Rust underneath? I'm not worried about that little surface rust. I guarantee most hoods look like that under the brace. I just hosed it down with spray paint and welded it up. It'll be fine. The only reason it rotted in those few spots was the squirrel or mouse nest that was jammed in there. I cleaned all that out with compressed air before I surfaced prepped everything. Besides, I don't plan on it getting very wet from here on out.
