Vehicle Building (motor Body Building)
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday August 10, 1987
VEHICLE body builders' work includes omnibuses, panel vans, table tops, truck cabins, pantechnicons, hearses, ambulances, caravans, railway carriages, tippers and special types of commercial bodies.
The vehicle builder must be able to weld by the metallic arc, argon arc and oxy-acetylene processes. The work also includes the making up of drawings. From these drawings s/he must be able to develop full-size patterns which may be required when intricate shapes are encountered.
Personal requirements: Stamina, and an ability to read and understand simple drawing projections, and to read a rule. Some basic mechanical knowledge would assist him/her to rectify mechanical failure occurring in locks, winding gears, etc.
Qualifications and training: A four-year apprenticeship. There is a three-year supplementary course in Vehicle Building at technical college, which includes practical work, trade theory, trade calculations, welding(metallic arc, argon arc and oxy-acetylene) and trade drawing. Most employers prefer the SC.
Prospects: There is usually a slight shortage of vehicle builders. The demand for vehicle builders is centred in Sydney and major regional centres such as Dubbo, Wagga, Tamworth, Newcastle and Wollongong.
Further information: The Vehicle Builders Employees' Federation, 377 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000; The Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers, 227 Great North Road, Five Dock, NSW 2046; Motor Traders' Association of NSW, 43 Brisbane Street, Sydney, NSW 2000; The Head, School of Vehicle Trades, Sydney Technical College, Broadway, NSW 2007, or the TAFE Information Centre, Railway Square, Broadway, NSW 2007; and vehicle building factories.
© 1987 Sydney Morning Herald