Buffing and Polishing
Everywhere you turn, it seems another vendor has a “new and improved” solution to the art of polishing an automotive paint finish. However, buffing and polishing are
skills that can improve dramatically with plain old practice.
A Well-Rounded Painter
If your customer-service index is high and your marketing efforts are giving your shop a healthy backlog of work, you know that what happens when vehicles reach your paint
department is critical to your continued success. And what goes on in your paint department is highly dependent upon the quality.
of painters you employ.
Car Mending On A Mega Scale
Name: Chesrown Collision Center Location: Denver, Colo. Owner: The Chesrown Automotive Group and Republic Auto Nation Group Established: 1987 Square Footage: 60,000 (total); 20,000 (body shop and mechanical shop) Number of Employees: 63 (total); 27 (body and paint) Repair Volume: 350 cars per month (collision only) Average Repair Ticket: $2,000 (collision) Ever wonder what it’d
Tool Time: Common Hand Tools
Can you imagine finishing a weld with a file and emery cloth or sandpaper? Can you imagine prepping a panel for plastic filler with a piece of sandpaper powered only by elbow
grease? Can you imagine removing 25 different types of screws and bolts with a socket and a screwdriver – again, powered by
only elbow grease?
Extinguishing the Flames: Explosions
Explosions, by their very nature, come with no warning – leaving you only to react after the loud noise, after the side of your shop has been blown out, after one of your employees
is on his way to the hospital. That’s why it’s important to do everything you can to prevent explosions.
More Than an Estimate
It used to be so easy to write an estimate. Easy, that is, until the ARMS people announced to the country: "A customer doesn’t need an estimate. The customer is in pain and wants his vehicle made whole again." This tiny piece of information had a huge – and dramatic – effect on many leading
School Profile/Alfred State College
At Alfred State College (ASC) – a technical college in Western New York with a student body of 3,200 – an emphasis on work ethic and a real-world shop atmosphere combine to assure plenty of job opportunities for every graduate, including its autobody program grads.
A Model of Success: A 1:24 Collection!
Lee Stone began collecting cars nearly two years ago – everything from a Ford Model T to a ’56 Ford Pickup to the newly designed 1994 Mustang – and the collection is now pushing 30 vehicles.
Filling In the Details: Modern Plastic Fillers
Selecting and using modern plastic body fillers can be confusing – a myriad of products are offered by a myriad of manufacturers, each with its own recommended application procedures.
A History of Success and Change
The time: 1894. The place: Boston, Mass. The body shop: Fitzpatrick Brothers.