Automotive Restoration Technology

A place for professionals to network and discuss the business and technology inside the shop.



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Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:44 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
PostPosted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 12:45 am
Hi all! Just joined the site... I have always been a car person (learned it from my dad) but I'm also an art person and I enjoy working with my hands, I have a project car a 1986 Trans AM and every day I look at her I see the crappy paint job and I want to fix it. So I was just wondering for those already in the paint and body business, what is some good advice for someone who knows nothing about paint and body but wants to break into that field? I've already found a local tech school that has classes, do I need any other kind of training or certification? Where would I go to look for a job (who'd hire a n00b)? Are there apprenticeships? Any tips would be great!

My project:
Before I got her:

Image

After:
Image


The paint doesn't look as good as the picture makes it out to be, you can still see the faded paint underneath.

Tech school:
http://mtec.pasco.k12.fl.us/programs/au ... ision.html
Last edited by LTL_DMON on Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Project cars, because clean fingernails, free weekends, intact knuckles and financial solvency are totally overrated.

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Settled In
Posts: 79
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:05 pm
PostPosted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:38 am
I looked into your area. Check out http://www.mft.ocps.net/our_programs/tr ... shing.html
They are I-Car member school. http://www.i-car.com/html_pages/schools ... ools.shtml

When you go to school and take I-Car classes you get a HUGE discount. If you go to the school you listed and went into industry you would have to have employer pay for your classes.

I-Car certifications are needed for collision shops with special DRP work from insurance companies. They are usually high volume (more hours) shops. Many, many, many body shops are not I-Car gold class and don't plan to be. You DON'T have to go that route. I did, however.

Do you just want to work in a regular body shop or in a high production collision shop working on mostly insurance claims?



Non-Lurker
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:44 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
PostPosted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:18 am
pebcakpro wrote:Do you just want to work in a regular body shop or in a high production collision shop working on mostly insurance claims?



Ideally, I would like to get into restorations... but I know I will first need to gain experience, so probably just a body shop.

I don't know if it's possible, but I was also thinking about a small business/hobby of buying old cars restoring them and selling them (Trans AMs and Camaros) working out of my garage. Anyone here do anything like that?

I guess what I'm really looking for is 'Automotive Restoration Technology' but I'm having a hard time finding schools...

I have found:

McPherson College: Automotive Restoration (Kansas)
Central Carolina Community College: Automotive Restoration Technology (Carolina)
[url-http://www.ohiotechnicalcollege.com/Restoration]Classic Car Restoration Ohio Technical College[/url] (Ohio)


Anybody know of any schools in Florida or Upstate New York with a Automotive Restoration Technology program?
Project cars, because clean fingernails, free weekends, intact knuckles and financial solvency are totally overrated.

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Settled In
Posts: 79
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:05 pm
PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:37 am
I probably wouldn't go to college then. I would get in with a restoration shop. Most restoration guys I talked to just want somebody that is enthuseastic, good attitude, and great work ethic. That's the hard part, learning the body work is the easy part.

Restoration is a different beast. Parts, people, money, and patience are on a whole new level. Ask around for a job. I would sweep floors if it got my foot in the door.

Going to school is going to help you in collision and dealership work. They want education and training. I personally wouldn't pay money if I wasn't going for just that type of work. In the restoration they are going to teach you what they need you to know. They aren't taking in work from insurance and customers usually don't need their cars by Friday.

I hope some of these custom restoration guys pop in with some experienced feedback. I'm just the opposite ;)

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No Turning Back
Posts: 854
Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2003 12:50 am
Location: Cleburne, TX
PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:16 pm
To go the restoration route you need to be a bodyman, mechanic, welder, fabricator and frame man. You must understand the geometry of suspensions. The equipment is also very specific. There is also tons of research that goes into each project, not to mention finding the parts, knowing where to look for them and knowing the terms.

Things like looking for a fan belt for a 03 Jeep w/o a/c. The parts stores don't list them. But the fan belt for a 85 Chevy pickup fits. There are a lot of tricks of the trade that you must pickup.

I have been restoring cars and trucks for 47 years and still learning.

Frank Cox
Cox Custom Cars

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