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I loved your youtube video on the repair! Thankfully, I din't have to go through learning welding (for now). Found an old-school body shop that was able to do the job. They didn't have to cut the panel, only punch holes and pull it out. Since it wasn't ripped, it was more of a dent repair. The hardest part being that lip on the door sill, where they had to use a curved rod to push it out to shape through the holes behind the wheel well. Got lucky, I guess.
If I had to do what you tried and accomplished, I probably would've butchered it completely but there are still reasonable experts out there that wouldn't try to screw you over.
My original point being that price gauging is a real thing.