Don't feel bad, there isn't a person on here who hasn't spent money on something only to learn it was a bad investment. I certainly can't toss any rocks in that department!!
But that is how we learn in life, by our mistakes.
All is not lost..........supposedly you have a good engine and drivetrain. The rear axle can be cleaned up by cutting off the brackets and grinding them smooth. The front axle looks salvagable, and the body can be fixed. As for the welding, learn to do it yourself. I just sold a perfectly good Lincoln 220 volt arc welder on Ebay for $ 104.00, and they come up for sale all the time at that price range. I know some people poo poo arc welding ,but it is a process the average guy can do and get good penetration and therefore strength.
You are looking in the wrong places for help. Rod shops won't be where you want to go..........find someone who welds during the day and pay them some money to come by at night and make a few extra bucks. When I built my '27 about 20 years ago I didn't trust my own welding on the frame (and my Son Dan wasn't welding yet) so I found a guy who taught welding at a local school, and he arc welded it all up for $ 100 and did a smash up job.
Right now you are po'd at yourself and discouraged. Don't be, this is only a little bump in the road, and take it from a 62 year old, you are gonna have LOTS of bumps in the road ahead. They are inevitable, you just have to cut your losses sometimes and not look back, except to learn from them.
As the guys said, you have a lot of friends on here who are willing to give whatever info we can, and as you can tell, we won't lie to you just to make you feel good.
BTW, that angle iron thing about the frame speaks VOLUMES about the rest of the car.
Oh, take that title down and get it put in your name right now. You need to know if it is good before you go too much further........titles are a big part of buying a car.
Don
