Merriam, Kan. -- As the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. So, four years ago, Ron Butler, owner of Butler C&D, said he made an investment that allowed him to perform BMW approved aluminum repairs. The total cost cited by Butler: $65,000--which included a Celette dedicated fixture-frame bench, a Gesipa PowerBird rivet extractor, a Cebora Aluminum Power Spot welder, and a BMW toolbox with special aluminum tools.
Butlers said that although he has all the necessary equipment, getting aluminum repairs sent his way has been slower than he expected.
"When I bought the equipment, I thought I would be getting a lot more aluminum work than I have been receiving," he said, adding that 90 percent of his work is insurance-related and 25 percent comes directly through DRPs. "But I still think that in the future, there is going to be more and more aluminum."
Aluminum repairs are not only performed with special aluminum tools, but also in a separate "clean room" to prevent cross-contamination of steel and aluminum. If iron oxide gets on the aluminum, it will start a corrosion process, Butler said.
A certified BMW technician is also required, along with a BMW certified paint department, Butler said. Fortunately, he said, his BMW technician, Curtis Clauser, had completed training at the BMW Technical Center in South Carolina before he started at C&D, sparing him the expense of sending a technician to the 18-month-long program.
Clauser said he attended Wyo Tech before getting accepted into the BMW program. Upon completion of the program, he said Baron BMW in Merriam recommended him to Butler.
"Working on cars is a huge adventure," Clauser said. "You never know what you are going to run into, from luxury to beat-up cars."
Luxury cars tend to make up the majority of repairs at C&D, Butler said, adding that 70 percent of work is on higher-end vehicles such as BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes, and, recently, a Ferrari.
"The Ferrari was a big challenge because it was all aluminum," he said. "The parts came out of Italy, and it took a while to get them, but once we got the parts, it went together pretty easily."
Four months ago, Butler switched to PPG Nexa Aqua Base paints, which he said was a surprisingly easy transition.
"We haven't had to upgrade any of our equipment," he said. "It has been very easy for us, and my painter really fell in love with it. He said it is the best thing he has ever shot."
Butler added that the waterborne paints make tiger-striping look much better. "The worst model problem with waterborne is the best job you can do with solvent-borne," he said.
For many, airflow is a concern when it comes to shooting waterborne paints, but Butler said he has not had to add any fans yet, as there seems to be enough airflow in his Italian CMC downdraft paint booth, which he said he liked so much that he has been selling them as CMC's Midwest distributor for 10 years.
Butler said he now operates with one CMC paint booth but is in the process of converting a two-story building next door to a designated prep and paint area.
To maximize space and efficiency, he said he will use two double-prep downdrafts, and two side-entry CMC paint booths. The process will work in a "U" shape, with a prep and paint booth sitting side by side, he said. A car will pull onto a movable track in the first prep station, where it'll be sanded and primed; then a dividing curtain will be raised, and the car will be pushed sideways into another prep station for cleaning and masking, he said.
Once finished, Butler said, the side doors in the paint booth will be opened and the car will be pushed in for painting. When painting is completed, the car is backed out off the tracks. Two stations like this will be set up in the new building, and a mixing room will be located between the two stations, he said.
"I wanted to maximize the number of cars that I could have in a specific area," he said. "This allows us to get more cars in and utilize our space."
The new paint area will increase his work space by 5,000 square-feet, Butler said, giving him 11,000 square feet of workable space, along with an addition 5,000 square feet on the second floor, which will be used for offices, a classroom, and a break room. He said he hopes to have the new building ready before Christmas.
Butler said he staffs three metal workers, two painters, one of whom is his brother, Steve Butler, one polisher, one parts manager (nephew Travis Davidson), an office manager (sister Denise Vertz), and an estimator.
This year marks 33 years in business for Butler, who said working on a variety of cars from classics to late-model luxury makes his job exciting.
"There is what you do to make your living, but there is also what you do with your heart that gives you some pleasure, and I am lucky to say that I still get pleasure from my work," he said.
