TECHNICAL FEATURE
New Procedures to
Structural Realignment:
©iStockphoto.com/sumbul
The Lack of Basic Anchoring
Procedures Can Kill Your Productivity
By Larry Montanez III, with Peter Pratti Jr.*
Part One
At almost any gathering where someone mentions a car
accident, I hear him or her say, “They don’t make them like
they used to.” My response is always the same: “Thank God
for that!”
The complexity of today’s vehicles has made them not
only safer, but also smarter. Most late-model vehicles are built
with sensors and computers that can determine if an accident
is about to happen. Those same computers will put the vehicle into a pre-safe mode that will brace the vehicle for the collision, to protect you just in case that accident happens. If such
an incident occurs, the vehicle’s Supplement Restraint System
will tighten seatbelts to remove slack, deploy airbags and cushion the blow to the occupants. All this happens by sensors
sending information to the multiple computer control modules in thousandths of a second. What’s most important – and
yet, somehow overlooked — are the structural changes in the
late-model vehicles that assist these sensors and computers in
providing safety in the vehicle.
I would like to take a moment to go over the history of the
automobile, and how far we have advanced. Back in 1885,
Karl Benz built the first practical automobile powered by an
internal-combustion engine. This became the design used to
build a gas-fueled car, which was a three-wheeler (1886). This
three-wheeled car later became the design for the first fourwheeled car in 1891. Karl Benz’s design led to the first massproduced vehicle in the United States, designed by Ransome
Eli Olds (Oldsmobile) in 1901. In 1946, an inventor, entrepreneur and design engineer by the name of Preston Thomas
Tucker attempted to produce a vehicle that was the first to be
designed with a rear engine, pop-out windows, seat belts, a
soft padded dashboard, Magnesium wheels, 4-wheel disc
brakes, fuel injection and a directional third headlight –
dubbed the “Cyclops Eye” – that would turn as you steered
around corners. This all-new “Safety Designed Vehicle” was
named the 1948 Tucker Sedan, also known as the Tucker Torpedo. It is amazing that Tucker had many of these innovations
decades before other manufacturers even thought about using
them. The Tucker Torpedo’s design and features later led to
the modern vehicle design and engineering we know today.
Newer vehicle designs incorporate Advanced High
Strength Steels (AHSS) that add rigidity to the passenger compartment while keeping the vehicle lighter. Many call this
“lightweight steel,” but there is no such thing. Steel is heavier
than many other materials used in vehicle construction. The
steel industry needed to compete with the aluminum industry
by utilizing metallurgy to design thinner (hence lighter), but
stronger steel. Vehicle design engineers are required to build
vehicles that are safe and fuel efficient, at the lowest possible
cost. With the steady increase of AHSS usage, the collision repair industry needs to understand the built-in collision energy
management and the reparability of these new steels. There
have been many articles and courses on these new steels being
used, so here is a little overview on the new steels you will encounter when repairing the new vehicles coming into your
shop.
Note: The following definitions have been paraphrased from Wikipedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org.
Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS)/ Advanced High
Strength Steel (AHSS) / Boron (B) (BOR)
Boron steels possess a hardness equivalent to that of much
higher carbon steels and of more expensive low alloy steels.
Advantages of boron steels are improved cold formability,
lower delivered hardness giving improved blanking tool life,
improved weld ability due to low carbon equivalents, lower
tempering temperatures, giving savings on energy and good
case hardening response. The type of boron steel used on
February 2009
29
vehicles today has extremely high strength. The boron steel
used on Volvo cars has a yield point of about 1,350-1,400
MPa (196,000-203,000 psi). That’s about four times stronger
than average high-strength steel. But the process used to make
it that strong takes away some of the steel’s workability properties, such as being able to straighten it. Boron alloyed parts
are generally replaced in their entirety. Boron is becoming
more and more prevalent in vehicles for safety in the passenger compartment.
Since the 2000 model year, boron was found primarily on
European vehicles, such as the dash panel beam on the 2002
Porsche Cayenne SUV, the safety bar around the rear seats on
the 2003 Porsche Boxster, the door guard beams on the 2003
Porsche 911 Carrera and the inner B-pillars on the 2003 Mercedes Benz E Class. Volvo probably uses boron steel the most.
Boron is used on the bumper reinforcements and door guard
beams. On the current Volvo models, several applications of
boron steel, including the inner B-pillar reinforcements, the
roof bow between the B-pillars (if there is no sunroof ), inner
and outer rear body panels, the A, B, C, D-pillars and rocker
panel reinforcements for most vehicles. Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, BMW, Dodge/Chrysler and
GM, among others, are incorporating their new vehicles with
many center section parts made with boron steel. Repairing,
sectioning, or partial replacement of this type of steel is not
recommended.
Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS)/ Advanced High
Strength Steel (AHSS) / Martensitic (M) (MAR)
This class of steels was named after the German metallurgist Adolf Martens (1850–1914). This most commonly refers
to a very hard form of steel crystalline structure, but it is also
any crystal structure that is formed by displacive transformation. Martensite steel is being used by GM in the rocker panels and floor crossmembers on many of their SUV vehicles
and passenger cars. Repairing, sectioning, or partial replacement of this type of steel is not recommended by the vehicle
manufacturers. Look for more manufacturers to utilize this
material in the next few years.
Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS)/ Advanced High
Strength Steel (AHSS) / TRIP
TRIP steels are one of the newest materials being developed by the steel industry. In relation to other advanced highstrength steels, TRIP steels exhibit better ductility at a given
strength level. This enhanced formability comes from the
transformation of retained austenite (ductile, high temperature phase of iron) to martensite (tough, non-equilibrium
phase) during plastic deformation. The acronym “TRIP”
stands for Transformation Induced Plasticity. Because of
this increased formability, TRIP steels can be used to produce
more complicated parts than other high strength steels, allowing the automotive engineer more freedom in part design to
optimize weight and structural performance. This type of steel
is starting to make its way into some newer vehicles due to
INDUSTRY LEGEND BILLY CARR PASSES
On October 14, the Virginia auto insurance and repair communities were forever changed with the passing
of William L. Carr. Affectionately known as “Billy” to
friends and colleagues, Carr served as the eastern region appraisal advisor for Fireman’s Fund Insurance.
Since joining the company in 1985, Carr had established
a reputation throughout the industry for his good-humored nature and ability to forge friendships with repairers and insurance personnel alike.
“I loved having Billy walk into my shop,” says
WMABA Immediate Past President Mark Boudreau. “I
30
February 2009
knew that for the next half hour to one-and-a half, I
would be laughing while working.”
Fireman’s Fund Appraisal Manager Bill Webb remembers Carr as a true professional willing to do whatever it took to do the job right.
“Bill was one of those old-school type of guys,” he
says. “He was extremely professional and got along very
well with people from Florida all the way up to Maine.”
Born in 1947, Carr graduated from Central Catholic
in 1965 and later served a tour of duty in Vietnam. In addition to his 40-year career in the automotive industry,
the formability when designing more complex parts. Repairing, sectioning or partial replacement of this type of steel is
not recommended.
Dual Phase/Dual Ten/DP
Dual-phase steel is a high-strength steel that is heat
treated to contain both a ferrite and martensite microstructure
for extra strength. It is highly formable steel and has a low
alloy content and high strength. The desire to produce higher
strength steels with formability greater than conventional controlled rolled high strength micro alloyed steel led to the development of DPS in the 1970s. Dual-phase steel features a
soft ferrite microstructure, with a matrix containing islands
of martensite in the secondary phase (increasing amounts of
martensite increase the tensile strength.) Dual-phase steel features a low yield ratio (i.e. yield strength to tensile strength),
high tensile strength and high work hardening rate. The steel
melt is produced in an oxygen top blowing process in the converter, and undergoes an alloy treatment in the secondary
metallurgy phase. The product is aluminum-killed steel, with
high tensile strength achieved by the composition with manganese, chromium and silicone. The martensitic phase is produced by quenching a hot cold-rolled strip before entering a
zinc pot of a hot-dip galvanization unit. This has low yield
strength, low yield to tensile strength ratio, high initial strain
hardening rates, continuous yielding, good uniform elongation and excellent combinations of tensile strength, ductility
and toughness. Dual Phase has a good capacity to absorb
crash energy and an ability to resist fatigue. Chrysler, Jeep and
Dodge vehicles, among others, are incorporating this type of
steel into their Front Uni-Rails for added crash management.
Repairing, sectioning, or partial replacement of this type of
steel is recommended only at approved locations. Heat cannot
be used.
HSLA
High strength low alloy (HSLA) steel is a type of steel
alloy that provides better mechanical properties or greater resistance to corrosion than carbon steel. HSLA steels vary from
other steels in that they aren’t made to meet a specific chemical composition, but rather to meet specific mechanical properties. HSLA steel is used in cars, trucks, cranes, bridges and
other structures that are designed to handle large amounts of
stress or need a good strength-to-weight ratio. HSLA steels
are also more resistant to rust than most carbon steels, due to
their lack of pearlite – the fine layers of ferrite (almost pure
iron) and cementite in pearlite. Repairing, sectioning or partial replacement of this type of steel is recommended only at
approved locations. Some manufacturers allow heat to be
used, but this recommendation is very limited.
Mild Steel (MS) Soft Steel (SS)
Mild Steel, Bake Hardenable (BH) and Solid Solution
Strengthened Steel (SSS) are used in very limited quantities
for structural parts. These types of steel are most commonly
used for closure panels such as hoods, deck lids, dash panels,
The late William Carr with son Matt
and grandchildren Dylan and Charli.
he enjoyed spending time with his wife and two children,
Jaime Leigh and William Matthew. In his time away from
the field, he was known for his love of golf and billiards.
He is survived by his children and two grandchildren,
James Dylan and Mikhaeli Charlize. WMABA and Hammer & Dolly offer Billy’s family and friends our deepest
condolences.
February 2009
31
etc. These types of steels are generally the most repairable. They
can usually be heated, but there are
limits to the time and amount applied. Please keep in mind that if
any of these steels have a “KINK,”
they must be replaced. Only the
steels that are repairable can be repaired if there is a “BEND.” Although one could attempt to
repair a “BEND,” please keep in
mind that some of the repairable
types of steels might have a permanent deformation or require excessive heat to straighten, which
would require replacement.
Part Two of this article will be featured
in next month’s Hammer & Dolly.
* Additional consultation provided by
Dave Demarest, Jr.
Fitzgerald
10915 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902
Experienced & Professional Wholesale Staff
equals Prompt, Courteous Service
FREE LOCAL DELIVERY
Next Day UPS Delivery Available
Full Line of OEM Suzuki Parts in Stock
PHONE: 301-942-2760
TOLL FREE:
HOURS:
32
888-933-7400
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FAX: 301-949-1268
EMAIL: wdcparts@fitzmall.com
Monday - Friday: 7am - 6pm and Saturday: 8am - 3 pm
February 2009
Larry Montanez
is a former I-CAR
Instructor and is
Co-Owner of
P&L Consultants
with Peter Pratti
Jr. P&L conducts
repair workshops
on MIG & Resistance Welding,
Measuring for Estimating and Advanced Estimating Skills. P&L also
conducts investigations for insurers
and repair shops for improper repairs. Montanez is an I-CAR Platinum Individual, I-CAR Steel WQT,
I-CAR Aluminum WQT, I-CAR
Structural WQT, ASE Certified
C o l l i s i o n R e p a i r E s t i m a t o r,
ASE Certified Master Collision Repair/Refinishing Technician, ASE
Certified Service Consultant, ASE
EPA Reg. 609 A/C # 80982 MVAC,
NYS Independent Adjusters Lic. #
749458, Toyota Prius Collision
Trained, SAE Service Development
Technical Committee Member and
ASA Educational Member. Peter
Pratti Jr. is an I-CAR Program Instructor who is ASE Certified and
holds certifications in various industry circles such as with Toyota,
Spies Hecker and Chief Automotive. P&L can be reached by contacting
Montanez
at
(718)
891–4018 or larrygoju@aol.com.
TECHNICAL FEATURE
New Procedures to
Structural Realignment:
©iStockphoto.com/sumbul
The Lack of Basic Anchoring
Procedures Can Kill Your Productivity
By Larry Montanez III, with Peter Pratti Jr.*
Part Two
Anchoring Changes
The first-known unibody/monocoque vehicle was the
1922 Lancia Lambda, which was produced until 1931. Many
European vehicle manufacturers used the unibody design since
the 1930s, while the American auto manufactures utilized the
Body on Frame (BOF) design.
Due to the lack of popularity of the European vehicle in
the United States, the equipment manufacturers built BOF
repair equipment. After the gas shortages of the 1970s in the
U.S., GM announced their all-new “safe and fuel economical
compact vehicle” for the 1981 model year named the Citation. This is when the compact unibody vehicle first started to
become a mass-produced vehicle in the USA. The equipment
makers of the dozer-type realignment machines for BOFs had
to make changes to the current design.
The dozer was a long steel beam with a spine-type tower
attached to it that would pivot by pressure from a five or 10ton hydraulic ram. There were other types of realignment machines such as the vector, pot-and-pulling tower or a lip and
pulling tower designs. All of these were good for that type of
vehicle design at that time, but the new unibody vehicle incorporated High Strength (HSS) and High Strength Low Alloy
Steel (HSLA) for the main structure of the vehicle, while the
BOF utilized a different thickness of Mild Steel for strength.
Since the European repair equipment manufacturers had years
of experience with the unibody designed vehicles, they became
more popular with the US auto collision industry. Fixture-type
equipment companies such as Celette and Global Jig and universal straightening equipment companies such as Chief, CarO-Liner and Blackhawk started to sell their unibody repair
equipment.
Let’s look at how they anchored the unibody to their
equipment.
Universal Type (Car-O-Liner, Chief, Blackhawk, etc.)
These repair equipment makers require the vehicle to be
placed on the bench or frame rack, by driving, hoisting, or
winching the vehicle onto the equipment. The vehicle utilizes
the specific equipment maker’s anchoring clamps attached at
the four corners of the center section of the vehicle. These anchoring clamps attach to the pinch weld or flange area of the
rocker panel. In cases where there was no flange or a horizontal flange, there would be an adapter to the standard clamp or
a special clamp required. Once the vehicle was secured to the
equipment, the pulling towers would be moved in to position.
Measurements would be compared to vehicle makers’ dimensions and structural diagnosing would begin.
Fixture Bench or Dedicated Bench Type (Celette,
Global Jig, Car Bench, etc.)
These equipment makers require a universal clamping or
dedicated fixture set. The universal type will adapt to multipletype vehicles, depending on the configuration and application.
The dedicated fixtures come in a gang-type box for a specific
make, model and year of vehicle. Each vehicle has directions
to how to build the fixtures on the bench to create a skeletal
version of the vehicle. Each fixture mounts to a specific area of
the vehicle, which is also the measurement. The fixture is a
specific height, and has been attached to the bench at a specific
width and length; this process sets up the Datum (Height),
Centerline (Width) and Zero Plane (Length). These three
measurements let you know exactly how damaged the vehicle
is, while also providing you with a view of where the vehicle
needs to be. It is the same type of system the factory uses when
building the vehicle.
Structural Realignment Equipment Changes
As I mentioned before, with the advent of the new ad-
March 2009
31
vanced steels, repair equipment makers needed to make
changes to their products. Due to the new metals, it is imperative to ensure you do not cause any collateral damage to
mounting areas or the part you are pulling at the junction to
adjacent parts. Due to the varying strength of the steel in the
front and rear section of the vehicle, most repair equipment
makers produce additional anchoring devices. Most vehicles
produced today have non-repairable front sections; this includes BOFs. As you go further back on the rail, the steel gets
stronger and stronger. This is accomplished by adding reinforcements inside the rail, but design engineers are also utilizing Tailor Welded Blanks more often. Tailor Welded Blanks
are different thickness types of steel that are laser-welded together. Tailor Blanks allow for a transition between strengths
of steel, which allows better transfer of collision energy. The
only downside has been that structural realignment of these
types of vehicles requires some new techniques to ensure no
collateral damage.
Let’s look at some of the procedures to properly structurally realign a vehicle:
1. Perform a basic structural measuring of the vehicle on a
two-post lift. This can be completed quickly and before the
vehicle is torn down. This provides a full picture of how damaged the vehicle is and how and where to anchor the vehicle.
2. Check with repair equipment manufacturers’ procedures
for attaching and anchoring the vehicle to the bench or rack.
3. Set up your measuring system and measure the vehicle on
the bench or rack machine. I know we already mentioned
measuring the vehicle on a two-post lift, but your datum will
change and you will need to ensure the measurements are accurate. On a dedicated or universal fixture system, this will
be completed in conjunction with the anchoring.
4. Look up the repair and materials locations in Alldata or at
the OEM website. Although this should have been done by
the estimator, the structural repair technician will need to
know what type of structural materials are utilized in each vehicle. Once the material type has been determined, the technician can now determine where they need to attach the
additional clamps to anchor the vehicle.
5. After attaching the additional anchoring, you can now attach the pulling clamp to the vehicle and the pulling tower.
6. Based on the information gathered from the three-dimensional or fixture measuring, you can determine where you will
need to apply pressure for pulling and additional anchoring
for holding. One tip to use is to view the damage and pretend your body is the pulling tower, your hand is the clamp
and your arm is the chain. Then, ask yourself the following
questions: “Where would you stand to pull the vehicle?”
32
March 2009
“Where would you grab the damaged part?” “Which angle
would your arm be at?” ”If you did pull the vehicle this way,
what undamaged part could become damaged?” Doing this
will give you a good idea if you are starting in the right place
and using the correct pulling angles. As you start to apply
pulling pressure, you will need to pay careful attention to the
measurements, as you will need to slightly over-pull the part
to prevent too much springback. The Car-O-Liner electronic
measuring system has a “Bull’s-eye” view to judge over-pulling
and at what angle you are pulling from. While pulling, make
sure to use the hammer and wood block stress-relieving technique. A controlled amount of heat can be used if recommended by the OEM.
7. After relieving the pressure, check your measurements to
see how much damage has been removed. If that pull did not
remove all the damage, then you will need to make adjustments to your tower, pulling angle and clamp position. Repeat
this process until the damaged part is back to OEM specifications. Providing there is no stress cracks or permanent deformations, and the OEM does not require the part to be
replaced, the part is repaired. This would be true in most cases
except for Boron steel, which in most cases cannot be pulled
due to collateral damage.
8. After performing multiple pulls and stress-relieving techniques, you still might not achieve your desired results. This
might be due to the type of steel construction such as HSS,
HSLA, DP or a combination of these steels. These steels can
have a tendency to “lock” the damage into that part and will
not allow you to remove the damage. In this case, you might
need to check all of your measurements and might have to
cut the damage out and continue to pull. If all of your measurements are within OEM specifications except in the area of
damage, then you should remove the damaged part and prepare for part replacement.
New Part Replacement Procedures
Now that the vehicle is back to OEM specifications and
that damaged area is removed, you can start the part replacement process. Let’s look at some of the changes in the part replacement procedures. Some are very familiar and some are
going to be new, but make the replacement process easier.
1. Doublecheck the OEM or Alldata procedure sheet.
2. Trial fit the replacement part(s) by clamping them in place
and checking the measurements, welding root gap and
mounting locations for bolt on parts. Now here is the NEW
procedure you will most likely need to follow:
a) Following the OEM and equipment makers’ instructions, install either
the dedicated fixtures or universal Jigs
(which may require electronic measuring
to place the Jig in the correct spot) in the
proper location. You will now lock those
Jigs in place so that they do not move.
b) Lay the replacement part on to
the Jigs and attach the part to the vehicle using clamps.
c) Now, you will need to check to
see what attachment method is required
and either make the locations for rivets,
STRSW, or GMAW/MIG.
d) Leave the Jigs in place, remove
the part(s).
Larry Montanez is a former I-CAR Instructor and is Co-owner of
P&L Consultants with Peter Pratti Jr. P&L conducts repair workshops on MIG & Resistance Welding, Measuring for Estimating
and Advanced Estimating Skills. P&L also conducts investigations for insurers and repair shops for improper repairs. Montanez is an I-CAR Platinum Individual, I-CAR Steel WQT, I-CAR
Aluminum WQT, I-CAR Structural WQT, ASE Certified Collision
Repair Estimator, ASE Certified Master Collision Repair/Refinishing Technician, ASE Certified Service Consultant, ASE EPA
Reg. 609 A/C # 80982 MVAC, NYS Independent Adjusters Lic. # 749458, Toyota
Prius Collision Trained, SAE Service Development Technical Committee Member and ASA Educational Member. Peter Pratti Jr. is an I-CAR Program Instructor who is ASE Certified and holds certifications in various industry circles such
as with Toyota, Spies Hecker and Chief Automotive. P&L can be reached by contacting Montanez at (718) 891–4018 or larrygoju@aol.com.
3. Prepare the flange area for STRSW
(squeeze-type resistance spot welding),
MIG/GMA, weld-bonding, adhesive
bonding or any combination as per the
OEM recommendations.
4. Make test welds on scrap pieces of the
damaged or replacement part to ensure
proper set up and weld penetration. You
will also need to destructively test the
welds. Make sure that you take photos
of the tested welds for documentation.
5. Now, prep the flanges for adhesive
bonding, seam sealer, weld through
primer or epoxy primer as required by
the OEM instructions.
6. Place the properly prepared part back
onto the Jigs and make sure everything
lines up properly.
7. Use the recommended attachment
procedure.
Part Three of this article will be featured
in next month’s Hammer & Dolly.
* Additional consulting by Dave Demarest
Jr.
March 2009
33
TECHNICAL FEATURE
New Procedures to
Structural Realignment:
©iStockphoto.com/sumbul
The Lack of Basic Anchoring
Procedures Can Kill Your Productivity
By Larry Montanez III, with Peter Pratti Jr.*
Part Three
As you saw in my previous article, the procedures for placing the vehicle on the realignment bench (“Set Up”), EME 54
measuring, anchoring, re-anchoring, additional anchoring and
fixture/jig set up requires proper training and instruction. The
days of standard labor allowance for “Set Up and Measure” are
over. Many of these procedures will require more time to accomplish. The amount of time required will be based on what
you charge for these procedures. There will be some variables
involved in your calculations, such as the Labor Rate you
charge or agree to.
Let’s look at an example: A 2008 Ford Explorer is going
to be set up for structural realignment on a Car-o-Liner
BenchRack. This vehicle has damages to the front upper body
structure and the frame assembly. You will need to R&I the
fuel tank, rocker mouldings and running boards and loosen
the brake lines to access the anchoring areas in the center section for this equipment. Now, here are the procedures after
that. (Please understand that I am going to paraphrase these
procedures for space.)
1. Drive the vehicle onto the BenchRack.
2. Access the Car-o-Liner Vision X3 database for this
vehicle.
3. Check the Car-o-Liner anchoring locations and the clamp
configuration required.
4. Assemble the truck anchoring clamps.
5. Raise the vehicle.
6. Attach the clamps in the proper locations.
7. Attach the pull tower clamps and chains. (Remember to
use the tip suggested earlier.)
8. After some preliminary pulls and measuring, access the
Vision database for the EVO additional anchoring
fixtures and assemble them according to the directions.
9. Attach the anchoring fixtures and continue to pull until
all measurements are back to OEM specifications.
10. Remove the part and attach the proper EVO part
holding fixtures.
On your repair order, the procedures for the “Set Up and
Measure” would be listed as separate labor procedures and not
lumped into a standard amount. Using the 2008 Explorer as
an example, you could itemize the structural repair as follows:
* Measure for Damage Analysis/Computerized Structural
Diagnosis (EME 54)
* Set Up Vehicle on Realignment Apparatus
* Additional Anchoring/Set Up for
Upper Body/Unibody
* Measure Vehicle for Repair (EME 54)
* Additional Anchoring for Pulls
* Fixture/Jig Set Up for Replacement of Parts
Because I did not mention the type of structural damage
to this vehicle, I am not going to cover pull time in detail but
let’s use the following as an example:
Structurally Realign Upper Body >>> Time is to realign mash,
sway and sag to the Left Front Area with a Conjunctive Pull
to the Right Side.
Structurally Realign Frame Rails >>> Time is to realign sway
and sag to the Left and Right Front Frame Rails.
There are some other additional items related to this repair that will need to be listed with the structural repair such
as:
Remove Coatings from Rocker
Panel Flange Left
Remove Coatings from Rocker
Panel Flange Right
R&I Underbody Shield Left
Side
R&I Under Engine Cover
R&I Exhaust/Muffler
R&I Wheels for Diagnosis
Repair Left Pinch Weld Flange
Repair Right Pinch Weld
Flange
Mask Left Rocker Panel
Repair Left Frame Clamp
Mounting
Repair Right Frame Clamp
Mounting
Mask Left Frame
Acid Etch Primer
R&I Rocker Moulding Left Side
R&I Rocker Moulding Right
Side
R&I Underbody Shield Right
Side
Replace Clips
Replace Hardware Exhaust
R&I Wheels for Repair
Refinish Left Pinch Weld
Flange
Refinish Right Pinch Weld
Flange
Mask Right Rocker Panel
Refinish Left Frame Clamp
Mounting
Refinish Right Frame Clamp
Mounting
Mask Right Frame
Epoxy Prime
April 2009
23
O'Donnell
Honda
8620 Baltimore Nat’l Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Parts Direct:
410-461-5972
24 Hour Fax:
410-461-9654
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•
•
•
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M-F: 8:00am-6:00pm
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Complete Line of Glass & Sheet Metal
Your Source for OEM Honda Parts
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Professional Wholesale Staff
Free Delivery Always
Radley Chevrolet
I recommend that you list each
procedure and the time required to
complete those procedures. This is
important to ensure your calculations for structural repair are accurate and fair. All of the above
procedures would be listed under
“frame time” if you charge a different Labor Rate for structural repair.
Now, what would you charge
for these procedures and the materials required? Try it out for yourself.
With the steps and procedures
I’ve outlined, you will have a better
understanding of the current structural materials and how it is necessary to pre-measure, anchor
properly and replace parts according to the OEM recommendations
for a safe and productive repair.
For more information on these
procedures, I would suggest you
hire a consultant, attend your frame
equipment makers’ classes or attend
I-CAR courses such as SPS07,
SPS08 and MEA01.
* Additional consulting by Dave
Demarest Jr
3670 Jefferson Davis Highway
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Toll Free:800-355-8202
Fax:540-891-2074
Hours of
Operation:
Monday -Friday:
7:30am-9:00pm
Saturday:
8:00am-2:00pm
26
April 2009
Larry Montanez is a former
I-CAR Instructor and is Coowner of P&L Consultants
with Peter Pratti Jr. P&L
conducts repair workshops
on MIG & Resistance Welding, Measuring for Estimating and Advanced Estimating Skills. P&L
also conducts investigations for insurers and
repair shops for improper repairs. Montanez
is an I-CAR Platinum Individual, I-CAR Steel
WQT, I-CAR Aluminum WQT, I-CAR Structural WQT, ASE Certified Collision Repair
Estimator, ASE Certified Master Collision
Repair/Refinishing Technician, ASE Certified
Service Consultant, ASE EPA Reg. 609 A/C
# 80982 MVAC, NYS Independent Adjusters
Lic. # 749458, Toyota Prius Collision Trained,
SAE Service Development Technical Committee Member and ASA Educational Member. Peter Pratti Jr. is an I-CAR Program
Instructor who is ASE Certified and holds
certifications in various industry circles such
as with Toyota, Spies Hecker and Chief Automotive. P&L can be reached by contacting Montanez at (718) 891–4018 or
larrygoju@aol.com.