How would you fix this?

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Hello everyone, please help me fix this! I bought my 1986 Buick Grand National back in 2002 and in the process of replacing the carpet. Many years ago I was planning to replace the rear 4x6 speakers and realized they were held up by zip ties! Reason being is that some jackass butchered the rear speaker tray for I suppose component speakers. It looks horrible and I have the chance now to repair it but I do not know how. I can just weld in a round plate to cover that hole but I am still missing the speaker tray clip under it. I do have a millermatic 210 mig and somewhat handy , please give me some ideas! The factory speaker tray is spot welded into several places and is not made by aftermarket, so finding one is impossible.thanks!!!Ralph

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Reply:Is it a Grand National specific part or will Monte Carlo part fit?
Reply:monte in same era is the same
Reply:Junk yard?
Reply:I tried for years. either they are butchered or yard is not interested. We dont have pull your own parts up here. not to mention it is rare now to see these cars in junkyards
Reply:We used to bolt plywood in from underneath , cutnew holes and cover with scrap carpeting.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:I'd ask online in Monte forums since someone who lives in a dry state should have a donor they can cut panels from. Failing that ya could just use some flat clean scrap like a steel truck hood to cut a replacement from.
Reply:Cut out the mess, square with nice radiused corners. Get a piece of body metal from a donor slightly bigger that the hole you just made and cut the speaker hole in that and pop rivet it on. nice evenly spaced rivets don't look bad. if you're worried about rattle, use some butyl tape between.....Mike
Reply:cut out the bad stuff, replace with flat sheetmetal... then install these https://www.dixierestorationdepot.co...DM03100&d=1393john
Reply:Yea, not much of a hard fix to it.  Thin sheet is "easy" to weld so it's just a matter of cutting out the mangled bit and replacing it with fresh metal.  Cut out the area so it looks nice.  Radiused corners and all that jazz.  Tack weld at even increments so even the tacks look nice, almost like it was riveted.  With enough little tacks, maybe an inch apart, it's be plenty strong enough and you wouldn't necessarily have to fill in the whole seam.  I'd recommend filling in the entire seam with good weld, but I'd understand if you didn't.Making trays for the speakers?  It could be done, but I'd opt for an aftermarket solution like Jniolon linked to above.  Once you have your new sheet metal welded in and the beads ground down flush, you can mark for the speaker tray and cut however you like.
Reply:UPDATE. I ordered 5in round 16ga steel for cheap and welded it in with the mig. I made a template for the speaker hole so I can cut the round piece. I am no pro and could have done better but it is solid and looks alot better then it was...

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Originally Posted by Gnfanatic

UPDATE. I ordered 5in round 16ga steel for cheap and welded it in with the mig. I made a template for the speaker hole so I can cut the round piece. I am no pro and could have done better but it is solid and looks alot better then it was...
Reply:Looks fantastic, imo.  Plus, you've got some spare round pieces to play with.... and they make great little dishes for candles and the like.