NITA Panel Beating & Spray Painting Trade Test study plan
NITA Panel Beating & Spray Painting Trade Test · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Panel Beating, Shrinking, Stretching and Metal Finishing & Occupational Safety, Health and Environment in the Body Shop
Map the three panel-beating mechanisms (hammer and dolly, slapping file, spoons) to the damage types each one corrects, and write a one-page decision table in your own words.
Demonstrate on scrap mild-steel sheet that you can read a low crown and a high crown by sighting along a steel rule, and record where each defect sits.
Practise the hammer-and-dolly sequence on a dented scrap panel until you can bring the metal back to shape with no more than two passes of planishing.
List the PPE and machine-guarding controls for the body-shop tasks you will practise this week, matching each control to the hazard it removes.
State the shop rules for compressed-air use, hand-tool condition and housekeeping at the bench, and explain why each rule exists.
Your checkpoint
A dented scrap panel straightened to within 2 mm of the original contour, checked with a straight edge, plus a signed one-page hazard-to-control list for the bench tasks.
Panel Beating, Shrinking, Stretching and Metal Finishing & Hand Tools, Power Tools and Workshop Equipment
Explain the difference between stretching and shrinking, and identify from the panel's oil-canning behaviour which correction the metal needs.
Perform heat shrinking with a torch and wet rag on a stretched scrap area, and confirm the result by the sound and feel of the panel.
Set up and use a disc sander, angle grinder and reciprocating saw safely, adjusting guards, discs and speed for the material in front of you.
Inspect and maintain the hand tools you use daily (files, hammers, dollies, snips), and record what makes each one unfit for service.
Your checkpoint
A scrap panel with one stretched area corrected by heat shrinking, with before-and-after photographs and a written note of the heat source, temperature range and result.
Body Filler Application, Sanding and Surface Preparation & Panel Beating, Shrinking, Stretching and Metal Finishing
Prepare bare steel and previously painted steel for filler, and justify the grit sequence you choose for each surface.
Mix body filler to the correct ratio, apply it in thin passes, and stop sanding at the correct contour rather than sanding through to bare metal.
Use guide coats and a sanding block to find low and high spots, and correct them without adding excess filler.
Finish a repair area to a featheredge that blends into the surrounding paint with no visible step.
Your checkpoint
One repaired panel section fully filled, shaped and featheredged, photographed at raking light with a guide-coat check showing no high spots or sanding scratches.
Spray Painting: Materials, Mixing, Spray Gun Setup and Application & Body Filler Application, Sanding and Surface Preparation
Identify the components of a solvent-borne basecoat and clearcoat system, and explain what each component does in the film.
Mix primer, basecoat and clearcoat to the manufacturer's stated ratios, and record pot life and induction time for each product you mix.
Set up a gravity-feed spray gun (fluid tip, air cap, fan pattern, pressure) for primer and for topcoat, and justify each setting.
Lay down a full wet coat and a drop coat on a test panel and judge film build by eye and by wet-film gauge.
Clean and store the gun correctly at the end of the session, including a final solvent flush through the passages.
Your checkpoint
Three sprayed test panels (primer, basecoat, clearcoat) with a written gun-setup sheet listing tip size, pressure, fan width and pass speed for each.
Paint Defects, Colour Matching and Finishing & Spray Painting: Materials, Mixing, Spray Gun Setup and Application
Diagnose at least six common paint defects (runs, orange peel, solvent pop, blushing, dry spray, pinholing) from samples or photographs, and state the cause and the correction for each.
Adjust gun distance, speed and overlap to eliminate orange peel on a test panel, and prove the change with a before-and-after comparison.
Explain how blending within a panel is done and why a blend zone must be prepared with the correct abrasive and cleaner.
Describe the colour-matching process for a metallic or pearl finish, including the role of a spray-out card and the effect of application on the final match.
Your checkpoint
A defect diagnosis sheet covering six defects with cause, prevention and repair method, plus one test panel where orange peel has been eliminated by a documented gun-setting change.
Vehicle Body Construction, Materials and Fasteners & Welding, Brazing and Panel Bonding
Identify the body construction methods (body-on-frame, unitary, aluminium-intensive) and the joining methods used in each, and explain how construction affects repair decisions.
Identify the common fasteners and clips used on modern vehicles, and demonstrate the correct removal and refitting of at least three types without damage.
Set up and run a MIG/MAG welder on scrap steel of the thickness used in body panels, and produce a plug weld and a butt weld that pass a visual and bend check.
Explain when panel bonding or brazing is preferred over welding, and describe the surface preparation and clamping each method requires.
Your checkpoint
Two welded scrap coupons (one plug weld, one butt weld) that pass a visual inspection and a simple bend test, with a written note of the settings used.
Damage Assessment, Panel Alignment and Body Measurement & Trim, Glass, Accessories and Final Assembly
Carry out a structured damage assessment on a damaged vehicle or mock-up, recording panel-by-panel damage, hidden damage indicators and repair-versus-replace reasoning.
Take body measurements with a tape, tram gauge or measuring system, and compare readings against the manufacturer's datum points.
Check panel gaps and alignment on a reassembled vehicle, and adjust a door or bonnet to achieve even gaps within tolerance.
Remove and refit glass, trim and an accessory (for example a door mirror or bumper cover) without damaging clips or seals.
Your checkpoint
A completed damage assessment form for one vehicle with measurements recorded, plus a photograph showing corrected panel gaps within tolerance on one door.
Estimating, Job Cards, Customer Care and Workshop Records & Damage Assessment, Panel Alignment and Body Measurement & Paint Defects, Colour Matching and Finishing
Write a job card for a repair job that captures customer details, vehicle details, damage description, approved operations and parts.
Produce a simple estimate that separates labour, paint and materials, and parts, and explain what drives each line.
Explain the customer-care steps from vehicle handover to final handover, including what you tell the customer about the repair and its warranty.
Review your weakest domain from the earlier weeks and complete a focused revision session on it.
Sit a full-length timed mock test across all eleven domains and review every wrong answer.
Your checkpoint
A complete job card and estimate for one repair job, plus a mock-test score sheet showing the result and a written revision list for any domain below 70%.
Milestones
Week 2: Can straighten a scrap panel to within 2 mm of contour and correctly identify whether a distorted area needs shrinking or stretching, explaining the reasoning aloud.
Week 4: Can mix and spray primer, basecoat and clearcoat to manufacturer ratios and produce a test panel with no runs and an even film, documenting the gun settings used.
Week 6: Can produce a plug weld and a butt weld on body-gauge steel that pass a visual and bend check, and can name the construction method and joining method of a given vehicle.
Week 8: Scores at least 70% on the full-length timed mock test across all eleven domains, and has a completed job card and estimate for one repair job.