The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop autobody class

I recently signed up for an evening autobody class at a local vo-tech school that's held once a week for 4 hours. There's about 12 students in the class and we're all working on our own vehicles. For $400 you have access to pretty much any autobody tools you need, sandpaper, filler, primer, instruction on proper methods, plus use of the shop which includes two large priming booths and one drive-in paint booth. We've only had two nights of class so far but I'm loving it!

Last night was the second night of class and I've started work on the front fenders for my 1955 3200. I started with the easier of the two fenders (doesn't need any metal work) just so I can get one fender primed and ready and feel like I've accomplished something. Both fenders are in reasonably good shape and are decently solid.

Fenders 1
Fenders 2

Last night I sanded the entire outside of the passenger fender and was able to prep the surface for body filler, which I'll start on next week. The instructor sprayed the fender with primer (rattle can) just to protect the bare metal while it sits for the week.

Start
Finish 1
Finish 2

Someone did quite the coat of filler on the front of the fender years ago, but it seems to be solid and isn't hiding any major metal work. It's been recommended that I leave the existing filler, do a skim coat, sand, and prime, so that's what I'll be doing.

I've never really had the chance to do body work before and I'm loving it! It's actually nice and relaxing for me to do... zone out, and get lost in the work. As the course goes on I'll bring in the doors and hopefully the cab to work on as well. I'll keep this updated with new pictures as I take them.

That's how I got started with body work, went to a vo-tec school for a year then went to work for a Chevy dealership. I am glad for you that you enjoy it and can learn to do your own body work. It is very rewarding work.

I love doing it, but because of my legs ( broke them both years ago & got a little arthritis ) I can't work long hours on a cement floor or I probably would still be working in a body shop.

You are off to a great start, keep it up and enjoy your project. Just one word of warning: save some money for your next truck, this may not be your last one.

I learned from my dad as a kid and lots of other people over the years, too many years to count. Thumbs up to you and glad you are really getting into it. You have a good start learning the right way from the get go.

Thanks for all of the words of encouragement! I finally had a chance to upload more pictures to my album - Photo Album

The class is going really well and I'm definitely learning a lot. I am finding it interesting the different approaches to bodywork they are teaching vs. what I've seen and heard done on older vehicles and this site. They're big fans of plastic filler and just "slapping" in a backing plate to patch a hole, as opposed to cutting out the proper size piece of metal. I've been doing much more metal work than what they've been recommending, but I don't like the idea of the filler being the end-all cure-all. Then again, with today's cars you really can't do that much metal work (or at least welding), so I don't blame them for wanting to use filler so much.

Neil, I started an advance body shop class earlier this summer at our local Jr. Collage and only went to the first four days of it. It took me the better part of a week to get all the damage done to the rear fender by the instructor with a picking hammer straightened out. I lost $300 worth of tuition in the experience but gained a lot of confidance in my own ability. The rough out and fill method was what was being taught there. I suppose when you stand back and look at the purpose of the class that turning out body men that can make a fast buck for the body shop, not craftsmen that can reshape metal was the first priority.
After a month of practice I have pretty much been able to take a fender with 60 years of normal dents and dings and beat it back into shape without filing any of the original material away and using and a very small amount of plastic filler to finish the inevitable minor low spots. Done properly the filler used can be reduced to just a little more than the thickness of a fast fill primer.
I would recommend finding an old fender, purchasing an assortment of hammers and dollies and just start practicing, practicing and practicing more. There are a lot of "how to" videos and instruction on the internet that can teach you the basics but in the end it is a skill that you can only learn by lots of hands on "practice" very much like learning to play a musical instrument.
If you're cutting out panels and welding in replacements it is nearly impossible to finsh the joint with out using some filler whether it is lead or plastic. But with careful fit up and some patience welding you can minamize the filler here also.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL