ive been wanting to post this for a while, i dont know why. Anywayse, i got accepted into autobody at school. to start us off were tearing apart old bicycles and building custom choppers. lots of welding, bondo, and grinding ahead. i think the next 3 and a half years of my life are going to be pretty fun. the trains wont take a back to anything tho.
just thought someone might care.
GEARHEAD426
currently smelling like burning metal
You are going to be very busy in the future as there will be no one to fix anything as everyone went to University and got that “edumacation” but can’t hold a screwdriver properly, and who wanted to get dirt under their fingernails eh? We were told years ago to start apprenticeship programs and build more trade schools, now we can’t get anyone to build or fix anything, there is a one year wait in Calgary, Alberta to get a start on a new house, as there are no tradesman available. Wise choice in a trade autobodyguy.
Awesome. I happen to be a gearhead myself, and recently came out of an engine building class at the Career and Technical Center here in Christian County. It was a semester-long class. It was pretty cool. Now, I am in a welding class which is fun and useful for a future job. [8D] Keep at it. An education leads to a good paying job, which leads to more trains! [:D]
-Brandon
tatans, you put it perfictly. the 2 autobody teachers drive a viper nad a custom rat rod truck. the computer systems technology teacher drives a prius.(trying really hard not to laugh) not to say that theres anything wrong with not being a gearhead. i would have chosen automotive, but theres just to many computers in cars now. computers are great, but i just dont want to work around them for my job. mabey i could combine my career and hobby by working in the engine shops.
GEARHEAD426
[8]
Don’t wait too long to buy a stick (arc) welder, unless you have the money for a mig or tig machine. The lawyers are ramping up for mucho lawsuits … those machines may be a thing of the past soon.
Anyone have an old buzz box in the garage…it may be worth some bucks soon! [:)]
Greg
CRAP! I just got my hands on a brand new Miller MIG welder! Bummer. Left a hole in my wallet the size of that big crater in Arizona, though. It was worth it. [:)]
-Brandon
i have a small chicago electric MIG that my uncle gave me a few years ago. it works, i just need a tank.
GEARHEAD426
[8]
Hmmmmmm. …just happens to be my field!
So much to tell you, sorry if it’s a bit long:
Learn as much as you can! Read ahead in your textbooks.
Areas that will be of great help if you want to do this for a career:
Plastic panel repair, Metal panel repair-alignment-replacement, Welding (Mig & Tig), Metal fabrication, Paint Refinishing (blending and overall) with Basecoat/Clearcoat (3 and 4 stage) , basic mechanical and electronic principals, and the two big ones: FRAME REPAIR and ESTIMATING.
The Paint and Collision Repair technicians out there that are earning $50,000 to $100,000 per year are the ones that know the fundamentals of the above mentioned areas, specialize in at least two, and are ASE and/or I-CAR certified. A gentleman in his 50s who I helped train back in the early 1990s earned $70,000 back in 2004!
Note:
Oxyacetylene welding produces temperatures in excess of 6,000F, however, though it isn’t recommended for modern cars it is still used “occasionally” for heat shrinking some HSS (High Strength Steels). Learn it anyway!
Painting:
Except for “House of Kolors” Shimrin and Chameleon custom paints; lacquer painting for general Auto Body is OBSOLETE! (but some old timers insist on teaching it. Learn it if offered, but lean towards BC/CC and Single Stage.
Good Estimators today stay clean on the job and can earn $65,000+ at high end dealerships but you have to have a sharp, clear mind and be very meticulous! It’s now done with computers and involves quite a bit of work. Many women are becoming estimators.
Because of the incredible tight clearances of automobile frames today, precision frame repairers are in demand.
Hi Antonio
Do you teach auto body at a tech school? You’re up in the Bronx, right?
Thanks
Greg Ross
AntonioFP45 is right on everything. Especially the value of training. Learn everything you can, whenever you can.
To get the ASI certifications you need 2 years experience before they will certify you but schooling can substitute for some of that time. I-CAR, you have to sit thru the classes and when you complete a set training path you can say you are an I-CAR trained painter or body tech or body shop manager.
In addition to increased earnings the training makes you a more desirable employee. I have been in the automotive industry since 1982. 1976 if you count the years repairing semi-trailers and selling the parts for them. I have worked in just about every job the industry has to offer, mechanic, body shop manager, tool distributor and for the last 4 years as a service writer in the Chevy dealership in the town I live in. It has been a slow year in the auto industry in Southern Ohio and the owner decided there had to be some layoffs. I got the word February 9th. I took a day off the next week and put in applications in the area and handed out resumes where they were not taking applications. Every where I went I was told that they had eather laid people off or were about to.
Since then I have had calls from 2 places wanting me to come in and talk to them about a job but even better the owner reconsidered, looked at some things like attendance and training and now I am the parts manager with the same 3 minute commute as I had before.
Roger that Bukwrm! Apparently your boss did not want to lose a person of good potential. Congratulations on that position.
YardGoat. I lived in the Bronx as a kid (that’s how I got to see the New Haven, New York Central, and Penn Central). I’ve lived in Florida since the 1970s, though.
Learn the computers and some electronics. For what you need to know, it’s not that hard. Techs with an understanding of automotive electronics, as opposed to board- or chip-swappers, are going to have an edge, especially when the hybrids start acting up.
Love that smell. You weren’t here last year when I sold my race car and invested in some BLI loco’s ( I needed forum advice what to buy). I built my wee race car from the ground up MK2 Ford Escort (english) twin cam supercharged MR2 engine, 12 second quarter mile! I did everything my self.
I miss the car but not the maintenance!! now I’m crew chief for this baby
Oh what fun!!
Enjoy every minute of your new vocation, keep up the enthusiasm!!!
Ken.