'71 911 fender mounting flange

[zeneleven]

I was cleaning up the rust along the fender mounting flange of my 1971 911 Targa project and discovered a PO had cut out a 24" section, welded in a flat replacement strip, and applied body filler to replicate the original contour shape. I'm trying to figure out the best approach to restoring this section (without buying a whole new fender).

Can anyone give me some direction here?

[$yncro]

How was the fitment prior to removal? If it's good, I wouldn't worry about it. Like you mentioned maybe buy a good used one instead.
Good luck.

[Sapaye]

I’d suggest you just buy a good used one, will save you stress and time

[zeneleven]

Fitment seemed pretty good - I didn't realize anything was different at first, except for the fact that the speed nuts were clipped to the bottom of the flange because there are no rectangular cutouts in the replacement strip As I stripped away the paint and accumulated crap on the flange, I noticed I was digging into a quarter inch or so of body filler. I was concerned there was more structural damage to the fender from rust or a collision, so I just kept going.

I'm most concerned about the reduced stiffness along the replaced section. Without the stamped indentations in the original, the fender seems more likely to flex along that mounting plane, working the fasteners and the fender itself back and forth. I'm concerned this will lead to gaps (moisture traps), weakened mounting screws and sheet metal, or other problems

For reference, here's what it looked like before I stripped it.

[zeneleven]

I guess one general question I have is whether it is a good practice to use body filler on structural parts like this, even in small quantities . . .