OK it is entirely up to you how you want to fix it and what kind of look you want at the end.I mean if it's only so it can be used just get some galvanized steel and rivet it on.That would work sorry I was looking at it more from a restores point of view and I'm not sure if that's how or what you were asking.I should have asked first.Cause a plate of steel would certainly work it would block the holes.If's that the case don't go scoring it with a soldering iron it's not really all that effective as you are really only covering the outside and it doesn't really penetrate that well.
It depends on what your doing and how you want it to look.
