NABTEB Vehicle Body Building key terms

Specialised clothing and gear such as welding helmets, gloves, respirators and safety boots worn to protect the body from hazards in the body shop.

A document supplied with a chemical product that lists its hazards, safe handling, storage and first-aid measures, required to be available in the workshop.

A safety device fitted to oxy-acetylene hoses or regulators that stops a flame from travelling back into the cylinder and causing an explosion.

A system of fans, hoods or ducts that removes paint fumes, welding smoke and dust from the work area to keep the air safe to breathe.

The three elements needed for fire: fuel, oxygen and heat. Removing any one of them extinguishes a fire, which guides firefighting and prevention.

A precision measuring instrument with a calibrated screw that measures thickness of sheet metal or wire to hundredths of a millimetre.

A measuring tool with a sliding jaw and scale used to read inside, outside and depth dimensions of components to within a fraction of a millimetre.

A set of thin metal blades of known thickness used to measure small gaps, such as spark plug gaps or panel clearance.

An adjustable bar with two pointed legs used for scribing large circles or transferring distances too large for ordinary dividers.

A standard scale that expresses sheet thickness as a gauge number; higher numbers mean thinner sheets, and the standard used must be stated.

Low-carbon steel sheet commonly used for body panels because it is ductile, weldable and easily shaped by panel beating.

Steel alloyed or heat-treated to give greater strength at lower weight; it is harder to form and usually requires controlled heat during repair.

Lightweight body panel made from aluminium alloys; it needs separate tools and filler types to avoid corrosion when joined to steel.

Corrosion that occurs when two dissimilar metals such as steel and aluminium touch in the presence of moisture, forming a small electric cell.

A flexible compound applied over welded or overlapped body seams to exclude water and prevent rust starting in the joint.

A fastener installed from one side using a rivet gun; the mandrel pulls a bulb inside the panel to clamp the sheets together.

A reusable spring-loaded temporary pin that holds drilled panels in alignment while they are riveted or welded.

A resistance weld made where two electrodes clamp overlapping sheets and pass current, fusing a small spot without filler metal.

A weld made by filling a hole drilled in the outer panel so it fuses to the panel beneath, used where a spot welder cannot reach.

Body construction in which the panels and box sections form the load-bearing structure, so there is no separate chassis frame.

Construction where a separate steel chassis carries the load and the body shell is bolted on top, common on light trucks.

A designed weak section at the front or rear of a body that deforms in a collision to absorb energy before it reaches the occupants.

A separate structural member bolted to the main body that carries the engine, suspension or other assemblies and can be replaced.

A rigid fixture that holds a body or panel in correct position during repair or assembly so dimensions are maintained.

A reference mark or hole on the vehicle body from which all alignment measurements are taken when checking for collision damage.

The process of pulling, pushing and measuring a damaged body back to its original dimensions and panel gaps using jigs and datum points.

Marking a line on metal with a sharp scriber along a rule or template so the cut follows an accurate path.

A machine or hand tool that cuts sheet metal along a straight line by bringing two hardened blades past each other.

Reducing the surface area of a stretched panel by heating a spot and quenching it, or by using a shrinking hammer and dolly.

Increasing the surface area of sheet metal by hammering it over a curved stake or form, used to shape crowns and curves.

A shaping machine with two steel rollers between which sheet metal is worked to form smooth compound curves.

Warping of a panel caused by uneven heating or cooling during welding or shrinking, which leaves the surface wavy.

A short temporary weld used to hold parts in alignment before a full seam is run, helping to control heat distortion.

Joining metals by melting a filler with a lower melting point than the parent metal so it flows into the joint without melting the parts.

A device fitted to a gas cylinder that reduces high cylinder pressure to a steady working pressure for welding or cutting.

A matched pair of panel-beating tools: the dolly is held behind the panel while the hammer strikes the outside to flatten dents.

A paste of resin and hardener spread over a prepared panel to fill small dents and level the surface before painting.

The first coat applied to bare or repaired metal to give adhesion and corrosion protection before the topcoat is sprayed.

An enclosed, filtered and ventilated chamber in which paint is applied to keep dust out and remove overspray safely.

A drawing method that shows a part from front, side and top views arranged on a flat sheet, with each view showing true shape.

A three-dimensional drawing in which the three axes are drawn at 120 degrees to each other so lengths stay true along them.

A drawing that shows an object as if cut open, with the cut material shown hatched, to reveal internal features.

A precision steel rule or bar with a true straight edge used to check flatness of panels and to guide scribed lines.