Staying Busy in the Collision Repair Program

By Donnie

Jenni writing a repair estimate for a Butler student

Second year students are responsible for generating repair estimates at BCC. We use CCC Pathways computerized estimating system to generate our estimates. CCC is one of the major estimating programs used in the industry. Therefore, you will receive an estimate just like you would at a dealership. Of course, we remove all labor charges, as we only charge for parts and supplies.

Many students want to get trained in collision repair to become a technician. However, a few decide estimating is a good fit for them. Jenni, one of my second year students, feels this may be a good fit for her. As an estimator, she will have the opportunity to work for a dealership or independent body shop as an estimator. This requires excellent communication and people skills in addition to the technical skills. This could also lead to working for an insurance company or independent claims office as an auto appraiser or adjuster.

Zan practicing butt weld in the flat position

First year students are learning to weld. This is the longest class in the collision repair program. This is a skill that must be mastered before welding on an actual vehicle. If you are not competent, you can destroy High Strength Steel by over heating it. Careful steps must be taken to avoid this. Other considerations, like not enough penetration or warping metal must also be monitored. We’ve just completed the first week of welding and I have been well pleased with the results these students are producing. I don’t foresee anything that will eliminate any of the students from welding satisfactory welds. This week we worked on butt welds in the flat position. The welds that passed my visual inspection were then pulled at 2500 psi to determine if the weld passed or not. I have already had several students pass this weld.

Vaden demonstrating our Laser Measuring System

We also had the opportunity to have Vaden, our Kansas Jack representative and trainer, provided a class for our laser measuring system. The students were intrigued with this system. The benefits of this system is that the students can physically see where the unibody or frame in misaligned. This system also has the capability to measure 3 dimensions, length, width and height, which is required to assure that the frame is pulled back to its specified dimensions. This is also a great training tool to demonstrate different types of measuring systems. Many shops have a system like this that may not be able to purchase a computerized system like our Shark measuring system.

Check back to learn about the bash-up car we are working on for the Butler Tailgate Bash.

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