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Master’s in Classic Bodywork and Panel Beating Engineering

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in classic coachwork engineering and panel beating, structured in 12 modules covering sheet-metal metallurgy, hand forming, the English wheel, bucks, panel repair and welding, complete panel fabrication and metal finishing, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration1900 h
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Understand the metallurgical behaviour of sheet metal.

02

Use the panel beater's traditional tools.

03

Form panels by hand and on the English wheel.

04

Build reference templates and bucks.

05

Repair original panels while preserving the metal.

06

Weld and finish panels without filler.

07

Fabricate complete panels to concours standard.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Panel beaters seeking to refine traditional hand and wheel forming.
  • Classic-car body technicians working on period steel and aluminium coachwork.
  • Aluminium formers in coachbuilding and historic motorsport.
  • Buck makers who produce wooden and wire-frame formers for reproduction panels.
  • Car body restorers aiming for concours-quality metalwork.
  • Sheet-metal workshop managers responsible for planning, quoting and quality.
  • Engineering or science graduates looking to move into classic vehicle restoration.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ISO 9606-2 (qualification testing of welders — aluminium and aluminium alloys)
  • ISO 9606-1 (qualification testing of welders — steels)
  • ISO 4063 (nomenclature and reference numbers of welding processes)
  • ISO 5817 (quality levels for imperfections in steel welds)
  • ISO 10042 (quality levels for imperfections in aluminium welds)
  • EN 485-2 (aluminium sheet, strip and plate — mechanical properties)
  • EN 10130 (cold-rolled low-carbon steel flat products for cold forming)
  • FIVA Turin Charter (guidelines for the preservation and restoration of historic vehicles)
  • Rhinoceros
  • Autodesk Fusion
  • Artec Studio
  • Geomagic Design X
Syllabus

12 modules · 1900 h

  1. 1.1Low-carbon steels in classic car bodies
  2. 1.2Aluminium alloys of the 1000, 3000 and 5000 series
  3. 1.3Crystal structure and plastic deformation
  4. 1.4Work hardening
  5. 1.5Annealing and recrystallisation
  6. 1.6Historic thicknesses and gauges
  7. 1.7Elastic behaviour and springback
  8. 1.8Galvanic corrosion between metals
  9. 1.9Selecting sheet for reproduction
  10. 1.10Case study: identifying the materials of an original panel
  1. 2.1Panel-beating hammers and their faces
  2. 2.2Dollies and backing tools
  3. 2.3Sandbags and leather bags
  4. 2.4Wooden and nylon mallets
  5. 2.5English wheel and lower anvils
  6. 2.6Pneumatic planishing hammer
  7. 2.7Jaw-type shrinkers and stretchers
  8. 2.8Folders and beading tools
  9. 2.9Maintaining tool surfaces
  10. 2.10Workshop: preparing a set of hammers and dollies
  1. 3.1Hollowing on a sandbag
  2. 3.2Raising on a dolly
  3. 3.3Stretching and shrinking
  4. 3.4Shrinking with tucks
  5. 3.5Heat shrinking
  6. 3.6Hammer on-dolly and off-dolly
  7. 3.7Planishing surfaces
  8. 3.8Reading the panel by hand
  9. 3.9Correcting ripples
  10. 3.10Practical exercise: forming a spherical dome
  1. 4.1Operating principle
  2. 4.2Selecting anvils by radius
  3. 4.3Pressure and tracking pattern
  4. 4.4Single and compound curvature
  5. 4.5Saddle shapes
  6. 4.6Final planishing of the panel
  7. 4.7Common mistakes and how to correct them
  8. 4.8Combining with the pneumatic hammer
  9. 4.9Wheeling aluminium
  10. 4.10Laboratory: double-curvature panel on the English wheel
  1. 5.1Measuring the original shape
  2. 5.2Section templates
  3. 5.3Wooden bucks
  4. 5.4Wire-frame bucks
  5. 5.53D scanning for bucks
  6. 5.6CNC machining of bucks
  7. 5.7Using templates during forming
  8. 5.8Shape checking
  9. 5.9Preserving bucks
  10. 5.10Case study: wooden buck for a mudguard
  1. 6.1Damage assessment
  2. 6.2Dents and deformations
  3. 6.3Hammer-and-dolly repair
  4. 6.4Cold dent removal
  5. 6.5Shrinking stretched areas
  6. 6.6Patches and splices
  7. 6.7Repairing edges and flanges
  8. 6.8Preserving original metal
  9. 6.9Limits of repair
  10. 6.10Workshop: repairing a dented door
  1. 7.1Edge preparation
  2. 7.2Oxy-acetylene welding of sheet metal
  3. 7.3TIG welding of thin steel
  4. 7.4TIG welding of aluminium
  5. 7.5Gas welding of aluminium
  6. 7.6Planishing weld beads
  7. 7.7Distortion control
  8. 7.8Finishing joints
  9. 7.9Weld inspection
  10. 7.10Practical exercise: butt joint between two aluminium panels
  1. 8.1Flanging wings
  2. 8.2Flanges and folds
  3. 8.3Wired edges
  4. 8.4Swage lines and pressings
  5. 8.5Louvres and slats
  6. 8.6Internal panel reinforcements
  7. 8.7Hemming doors and bonnets
  8. 8.8Flanged joints
  9. 8.9Edge fitting
  10. 8.10Case study: bonnet with ventilation louvres
  1. 9.1Fabricating front wings
  2. 9.2Rear wings and wheel arches
  3. 9.3Doors and door frames
  4. 9.4Bonnets and lids
  5. 9.5Fabricating roofs
  6. 9.6Front and rear ends
  7. 9.7Floor panels
  8. 9.8Panel assembly
  9. 9.9Checking on the vehicle
  10. 9.10Workshop: fabricating a complete rear wing
  1. 10.1The body file
  2. 10.2Guide-coat sanding
  3. 10.3Checking with raking light
  4. 10.4Smoothing without filler
  5. 10.5Traditional metal finishing
  6. 10.6Body solder (lead loading)
  7. 10.7Preparing for primer
  8. 10.8Surface tolerances
  9. 10.9Concours-level quality
  10. 10.10Practical exercise: metal finishing a panel
  1. 11.1Workshop layout
  2. 11.2Safety: noise, sparks and fumes
  3. 11.3Ergonomics for the panel beater
  4. 11.4Work planning
  5. 11.5Estimating hours
  6. 11.6Training and craft
  7. 11.7Sheet-metal suppliers
  8. 11.8Quality and documentation
  9. 11.9The panel-beating business
  10. 11.10Case study: quotation for a complete car body
  1. 12.1Selecting the panel or car body
  2. 12.2Analysing the original shape
  3. 12.3Designing templates or a buck
  4. 12.4Forming the panels
  5. 12.5Joining and finishing
  6. 12.6Fitting on the vehicle
  7. 12.7Documenting the process
  8. 12.8Quality evaluation
  9. 12.9Master's Thesis report
  10. 12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

The programme is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so you can combine it with your job.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Rhinoceros, Autodesk Fusion, Artec Studio and Geomagic Design X, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures: forming panels on the English wheel, welding thin aluminium sheet and metal finishing without filler. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: ISO 9606-2, ISO 9606-1, ISO 4063, ISO 5817, ISO 10042, EN 485-2, EN 10130, FIVA Turin Charter.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ISO 9606-2, ISO 9606-1 and ISO 4063 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:Rhinoceros, Autodesk Fusion, Artec Studio and Geomagic Design X, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Master's Thesis with defence:a complete hand-formed panel or body section, from shape analysis and buck to fitting on the vehicle, defended before a panel.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Original panel analysis
Identify the materials of an original panel and measure its shape with templates or 3D scanning.
Buck construction
Build a wooden or wire-frame buck to serve as the reference for forming.
Wheel forming
Form a double-curvature panel by hand and on the English wheel.
Welding and metal finishing
Butt-weld aluminium panels and metal-finish the result without filler.
Master's Thesis
A complete panel fabrication project, fitted and documented, defended before a panel.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Panel beaterClassic car body technicianAluminium formerBuck makerCar body restorerSheet-metal workshop manager
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
  • An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with Rhinoceros, Autodesk Fusion, Artec Studio and Geomagic Design X, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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