If one wants to eventually do body work, restoring old cars for a (modest) living, what proffesion would they undertake.

Panel beater yes? I hear they only learn to refit new (plastic) panels and colour match nowadays, not repair panels or make new ones.

Or

Sheet metal worker, and then try and get into the business?

Not quite sure what road to take, but at the end of the day i want to fix old cars, not new plastic toys.

I'm well aware that i may have to work on new cars for quite some time before this sort of position is a reality.

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I would suggest dropping in on some old car restoration businesses and introduce yourself as a potential apprentice. Many businesses have trouble finding motivated apprentices. Face to face is much more likely to succeed than sending your resume around.

Pete

I think that all of the trades have pros and cons with restoration.
With body building (like I do) you learn the basics of auto elec, fibreglassing, painting, hydraulics, suspension, and goes quite in depth with welding! It is a very diverse trade to have.
Or I think that there are some restoration courses available, and I'm not completely sure, but I think there are two varients available. One that covers more on the panel beating side, and one that covers the painting side.
Could be wrong, so hopefully someone will advise better than I have.

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Speak to a few resto/custom shops, let them know what you want to do and they will be only too happy to point you in the right direction.
"REAL"panel BEATERS are far and few between these days, good to hear someones got the passion for it

Find a place and offer to give your Saturdays or any day you have off free
and joyfully wash parts, sweep the work shop and willingly do any of the crap stuff.
Most people think this sort of stuff is below them. Now they might take advantage of you, that's ok. They might offer you a full time job..great, it doesn't matter. But you have your foot in the door.
It's what you learn...not what you earn.
The money comes later.

There isn't one.

Everything that resto shops do IS covered at tafe during the Panel beaters course. Apprecntices just rarely manage to get into shops that do resto work.

Resto is not a seperate trade...

You can do a night course in resto at tafe but it is only a cert 2 course, YOU DO NOT LEAVE THIS COURSE AS A QUALIFIED ANYTHING. BUT it is a damn good insight into panel beating, and it covers most of the stuff you want to do.

If you want to work as a panel beater doing resto, the apprenticeship you take is PANEL BEATING. The Qualification/Title/Trade/Piece of paper with your name on it is PANEL BEATING.

Sorry if I miss understood what you were asking before.

Does that clear that up?

The skills that you want to attain (hand forming, led whipping, panel fab) are allllllllllllllllllllllll covered in the Panel Beating course.

Sheeties do cover a lot of the same stuff, but there is a lot that they don't cover.

All good ?

<edit> Just to be clear,,, you learn that stuff during the TAFE component of the Panel Beating apprenticeship... you just might not be learning it at work.... make sense?

Ah yes..... also take a Tafe course as the Phat suggests...shows you really are serious.
It's a bit like bricklaying, at the end the day, the employer just wants to know how many bricks you can lay in a day. He really doesn't care if you have a piece of paper or not. But if you want to employ people well.....you need the piece of paper.