Skills Canada 2013

I am so excited to share this today.

We have always known that our painter Cecile was a dedicated and valuable employee.

Recently though, she got the chance to prove her skill to the auto body world.

First, the provincials for car painting were at the NAIT Patricia Campus a week before the skills competition at the expo centre.

 "In the provincial competition, there were four of us competitng..me being the only girl...we had to prepare a fender with a scratch in it to be painted (featheredge, prime and sand) and  prepare a new bumper, seal and paint it." 

She won gold, as well as the safety award for her field. 

Not to mention the opportunity to represent Alberta at the national event at BC place in Vancouver.

"There were seven of us competing in post secondary (only girl again!). On the first day, I had to make a turquoise color without a formula, tint a blue color to match with a formula, polish half a hood(removing all the defects) and mask up a car door without removing any trim panels, handle or mirror. On the second day, we did a tri-stage spot repair on a fender(it was laser red) following the tech sheet and we had to prepare a new bumper for sealer and paint. The judges were concerned with the process and safety..and of course final product."  

Again, it was gold for our girl in Post Secondary Car Painting.

Her trip was completed with a little down time.

"In Vancouver, Team Alberta was treated to a boat ride up False Creek and into the English Bay. We got to see the Southwest Coast, downtown Vancouver, the Lions gate bridge, Lighthouse Park and Snug Cove."

 "It was a great experience, meeting people from across the country and winning gold was just the cherry on top!"

We are so proud of you Cecile.

This Weekend

The Edmonton Motorshow is here.

This is our third year participating in the show and we're so glad to be back.

This event always falls at a busy time for our family.

In 2011 it was on the weekend of Fiona's 1st birthday.

Last year it just ended the day before Cedric's due date.

Now again, it falls on the weekend of Fiona's birthday.

I've never claimed that our lives weren't hectic right?

It's absolutely worth it though.

Here's a preview of our booth, the guys did a great job setting this up.

Most attend the Motorshow to see what's new and exciting from the manufacturers.

The Edmonton Motorshow has them all and many do have 2014 products on display.

We like to think though that the real action is at our end of the Expo Centre, in the Auto Emporium.

Here you can find everything you need to maintain and enhance your vehicle's esthetic and performance.

{Remember that show "Pimp my Ride"?  Is that still going?}

Even if you're not interested in an extreme makeover there's something for you.

The show runs today and tomorrow 10-10 and Sunday 10-6.

If you get a chance to go make sure to stop by the booth.

Hope to see you there and have a great weekend!

The Welder in Action

Just popping by today to share some shop pics with you.

As you may remember, we recently acquired some new equipment to make our shop one of the best in the city.

This is our new Pro Spot I4 welder at work.

I should also mention that we have a new bodyman, Gabe.

He's been with us since the beginning of the year and we couldn't be happier to have him on board.

It's a Christmas Miracle

Well, at least as close as it gets at the shop this year.

Ok, I may be using the word a little loosely.

Remember over 7 months ago, in my very first post, when I wrote about this Charger?

It belongs to Brian, who is lovingly known at the shop as "The Old Man".

I told you how it was sitting in pieces in the shop and guess what?

It has been ever since.

I'm still not sure what possessed Brian to disfigure fix it.

Regardless, there it was, collecting dust.

Well, the appearance hasn't much improved.

I mean, does this even qualify as a car?

But check this out.

It's on the frame rack!

I know it's not much to look at, if you're looking at it from the same perspective as me.

If you know something about cars, especially fixing them, this may get you going.

  Either way, this is progress folks.

**I'll keep you updated on the Charger Project as it unfolds.**

No More Identity Crisis

We finally have our new sign.

It looks great and now we don't come off like a shady backdoor operation.

Up to this point putting money into advertising our name seemed pointless.

It was near impossible to find Shield Autobody unless one of us had told you what to look for.

Until now that is.

One more step closer to taking over the world.

Equipment {AKA Before You Came Into Our Lives We Missed You So Bad}

It's here!

We have all the equipment in.

We are now arguably the best equipped auto body shop in town.

Frame Rack

This is what allows us to do framework on site.
We are now officially a full auto body repair shop.
{insert applause}

Velocity Max

With this we can measure the condition of your vehicle's frame including body openings.
It will tell us exactly what needs to be done to return it to it's original state.
We can also give you printed documentation of this information.

 

Welder

The ProSpot i4 can handle the most difficult to weld materials.
It includes an OEMprogrammable feature with detailed repair illustrations and customized weld programs.
Translation {for those with my level of knowledge}: Super amazing welder, fix good.

If you want more detailed info visit the Shield website.