Here's a thought. Pick the worst area, of the long and cut out a small section (several inches long) that captures the worst area. Look at the inside of the small section and make your decision.
If it's rusty inside, that long rusted out from the inside out and needs fixing.
If it's not, then the long rusted from the outside in and might be patched.
After deciding that it's OK, then you weld the cutout piece back in.
However, if I'm reading the pics correctly. the rust looks to be in a line along the bottom of the long. That line of holes means that there is a local line of weakness in the metal and a tendency to break along the line. To fix it, you have a lot of pinholes to weld without access to the inside of the long. Pinholes tend to get bigger at welding without a copper backing plate, and it can be a real b*tch to weld upside down.
Do a search on sizzling droplets falling into clothing......
Ken