Sarah19

Hi, I'm a student and I really want to get into muscle car restoration, especially refinishing, but I'm having trouble finding courses that would help me!
Could anyone give me any tips on where to start?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thankyou

Sarah

mn80228

If you are looking for a school that teaches automotive subjects, try Wyoming Tech or Universal Technical Institute.

I personally picked up the body classes at the local adult education school.
Through the local school district. Cost was pretty cheap and it is one night a week.

I am not sure if there is anything like that where you live.

Sarah19

Hi, I've looked at Wyotech, it looks brilliant! But at the moment it looks like i'll have to find courses over here. I've gotten in contact with some 'motor industry career' advisers over here and they're helping me to find a possible apprenticeship at a restoration shop!
It's all pretty exciting, but if it doesn't work out I think I might end up going mad and looking like this:

Thankyou for your advice!

Sarah

mn80228

Yeah,
Wyotech looks cool, but it is really expensive.
Found out that a year at Wyotech would cost something like 24,000. And since I just got done paying that for private architecture school, I decided to work and pay off some loans before I went to school for cars.

Expensive hobby they are.

I just painted my dad's camaro this spring, and I am getting ready to paint my friend's 72 Nova.
But I have my eyes on a 70 Firebird that I know where a friend has hidden away.

Good luck, and it is great to see some girls who are interested in cars.
There was only one in all the classes I took.
She was cool, but like Studebakers.

later,

Sarah19

Yeah, I'm planning to work for the next year, to get some money together so I'm not completely broke when I start.
I might be able get an apprenticeship at Aston Martin to 'learn my trade' so to speak,
I'd be leaning about body repair and refinishing, hopefully after that I would have the skills to start working at a muscle car shop!
It's gonna take a while, but it'll be worth it!!

Sarah

kornnutz

I remember when I was 18, I went to Job Corps in Salt Lake Utah and took Auto Body Repair. Was there a year and became certified. Worked at 1 shop for a summer and went looking for a job elsewhere when 1 manager started talking about working on commision, total hours required to do the job vs. actual hours of doing the job. More or less talked me out of pursuing my dream career. I now work for a company that cleans floors for the local Dillons (Kroger) grocery stores. Maybe someday I'll get the bug again, but for now I'm just not sure. It is great to see that a female is so interested in this kind of work. Not too many of ya around. Best of luck in your field of dreams, and PLEEZE, don't give up.

mn80228

Yeah, my problem is I have the bug too bad.
I am still paying for architecture school, but am way too into cars.

I now have my friend's Nova sitting in the driveway, and before I could even get the replacement sheet metal home, I went out and bought myself a project car.

I now have a 1968 camaro sitting at home.
Yipee... My list of camaros continues to grow.
I have now had an 85, and 86, two 89's plus an 82 firebird.
But always wanted a first generation. I am now one happy man...

Maybe I'll post some pics as I get started.

kornnutz

Pics would be cool. I had a 94 Camaro, with 45,000 miles, wasn't a Z28 or anything, just a Camaro, but it was LOADED. Power everything. GM Purple Pearl, V6, alloys. Paid 5K for it! Went to jail for 6 months, my wife couldn't keep the bills up and had to let a expenditure go, so what did she let go? The car insurance. Not 2 wks later she totalled it. Never have I had a car that fit me so well. I'm 6'0, and the car fit like a glove. Was looking for another one, but wound up with a 96 Blazer instead, which I'm having alot of problems with, which is how I found this site. Also have a 77 Pontiac Grand LeMans 2 dr Sport Coupe, and a 66 Chevy Short wide bed, both of which I hope to someday restore, or at least get back on the road.

Sarah19

Ah, there's not much chance of me giving up on my dream career, not with a dad like mine anyway - he has a habit of 'collecting' cars.
At the moment we have a '71 Camaro SS396, a '73 Z28, '73 RS (mainly bought for parts), a '69 Chevelle SS396 and a '77 Trans am. Plus an early '70s Blazer and some mid '60s Chevy pickup. Shame only 3 in the whole lot work!
Ah well, looks like it's up to me to get them fixed up... And I will when I am 'certified', nothing will stop me!! Well, not if I can actually find some kind of course to take, at the moment not many people seem to want to help me, feels a bit like this:

Sometimes I wish I lived in America...

Sarah

mn80228

Sounds like a pretty good collection.
I thought American muscle cars were pretty hard to get abroad.

Too bad there aren't more people helping you out.
I am not sure what there is available for schools over there.
I have only been over to London once, and that was for a vacation.

Keep this thread alive, maybe somebody who knows more will see it and post something...

SpookyReuben

really basically any technical university has automotives. not many have autoBODY