welding aluminum

it dont think that it is cast. and i know that toyota shifters are actually 2 sections. the upper black/chrome part. and the lower part that goes into the tranny. they are glued together. i sectioned the one on my 92. in the end, i ended up having an upper aluminum part made and i threaded it onto the lower. im pretty sure its alum, but i will double check. maybe im just retarded, and the fact it has a machined surface to it is throwing me off. ill try a magnet. thanks people.

If its solid drill and tap each end and screw it together then weld them together. That will ensure that if the weld isn't perfect it still won't be able to come apart. You can weld aluminum with a MIG but you'll want to use a spool gun. Aluminum wire is very soft and won't push up the whip liner very easily. I TIG weld cast aluminum wheels all the time, Michigan roads are pretty rough, and haven't ever has a problem with them. As long as its prepped correctly and welded correctly you will not have any problems.

i work in a all aluminium fab/repair workshop. we use migs with 8 mtr leads with push pull guns- nylon liners. steel liners are bad. you could join the two peices fairly easy but the heat affected zone on each side of the weld might crack first as its usually what happens on thinner material.
as one of the guys said. tap each end and thread together and tig it up. bevel/chamfer the edges so u get the weld to burn in nice and not be cold and sit on top.
also with aluminium welding cleanliness is paramount. wire wheel the paint off the area then wipe with metholated spirits. get a good earth too. the high frequency is the tig will thank you for it.