Quick update to let y'all see what I am dealing with to see if there are more (better) ideas to fix it.
1st pic is inside the trunk where the latch is pulled from the spot welds. 2nd pic is looking straight down at the bumper/rear of panel ... don't think I should be able to see the ground, huh?
3rd pic is a good shot of the sledgehammer work.
4th and 5th are the replacement part. It's actually both the internal metal and external metal, so I'll be welding both sides. My current plan is to use the replacement out to the second rib/ridge on both sides. I know this goes against using as much of the original metal as possible (which I agree with), but in order to get it looking and functioning right, I think I need to use more of the replacement.
Any and all comments are appreciated, because I want to do it as well as a novice can. And before anyone asks ... NO, I am not made of money. I wish I could afford to have someone else do it. It will be time-consuming because of my skill level.
TIA,
Ogre
BTW, the trunk lid is not the original one either. It will fit, but needs to be slightly modified. Based on the damage, I'm sure the original one took it in the shorts too.