Ok, so today I was good naturedly chastised for procrastinating about getting on with it. Apparently I keep finding something else to worry about instead of just getting on with it. So after lunch I went out to the shop and drilled out the stripped hole in the hood for the hood hinge bolt.
IMG_0268 by
Robert Moorman, on Flickr
That's it on the bottom. However, the largest drill bit I have is a 1/2" so I grabbed the Drimmel and a burr to slowly take out some more steel until I could drive a nut into the hole. It was a very tight fit and it took a while to drive it in, but I got it.
IMG_0269 by
Robert Moorman, on Flickr
Then I welded around the edges, got a little close to that all thread and had to do some Drimmel work on it to back it out. Then I ground the welds smooth and put a tap through the hole to make sure it was clean.
IMG_0271 by
Robert Moorman, on Flickr
I'm still not good at welding in tight places, and since I left the all thread in, I didn't get a good weld all the way around, but with the driving it in and the weld I did get, I think it'll hold.
So while I was there I cut and patched the rust out in the crossmember you saw.
IMG_0272 by
Robert Moorman, on Flickr