My buddy Mike runs a restoration shop and he patched a rusted bed floor on a '56 pickup using a door skin from a totaled '70s sedan. The metal had the same slight texture from age, and it welded in so clean that you'd never know it wasn't original. The owner said it felt right keeping that period-correct steel on the road, like the truck earned its scars.

Man, @theamason talking about that cast iron skillet takes me back. My old barrel smoker had one brutal spot right over the firebox. I once ruined a full rack of ribs because the ends over that spot turned into jerky before the middle even cooked. Felt so dumb. I ended up using some old fire bricks as a heat sink, just laid them on the grate. It's wild what you can rig up when you're desperate. That brisket looks perfect, so glad the pan worked.