66 Valiant driver's door

Has anybody had an issue with the sheet metal around the door latch cracking and coming apart where the door latch is no longer secured to the door?
The area of the door where the door latch mounts is broken to where the latch can not be mounted to the door. It's just hanging by the linkage inside the door. Can't close the door. Have to tie one end of a strap to the inside of the door and tie the other end to the passenger outer seat belt to keep the drivers door closed.
Can this be repaired or does the door need to be replaced? If the broken piece is welded back in, it needs to be flat on the inside and the outside of the door for the latch to work properly. Trying to repair it myself if I can. I have a welder, grinder and a minimum amount of experience working with sheet metal. Any ideas? I'm sure this happens to alot of drivers doors.