Year Winds Down for Projects in the Auto Body Shop
The year is winding down on the Auto Body class projects. We are finishing up the last few projects in the shop. These final projects are mostly student related vehicles. We completed almost a complete paint job on a Chevy 3500 pickup truck. We just finished a 1975 Kawasaki motorcycle parts set that included some hand-painted graphics as well. We were also able to complete some work on a Chevy Camaro to make sure that all the parts on the vehicle matched in color. We are currently fixing a leaky roof on another Chevy truck, and are working on a minivan that needs some work on the front end.
The Chevy 3500 pickup had new doors, and a new tailgate arrived with some damage from shipping that had to be repaired before it got painted. This truck had the entire front end, both drivers’ and passenger doors all painted. We also installed a new (used) bed that needed to have some body work completed on it. Overall, 90% of this truck got a fresh coat of red paint after all the body work was complete. This was a student project that worked out really well.
The 1975 Kawasaki motorcycle was brought to us as a small restoration style project. In trying to get it back close to the original paint job and style, three colors that had to be painted for it. The gas tank was a metallic orange, the front and rear fenders were silver, and the one side cover was black. Once some minor repairs were completed in the fenders and tank, the bike got a fresh paint job. Mr. Winters hand-painted the lettering and graphics on the side of the tank to resemble the original look from 1975.
The Chevy Camaro was white, and needed a red door painted to match the rest of the vehicle. We also had to paint the hood white; it was a newer fiberglass hood that needed to be painted to match as well. To add a little style, Mr. Winters added some black accents on the hood and rear body panel. In total, we painted the hood, driver’s door and rear body panel. The customer was happy to have this work completed.
The Chevy truck that had a leaky roof has the body work complete and we are just getting it ready for the final paint job. The roof was leaking because there was a visor that was attached to the roof, and when it was removed from the truck the holes were never sealed properly. We had to fill in the holes and seal them with a layer of fiberglass and Bondo filler to complete the repair. Just need a little primer and then a black base coat with a matte clear.
The minivan we are working on needs a new front bumper, front fenders, and both front doors replaced. We are just about complete with most of the body work and are moving to get the doors primed so we can then match the paint to the original color. The work is nearing completion and then we will be ready to paint this minivan and get it back together.
We are ending the year busy in the shop trying to make sure all our jobs get finished. The class hood that will adorn the body shop walls is being designed and soon to be painted. It has been a busy year with some good projects for the shop. It has been great to get back to a “regular” day-to-day routine in the Auto Body Repair class for the 2021-22 school year.