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COLLISION INDUSTRY CONFERENCE Glossary of Terms COLLISION INDUSTRY CONFERENCE
Glossary of Terms
January 1997

General Automotive Terms
A
ABRASIVE: Substance used to wear away a surface by friction.
ABRASIVE COATING: In closed coat paper, the adhesive is completely coated with abrasive, and in
open coat paper, the adhesive is partially exposed, for the abrasive is not put on the paper close together.
ACCUMULATOR: Assembly that acts as a refrigerator storage container to receive liquid, vapor, and
refrigerant oil from the evaporator.
ACETYLENE: Gas used for oxyacetylene welding.
ACID CORE: Solder in a tubular wire form in which the interior contains a flux.
ACRYLIC RESINS: Synthetic resin that has excellent color retention and clarity and that is used in both
lacquer and enamel.
ACTIVATOR: Additive used to speed up the curing of paint resins.
ALTERNATOR: Device on a vehicle that when turned produces electricity
ALUMINUM OXIDE: Sharp and hard abrasive that is made by fusing mineral bauxite at high
temperatures.
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: Temperature of the air surrounding an object.
ANTICORROSIVE: Materials applied to metal to give corrosion resistance.
ANTICORROSIVE AND INHIBITOR: Protective coatings applied on metal surfaces to retard or
prevent corrosion and said to be anticorrosive or corrosion inhibitive.
ARMREST: Part of the door trim on which the arm may be rested.
ASSEMBLY: A number of auto body parts that are either bolted or welded together forming a single
unit.
ATOMIZATION: Breaking up a fluid with an air stream, such as with a spray gun.
ATOMIZE: Air at the gun nozzle breaks up the paint and solvents into fine particles.
AUTOMATIC LOAD-LEVELING SYSTEM: System used on some vehicles to raise the vehicle to
counteract the weight of the passengers.
AUTOMATIC PRESSURE SWITCH: Used on a compressor to release the air pressure in the cylinders.

B
BACK-SANDING: Technique of sanding a surface to taper the paint film away from the metal repaired
area.
BACKFIRE: Malfunctioning of a torch, causing the flame to go out with a loud snap or pop.
BACKHAND WELDING: When the torch, in the case of a right-hand operator, is moved in the
opposite way from left to right instead of right to left as in the usual practice.
BAFFLE: Part used in a spray gun to divert the air stream. Also a part of the radiator support on some
cars.
BAKING: Application of heat to cure and dry a coating. In automotive refinishing, baking is used to
speed up the drying of air-drying lacquers and enamel and is sometimes called force drying. The metal
temperature in refinish baking usually does not exceed 180 F (82.2 C).
BANDING: Single coat of paint applied to frame in an area to be sprayed.
BASECOAT/CLEARCOAT: Type of paint coating.
BATTERY: Part used in vehicles to store electrical energy used to start the vehicle. BETTERMENT FACTOR: Term used in the insurance industry when a part such as a tire is replaced,
and the insurance company pays for the unworn part and the customer pays for the amount that was
worn.
BINDER: Resin used to hold the pigment in a paint film.
BLEEDING: Action whereby the color of a stain or other material works up into succeeding coats and
imparts a certain amount of color. This is characteristic of certain red pigments used in lacquers and
enamels. A nonbleeding color is one that is not soluble in materials used over it and, consequently, does
not work up into succeeding coats. Bad body filler will also cause bleeding.
BLENDING: Mixing together of two or more materials or the gradual shading of paint from one panel
to the next to assure color consistency.
BLISTERING: Bubbling up of the paint film in the form of small blisters.
BLUSHING: White or grayish cast that sometimes forms on a lacquer film as it dries, particularly under
conditions of hot, humid weather.
BODY FILES: Variety of files used in accurately locating surface irregularities (high and low spots) on
damaged areas after they have been "bumped" out. Also used in trimming down solder and plastic filled
areas.
BODY SOLDER: Alloy of tin and lead. Its properties may vary but the most common mixture consists
of 30% tin and 70% lead or 30/70 solder as it is usually called.
BODY STRAPS: Specially designed straps made out of strong vulcanized belting material equipped
with wide hooks that snugly fit around the flanges of various body panels. They are used in
repositioning and pulling different assemblies and parts closer together.
BODYING: Thickening in the package, usually due to evaporation of solvents or volatile material
because of excessive heat or exposure to air during storage.
BOILING POINT: Temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid exceeds the atmospheric
pressure and the liquid begins to boil.
BONDING STRIPS: Narrow strips of laminated fiberglass bonded to the inner surface of the
replacement panel and the adjoining body panels. When properly installed, the strips greatly strengthen
the joint and make alignment of the replacement panel with the rest of the body panels much easier.
BRAKE SYSTEM: Hydraulic system of levers, cylinders, surfaces and fluid used to stop or slow down
a vehicle.
BRAZE WELDING: When bronze welding rod in a molten stage is deposited on metals that are heated
to a cherry red; similar and dissimilar metals are bonded together.
BRIDGING: Ability of an enamel or lacquer to cover a crack, void, or other small gap.
BUBBLES, BLISTERS AND BULGES: Damage that occurs on vinyl roof covers.
BUFFING: Technique used to polish an area to remove sanding marks of surface imperfections.
BUFFING COMPOUND: Soft paste containing fine abrasive in a neutral medium, used to eliminate
fine scratches and polish the topcoat.
BULL'S-EYE: Edge of a repaired area of a paint film that shows up after a surface has been repainted.
BURNING: Condition resulting from rubbing a topcoat too hard. The heat generated by the friction of
the rubbing pad may soften the surface and cause it to stick to the pad, thus permanently marring the
finish.
BUTT WELD: Two pieces of similar metal are aligned closely edge to edge. The edges are tack welded
first and then by running a good bead are solidly fused together.

C
CAKING: Gathering of sanding dust into solid cakes sticking to sandpaper. Compare Gumming
CALCIUM CARBIDE: Chemical used to make acetylene gas.
CALIPER: Part of the disk brake mechanism that holds the brake pads. CAMBER: Inward or outward tilt of the wheel at the top. It is the tire-wearing angle measured in
degrees and is the amount the centerline of the wheel is tilted from true vertical.
CARBON DIOXIDE: Gas that can be used for MIG welding.
CARBURIZING FLAME: Used mostly for heating parts and for soldering. It burns more acetylene than
oxygen through the torch. Its inner core is whitish in color and has a feather. Sometimes also called a
reducing flame.
CASE HARDENING: Surface coating that will dry hard on top and remain more or less soft
underneath. Compare Lifting.
CAST: Tendency of one color to look like another.
CASTER: Backward or forward tilt of the king pin or spindle support arm at the top. It is the directional
control angle measured in degrees and is the amount the centerline of the spindle support arm is tilted
from the true vertical.
CATALYST: Substance that causes or speeds up a chemical reaction when it is mixed with another
substance and that does not change by itself.
CAULKING COMPOUND: Semi or slow-drying plastic material used to fill crevices or seal joints.
CENTER PLANE OR CENTERLINE: Line in the center of vehicle from which all side measurements
are taken.
CENTRIFUGAL PRESSURE SWITCH: Switch used on a compressor to release the pressure in the
cylinder.
CHALKING: Formation of soft white powder on the surface of a finish, which may be removed by
friction of the finger or similar methods.
CHECKING: Small, irregular cracks going partly or completely through a paint film. Like
"alligatoring", only very fine cracks. Compare Cracking and Crazing.
CHEMICAL STAINING: Spotty staining or discoloration of the paint topcoat caused by atmospheric
conditions (acid rain, tree sap, etc.).
CHIPPING: Condition of the finish flaking off or chipping away from the surface underneath.
CHIPPING HAMMER: Special hammer used in removing slag deposits from a weld so that it can be
inspected for quality.
CHROMA: Quality of a color that combines hue and saturation.
CLEAN: Opposite of dirty. Describes a color with a bright appearance rather than one that has a drab
appearance. The exclusion of black makes colors cleaner.
CLEAR: A coating of paint that has no color.
CLEAR COAT: A clear, shiny coat of paint (e.g. urethane or acrylic enamel) applied over the base or
color coat of paint on a vehicle.
CLIP: A group of related vehicle parts purchased from a salvage yard as an assembly (usually the
complete front or complete rear section of a vehicle). Also known as Salvage Clip.
CLOSED-COAT DISK: Disk on which the abrasive grains are very densely spaced. Used in disk
sanding and polishing repaired sheet metal.
COAT DOUBLE: Two single coats applied one after the other with little or no flash-off time for the first
coat.
COAT SINGLE: Coat produced by two passes of a spray gun