Hot in the Shops- November 2022

December 2, 2022

Our specialty programs are packed full of projects this phase!  From turning ordinary cars into dragsters to creating custom chassis and roll cage designs, our students are putting the skills they’re learning in school into action.

            In our Motorsports Chassis Fabrication program, we have a variety of different projects.  One student is redoing the back half and frame connectors of a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am.  There is a single seat barracuda being built by a different student just a short way away.  Another student is fabricating air ride suspension on all four corners of a 1965 Volkswagen bug.  There are also a few different styles of custom roll cages that are being welded and fabricated together in the class.

            In High Performance Power Trains, one finds a group of Chevy lovers.  There are a variety of different sized Chevy engines being built and tuned up, such as a 388 small block, a 360 small block, and a 468 big block.  There is also a student who is working on supercharging his Ford Mustang, and one who is rebuilding the engine in a 1973 K5 Blazer for a friend.  The students will also have a chance to help work on a 1923 Ford T-Bucket through a connection from one of the instructors.  This project includes pulling the engine and tearing it down to inspect and upgrade some things.  The engine will be run on the engine dynamometer then put back into the car.  After running it on the dyno, they will do their final pulls to see how much more horsepower and torque they have gained.

            Trim and Upholstery is also staying busy.  They have a student currently creating custom seats for a 1957 Chevy.  The students are also upholstering seats for a VW Cabrio, and trim panels, seats, and a headliner for a VW Jetta.  Our Street rod program has several projects as well, including a 1960 Ford Galaxy, a 1964 Lincoln Continental, and a 1966 Chevy C10 pickup (Featured image).  With the opportunity to bring their own projects into the class, our students continue to use their projects as a canvas for their passions.