Automotive Restoration

Overview
AA

Recognizing an industry demand for talented entry-level automotive restorers, the School of Industrial Design has launched a new Associate of Arts degree in Automotive Restoration. The vintage Automotive Restoration program prepares you for a career dedicated to the preservation and restoration of vintage cars. You will benefit from the extremely specialized program, as emphasis is placed on learning from classic cars that have been fully restored to the highest standard at the Academy’s Automobile Museum.

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What We Teach

Machining Technology

Gain knowledge of precision measurement, visual documentation, and the operation of machine tools such as metal lathes and milling machines. Learn the skills needed to reproduce a component for a car, the characteristics and uses of common industrial metals used in the machining process, and machine tool maintenance.

Sheet Metal Work

Master the basic concepts, techniques, and practices used to cut, bend, form, and weld auto body panels. You will form sheet metal, create new sheet metal components, and assemble components using rivets and thread fasteners.

Techniques in Woodworking

Learn concepts and practices of basic woodworking and safety. Topics include planning, fabrication, laser cutting, and finishing. Learn to make basic wooden frames with various joint types, and replication of vintage vehicle interior wooden parts.

Vehicle Disassembly

Understand the practical historical research, disassembly, visual inspection, written and photographic documentation, and planning related to restoring vintage automobiles. You will research relevant information required to outline a restoration plan and document vehicle conditions, supported by the photographic record, as the vehicle gets disassembled.

Vehicle Restoration Assembly

Learn to assemble and test components. Obtain the skills to restore various parts of a car. To do this you will analyze the work needed, perform the necessary historical research, and diagram the work to be done and the process to follow. Emphasis is placed on the quality of the restoration and assembly.

Automotive Restoration Degree

In the Automotive restoration AA degree program, you learn the technologically and historically accurate preservation or restoration of vintage vehicles. We will focus on key components of successful vehicle restoration or recreation, including techniques in woodwork and machine work, sheet metal work, and processes of disassembly and assembly. You will gain practical, collaborative experience working within a team to perform the restoration of a vintage car.

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Our facilities, faculty, and hands-on learning approach are designed to provide you with the tools you need to find your place in the exciting automotive restoration profession.

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Automobile Museum

The Academy of Art University Automobile Museum presents a tantalizing glimpse into the history of the art and design of automobiles. Displaying cars from this expansive collection, among them classics from Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Jaguar, Packard, Duesenberg and Cadillac, the museum preserves an integral piece of international automotive culture.

For students of the University’s School of Industrial Design as well as automotive enthusiasts alike, this non-profit museum evokes an appreciation of the exquisite craftsmanship of the past while inspiring the design and creativity of the future. Come and experience these exhilarating automotive designs for yourself!

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COMPANIES THAT HAVE HIRED OUR GRADUATES

Liberal Arts

The Liberal Arts Program provides students with a holistic education covering the arts, humanities, and sciences. Courses highlight connections between the subject of study and the major fields of art and design, providing context to the larger world of art and design.

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Foundations

The Foundations curriculum heightens perception and understanding of visual structure through the study of drawing, modeling of form, value structure, perspective principles, color, and design theory.

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