any advice would be very helpful. Thanks!

[jglutz]

Probalbly rust and metal fatique combined.

The metal in the festy is pretty thine..can be welded...requires some talent.

I would get a piece of metal from the hardware store...something about 1/8' thk X 2" or 3" Wide and lay it ove the bad area. I would lay it in place with some epoxy putty...J B Weld or PC-11....this will seal up the area from rusting further. After the epoxy dries...drill thu the new metal and body and add some nutas and bolts...fender washers from the side opposit the new metal...then but and bolt thru for the seat. Slop on some undercoat when complete.