so i am taking this class...
 

beginner body work. we're three weeks into it at this point, and we've covered hammer/dolly, bondo and gas welding (which is a precurser to stick, mig and tig welding - instructor says if you can successfully gas weld then the others will be a cinch to get down).

neither of my cars have that many issues, but with the prices that the body shops charge, i figured i might as well learn how and then when i deliver the car to be painted (if i don't do that myself) then it will truly be ready to shoot.

the class is offered by the ocean county college adult education association, and it's being held at the jackson campus of the vo-tec. it cost me $175. the instructor has a gazillion years experience with body work, back as far as using lead instead of body filler was the norm. there are two more classes in the series. i'm in auto body I - there is auto II and classic car restoration, both needing the auto I class as a prerequisite.

i do need to purchase a welder... probably mig, but i'll make up my mind after we cover those in class. and a set of good hammers/dollies/maybe spoons.

i might just be able to complete the nominal body work on my cars and be available in the future to help you with your project. that's the goal, anyway.

Cool beans Jim!

How long is the class? $175 doesn't sound like a bad price at all for what you will probably get out of it.

- Justin

awesome jim! Definitely well worth it

That sounds really cool.

Hell yeah, I'd be game for that class.

That's how I learned to paint....weekend courses. I'm in my 5th year now. I learn something new every single week....that's the key. Good luck with it!

ive been trying to find a coarse I can take around here.. Im actually gonna get a guidance pass on tuesday and see if they know of any..

let me know if u need a mig i think my dad might have one for sale forget which model it is but its a lincoln

Rich PM me any info about the MIG

i believe the information i will gain from the class will be priceless, but i guess they had to put a price on it. it's not the most expensive class, if you'd believe it, and not the longest, either. it's 12 weeks.

the class size is limited to 12 students. i guess a class larger than that would become unruly and hard to control for the teacher (you know what i mean, everyone getting a turn at the welder, etc). anyway, i signed up fairly early (the same day i got the brochure in the mail), but there seems to have been a waiting list - people on 'standby' should any of the students drop out - no one has. talk about a popular class. definitely well worth it so far.

i plan to take the other two courses as soon as they become available; i think he runs them back-to-back with like 2 weeks off in between. and, yes, i will be registering first thing in the morning on the day they open registration instead of waiting for the mailer.

i'll most likely get a new one. the teacher has offered to set it up FOC. can't beat that with a stick.

Cool! Best of luck!

My brother just finished a welding class from the union, and he's looking for a box too. PM me some specs on it if it isn't already spoken for....

- Justin

i ended up going to the Homier tool sale the weekend following class. they had a decent welder that would run on 220 (only) for $1k, but the other stuff they had was flux-core and lightweight (100 amp). not what i would need to throw SFCs in the car, or fab anything heavier than 18 guage, so i think i'll just wait until i can afford a decent welder.

the Homier sale was worthwhile, as usual, and i picked up a weldling helmet, safety glasses and some other assorted ****e. still need a decent torque wrench (up to 85 lb-ft) and a good breaker bar (minimum 18"), along with a veritable laundry list of stuff in order to start assembly on the 406. btw, i got Vizard's book on high performance chevy motors, and i highly recommend it.

This one?

http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Ch...e=UTF8&s=books

- Justin

that's the one, but i got it at a1books.com for $15 postage paid.