Breaking the Bottleneck
The collision industry has gone through a gamut of changes in
the last 20 years – most of them due to the constantly changing
automobile industry and the technology required to repair those
vehicles to preaccident condition. Others have been due to EPA
guidelines and the concern for the environment. Along with these
changes, new equipment, materials and procedures have been introduced.
Advanced Measuring: Part Two
3-D measuring systems can provide the accuracy
necessary to repair today’s vehicles – provided that techs are
trained to accurately operate them.
What A Tangled Web We Weave: Re-Installing Electrical Components and Wiring
Now that all the metal repair and refinishing has been completed, it’s time to start thinking about reinstalling all the electrical components and wiring removed before and during
the repairs, right?
Will Bonding Endure a Crash
The use of “structural” adhesives to attach outer door skins, hoods, deck lids and body panels is nothing new. In fact, the vehicle manufacturers have been doing it for years.
Body Shop Boot Camp
While the collision shop of today is repairing existing vehicles, the cars of the future are off the drawing board and plans for production are underway. Increased use of aluminum and plastics, computerized navigational systems, crash-avoidance computers and sophisticated adhesives are all becoming part of our reality.
Color Matching Made Easy
One of the most troublesome painting problems for any painter is color match.
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.
It’s All In The Mix: Do it Yourself and Save on Materials
Mixing your own paint is the single best way to save money on a shop’s material bill – in fact, no other individual change will make a shop more profit than in-house paint mixing.
Straightening Modern Metal: Using Heat
Using heat to facilitate the straightening of a modern automobile or light truck is very tempting.
Is High-Tech Worth the Cost?
When computerized measuring systems first became available, most shop owners considered them luxuries that only the biggest, busiest and best shops could afford.