Adrian:  Almost 14 years.  Somebody just started showing me how.  A coworker asked me if I wanted to learn.  We just pulled out the dents, laid some body filler and smoothed it out.  A couple of years later I got the technique down.  Now just two spreads of filler and I'm done.  My first spread is to knock it down smooth, the second is just to fill in the pin holes.

Webmechanic:  What is your specialty

Adrian:  Fiberglass.  I've done fiberglass repair on cars, jet skis, boats, motorcycles and tractor trailer hoods.  Some of the hoods had whole sides torn out and I would have to section it and fabricate the missing area.  I've also done paint and body repair on heavy machinery like excavators and bulldozers.

Webmechanic:  How is restoration work at Texas Trans Ams different from late model collission?

Adrian:  It's a lot more work, more attention to detail, even repairing things that nobody can see, like inner structures.  With restoration paint work we take the car back down to the bare metal for a complete paint job.  For instance one car had 9 coats of paint to grind off; lots of work with the D.A. (Dual Action Air Sander)  On one pair of doors I replaced the bottom corners due to rust and wear, plus block sanded 30 years worth of ripples, and door dings.  You just can't order a re-pop from Taiwan, we use parts from the "yard" or fabricate it.