Light metal welding help

[thorborg]

2006 E250 ford van with broken drivers seat.
the culprit is a thin walled tubing with cams on both ends which lift the rear of the seat that has stresses fractured and separated from its intended purpose:

Not having the proper tools and possibly the strength to lift the seat, my preference would be for someone to remove the seat, weld it, and replace it, however if that is too much work or time consuming and assuming I can get the seat out, Ford likes to use "different" fastners, in this case a giant Torx looking bolt, the front ones being Female and the rear hex nut with a male Torx bolt?
Does anyone have the time , ability & equipment to weld this back together for me?
This, in my mind, is a wire feed or similar sort of job.

I am not looking for gratis work, I am willing to pay for your time and talent.
I live in Beaverton but am willing to drive some for your help.
Thank you kindly
Thor
Here is a picture of the underside of the chair from the back:

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[Joe13]

Is there any way you can keep it in place?

If so, JB Weld will most likely stick it there forever.

ive used it on a lot of things and once it has set, you have to grind into off.

 

[thorborg]

Is there any way you can keep it in place?

If so, JB Weld will most likely stick it there forever.

ive used it on a lot of things and once it has set, you have to grind into off.

Thank you for your suggestion however the shaft operates a cam that lifts my 250#'s of well marbled beef up and down which places an extreme amount of torque on that juncture. While I too have not only used, but even extol the many virtues of JB Weld. I believe this to be beyond its capability. Should it fail, the residue removal In order to weld would be a miserable task I would just assume avoid.
I have tried a few body shops including the Ford Company but it seems no one actually repairs anything any more opting instead to just remove and replace parts.

 

[peternov01]

how soon ya need it done? i have a dental appointment tomorrow that will take me out of commision that day but i could do it for ya wednesday if ya want to drive to me in gresham.

 

[IronMonster]

I would be happy to fix it proper for free for a fellow NWFA brother... but the drive over is a deal killer

 

[ZigZagZeke]

You need someone with a TIG welding rig for that. You also might try silver solder (not the crap they sell at HD, but real industrial silver solder). Other than that, you might try actually disassembling the shaft and cams, and simply manufacturing a replacement using a solid shaft and the salvaged cams. Might last longer.

 

[01rednavigator]

Thank you for your suggestion however the shaft operates a cam that lifts my 250#'s of well marbled beef up and down which places an extreme amount of torque on that juncture. While I too have not only used, but even extol the many virtues of JB Weld. I believe this to be beyond its capability. Should it fail, the residue removal In order to weld would be a miserable task I would just assume avoid.
I have tried a few body shops including the Ford Company but it seems no one actually repairs anything any more opting instead to just remove and replace parts.

You would be surprised how strong JB Weld is, may be worth the try!

 

[Joe13]

You would be surprised how strong JB Weld is, may be worth the try!

Fixed a stripped spark plug in a v10 engine and never had another problem with that cylinder again

 

[thorborg]

how soon ya need it done? i have a dental appointment tomorrow that will take me out of commision that day but i could do it for ya wednesday if ya want to drive to me in gresham.

Thank you . My wife has Dr. Apts tomorrow and maybe Wednesday.
I'll find the proper tools to remove the seat during this time and send you an E mail tomorrow Eve after we find out what is up with her. Gresham's No Problem.
Thanks Again.

 

[thorborg]

I would be happy to fix it proper for free for a fellow NWFA brother... but the drive over is a deal killer

Thank you @IronMonster , It is a bit far alright. Irony is that's about the state we were in while coming home from month long 6000 mile road trip when the seat started squeaking. day late dollar short I guess.

 

[clearconscience]

Can also check muffler shops they will do some small welding jobs and usually don't charge much

 

[thorborg]

You need someone with a TIG welding rig for that. You also might try silver solder (not the crap they sell at HD, but real industrial silver solder). Other than that, you might try actually disassembling the shaft and cams, and simply manufacturing a replacement using a solid shaft and the salvaged cams. Might last longer.

Thank you
I have silver solder, but would be hard to localize the heat and not tweak the upholstery.

 

[thorborg]

Can also check muffler shops they will do some small welding jobs and usually don't charge much

Good thought, they definitely do thin walled parts.

 

[jbett98]

Anymore most folks would buy a new truck.

 

[thorborg]

Anymore most folks would buy a new truck.

Says the quintessential Salesman;

 

[DenimChicken]

Good to see you might have someone willing/able to weld it. If that doesn't pan out, would you be able to drill and tap a hole at 45 degrees through it into the cam and secure if with a bolt/JB Weld combo? I think welding would be a better option but if upholstery or confined quarters make welding a difficult option it might be a way forward.

 

[thorborg]

@peternov01 and @Bigbaddude have both graciously extended their welding talented hand to me.
I'll be meeting with @peternov01 this week.
I am forever grateful.
Thank you

 

[thorborg]

Good to see you might have someone willing/able to weld it. If that doesn't pan out, would you be able to drill and tap a hole at 45 degrees through it into the cam and secure if with a bolt/JB Weld combo? I think welding would be a better option but if upholstery or confined quarters make welding a difficult option it might be a way forward.

That would be a creative option to enhance the torque requirements for Mr. JB and were welding not available, a reasonable to try.

 

[jbett98]

I would been more then happy to offer up my help with this project, but considering my lack of welding skills and also coupled with the fact that I generally start minor fires every time I use my old MillerMatic 35, you're better off with a more skilled welder/fabricator.
I'm repairing an old Dan-Mig 140 machine that's specifically designed for thin wall metal, but that's another learning curve and hopefully less fires to put out.

 

[EPS]

You need to find a guy who builds race cars or restores old cars those guys are always welding thin metal all different types or like someone said a muffler shop or if you live close to a boat building shop the guys that work on aluminum boats that type of stuff you might find someone