Advice needed on separated weld in cabover framing

If it's aluminum, (not magnetic) then it could be TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welded without issue.

If it's steel (which I doubt) then a magnet would stick, and it could be welded with MIG, (Gas Metal Arc) also without issue. Damp towels, or a spritz bottle of water would control heat.

It would take about four seconds to MIG weld that joint, and about 12-20 seconds to TIG weld that joint.

TIG welding is very focused, and the heat should not be an issue.

Make sure that you find someone that is skilled at either process.

Best regards.

That's a simple job with TIG.

Richard

Put a magnet to it, that should tell you if it is steel or not. It could be welded regardless of the metal with a series of quick tack welds.

Funny not a welder here even mentiond a squirt bottle.
If steel, weld it in a heartbeat....squirt bottle right after the weld
If aluminum, it will be costly, unless you are set up to do it yourself.

Ever heard of a magnet ??

The biggest issue I see is that the factory welds seem to be on the top and bottom of the left hand tube. There is another tube below and foam on top.

The other thing to think about is if that weld let go, it highly likely that there's other welds in the same condition.

I would weld that in a minute if it were mine and I'm only a novice welder. The heat is localized and should not be adifficult job at all. A good weld is stronger than any bracket IMO

A decent welder can weld that and that's what you should do. A bracket screwed into it isn't going to hold nearly as well.
I weld things all the time in places like that. A skilled guy will keep the temps under control.
It's not a big deal and shouldn't cost much to have someone hit that.

A skilled welder with the proper equipment could probably do it with minimal heat damage to the surrounding area. A common hacker, like me, would probably set the whole thing on fire.

I like the bracket idea.

Welding looks impossible to me without removing the foam etc. from the area. Welding involves a lot of heat.

I agree with Oasisbob that this probably isn't aluminum, at least gauging from the picture; it looks more like painted steel. Pictures can be deceiving, though. Aluminum doesn't rust, has a somewhat shiny gray surface, and is comparatively soft (many alloys can be cut or marred with woodworking tools). Welding aluminum is rather tricky work, I gather both because it is hard to keep clean (it oxidizes quite quickly on the surface) and because it has a very narrow plastic range between not joining together and forming a puddle of molten metal. I have absolutely no experience myself welding anything, though.

I might try a reinforcing plate and some JB-Weld (and mechanical fasteners). If there's any easy way to do so, I'd also inspect the same joint on the other side for the same problem.

The rusty looking stuff on the framing is just the adhesive that was used to join the luan to the foam and framing. I am pretty sure that it is aluminum, and not steel, because there is no rust anywhere on any of the framing in areas where the luan was completely rotted by water.