I used 18 gauge paint grip galvanized for this repair even though the original panel looked closer to 20 gauge.
I used the piece I removed to make a pattern on the new sheet steel. Then it was a combination of bends made on a box and pan brake and some formed over a dolly with a hammer where the part became too complex for the brake.
I keep my small miller mig spooled with .023 wire for these sheet metal butt welds.
I rolled the riser piece and egg'd it by hand to duplicate the original shape. Then I tacked it in place and cut the hole on the inside of the ring with the plasma torch.
Then I did a solid weld along the inside of the riser where it meets the cowl gutter.
It had to be fixed, even if not driven in the rain it would have leaked water into the car every time it was washed.
I'll coat the inside areas of the cowl with epoxy and or a chassis saver coating prior to closing these repaired areas up.
