Oil pan leak - wrong pan?

hey man, you do what you gotta do! Steel to iron weld, interesting....I was going to suggest you check pan clearance from the oil pump, I had a pan that would NOT fit a melling oil pump. it hung on the pump and never allowed the pan to seal. metal shot filled hammer confirmed pan was on pump, the hammer showed us where we had to clearance it from the inside. right at one of the pump bolts.