Would I have been better off not knowing?

typically those "pin holes" are the surface of a much bigger problem.. I bet you have to cut most of that off/out and weld in patches to do it right
I disagree, If it was blasted , what you see is metal....no filler....So yes the metal is thinner near the pin holes than other places but it is still metal....Light heat on the mig with copper spoon backing can fill them in.....The quarter panels because of the body line would be easier to cut out and replace and blend in......To me , putting a whole new spare tire area in there because of that small area is not worth it....I would fill the trunk hole with the mig.....again, JMO