Many of you that have come to this page know James Richard Proefrock, for those that do not know him, Jim loved every form of Auto Racing, and new every thing there is to know about the Automotive industry, so if you are a racer race fan or just love cars I know that you would have enjoyed a conversation with Jim Proefrock. Please Read On.

 In the 2008 season the 24 car will race In Memory of Jim Proefrock.

Jim worked in the automotive field in many capacities his entire life; he owned and operated his own body shop, called “Competition Automotive”, for many years both in Pendleton and Newfane, NY. Jim Proefrock also worked as an Autobody Restoration and Repair Manager in several dealerships in Western, NY. He taught at Genesee Wyoming Boces at Batavia for 10 years, and was an Auto Body Instructor at General Motors Training Center in Clarence, NY for 10 years; Jim was forced to retired from Saturn in Detroit Michigan in 2001 because of his health. Jim wrote repair manuals for Saturn at the time.

Jim was a member of the Olcott Yacht Club for many years, serving on the board there and for three years as Fleet Captain. Jim loved racing his sailboat “nokompetishun”. They won several championships in the 1980’s with the help of several of Jim's close friends & sons Paul & Rob. They also raced Southshore.

Jim left a message for his family and friends so I will display it here for you all to read. Jim is in a better place now; I hope there are plenty of cars for Jim to paint with the best tools to do the job. On the days he wants' to relax Jim can sail across the calm seas in the heavens.

Please celebrate my new beginning, I’m whole again! Bye for now, I love you all! Till we meet again.

Source: R Micoli

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Collision industry jobs at cutting edge of technology

Like the automotive technology field, the science of auto collision repair has progressed in its complexity and efficiency. According to retired collision instructor Jim Proefrock, collision repair methods have grown to employ some of the most advanced technology available, in stark contrast to the methods used a few decades ago.

Proefrock’s entire professional life, after graduating from the school today known as Wyoming Tech in Pennsylvania, was at first devoted to making collision repairs and later to educating others in best collision industry practices. He has had such distinguished posts as collision instructor for General Motors and collision manual author for Saturn.

“People today would probably chuckle at what was considered ‘state of the art’ when I first entered the collision field in the 1960s,” Proefrock began. “It was a mix of bull work and guesswork.”

Proefrock explained that a typical collision repair begins with straightening the car’s frame. Years ago, this process involved connecting the vehicle to a frame machine or, in the absence of such a machine, an obliging nearby tree. Come-alongs and similar devices were then applied and the frame was stretched back to its original dimensions, or as close to those dimensions as a technician could get using a plumb-bob and a ruler, using vague measuring points from manufacturers. Manufacturer collision manuals as we now know them did not exist; repair methods were literally passed from older technicians to younger ones.

The methods used to paint the replacement fenders, doors, hoods and trunk lids were similarly simple. State of the art painting was being able to spray paint a vehicle, using a suction-powered spray gun with a canister. There were only two or three types of spray guns available, and only two types of paint were in common use. The guns were so inefficient that only about 25 percent of paint purchased actually made it to the surface of the car; the rest settled on the floor or misted into the air.

Today’s collision repair methods are considerably more advanced. Proefrock explained that most manufacturers now require a vehicle’s frame or unibody to be restored to within 3 millimeters– roughly the thickness of three dimes – of its original dimensions before replacement parts can be added. Fortunately, computerized frame machines are capable of meeting these specifications. Three-dimensional measurements for the vehicle are programmed into the machine, which can pull on the frame from up to four directions at once with exactly the right amount of tension at precisely the right intervals. The dimensions of the frame are laser-measured from exact, manufacturer-specified measuring points, and collision technicians operating the machines customarily receive standardized training from manufacturers in the restoration of their vehicles, supported by published training manuals.

Painting the vehicles has become similarly high-tech, starting with computerized mixing of paint to be certain the new shade exactly matches the car’s existing paint. Technicians can then choose from more than 50 paint gun models, the most popular of which include gravity fed, pressurized cups. Advanced fluid tips ensure that roughly 75 percent of the paint ends up on the vehicle.

“Like automotive technology repair, practices in collision repair involve cutting-edge technology, and the industry needs bright, talented people to fill jobs in that field,” said Paul Stasiak, president of the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association (NFADA). “Many people still think that automotive jobs are low-skilled, low-tech, low-paying positions, when in fact these jobs involve a great deal of higher math, computer skills, and communication ability. The nature of the industry has changed.”