Hot Rod Institute: +1 605 415 8340

 

 
 

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QUESTION: Where is Hot Rod Institute located?
Answer: It’s located in the beautiful Black Hills, Rapid City, South Dakota.
Check it out: http://www.city-data.com/city/Rapid-City-South-Dakota.html

Question: How long has the HRI been around?
Answer: Doug LaRue the founder has been building Hot Rods for over 30 years. He has also been a professional instructor for 20 years. He has developed similar programs for two different schools and expanded those programs many times. The school is new but the instructional staff is very experienced and you can rest assured that if you want a high quality education in the hot rodding industry this is the school for you.

Question: Would I have to take collision or automotive course before attending Hot Rod Institute?
Answer: NO: The HRI is about building hot rods and custom motorcycles. If you have taken some kind of repair industry training from another school it could help. The classes are mostly self paced. It’s our goal to help you achieve a very highest level of competence and make you very employable in the specialty industry.

Question: How long is the complete course?
Answer: It depends on you and your goals. You can elect to take just one three month class or all 6, three month long classes or 18 months.
Here are the programs and a brief description.

HRC (Chassis Fabrication) 3 months

  • All hot rod chassis fabrication skills used in today’s hot rod shops
  • Learn all equipment used to build awesome custom vehicles

    • Bending & rolling

    • Iron worker

    • Plasma Pattern cutter (for cutting custom brackets)

    • Frame jigs

  • All welding (this is the only class that teaches welding)

    • TIG     (structural and sheet metal steel) (sheet metal aluminum)

    • MIG    (structural and sheet metal steel)

    • OXY welding & Cutting (weld sheet metal steel and introduced to aluminum)

    • Plasma Cutting

  • Chassis fabrication
    • Build a hot rod frame from bare frame rails

    • Modify frames

    • Front & rear suspensions

    • Engine/Transmission installation

HRB (Body Fabrication) 3 months (HRC is the prerequisite for HRB)

  • All advanced sheet metal fabrication, (hot rods & custom bikes)
  • Learn to use sheet metal fabrication tools and equipment
    • English Wheel
    • Power hammer
    • Planishing hammer
    • Breaks and rollers
    • Shrinker & Stretchers
    • Shears
  • Floors
  • Chopped tops
  • Custom motorcycle tanks
  • Hoods
  • Quarter panels
  • Doors
  • Wheel openings
  • Interior sheet metal (dash, center console)
  • Fiberglass cars fit and finish

HRM (Motorcycle fabrication) 3 months

  • Learn to build a complete custom motorcycle (bring in your own kit and learn how to build it the right way)
  • Modify frame if students takes HRC first
  • All mechanical:  from assembly - start-up
  • Machining:  Lathe and Mill work
  • Engine work, wiring & tune-up

HRR (Refinishing) 3 months

  • Finishing body work
  • Primers
  • Top coat paints & clear coats
  • Custom paint
  • Glass
  • Final assembly

HRP (Performance Automotive) 3 months “NEW”

  • Performance engine component matching
  • Performance engine theory (no engine overhaul)
  • Hot Rod Transmission set-up
  • Electronic fuel injection set-up
  • Complete wiring harness/automotive electrical
  • A/C installation
  • Rear differential set-up

HRU (Upholstery) 3 months “NEW”

  • Complete Hot Rod Interiors
  • Sewing Machine Operation
  • Basic & Advanced  Seams
  • Seats
  • Carpets
  • Trim Panels
  • Headliners & Visors
  • Headrest & Armrest
  • Custom Interior design

Custom Motorcycle Option:
Take HRC, HRM, HRB, and then HRR in that order and you could build and entire custom motorcycle in 12 months and really have a great start to an exciting career custom industry. If you had a kit bike and you learned how to fabricate and weld in HRC, then you moved into HRM, you could modify and assemble the bike. After moving on to HRB you could build and modify the sheet metal. In the HRR class, you would learn how to do all the finish work and give the bike that custom paint job. How cool would that be?

Hot Rod Option:
Take HRC, HRB, HRP, and HRR in that order or substitute the HRU class for any one of the classes and you could almost build and entire hot rod. Of course it depends on the degree of difficulty, the student’s skill level and of course the self-motivation of the student to get the project finished.

HRC is where you would learn all the basic fabrication and welding skills and of course this is where you build the chassis for the project. The in HRB you could do all the sheet metal fabrication: like build new floors, maybe chop the top or even restoration of the body panels. The HRP class is where you would install the drive train change out the cam, intake manifold, wire in the port fuel injection and wire the entire car. Choose and set-up the correct rear end gears for the wheel and tire combination. If the project was far enough along then in the HRR class the student could take the project all the way through the refinishing procedures, and even light it up with a set of hot looking flames. Take the hot rod through the final assembly and detail process and then you have a road ready hot rod. Now can this really be accomplished? Once again, it depends on the students and the project. In theory, yes, but HRI could not guarantee it.

Mix and Match Option:
Take just the one class or two classes that best fits your needs. Three months per quarter and you’re finished. The only class that has a prerequisite is HRB the sheet metal fabrication class. You would need to take the HRC fabrication class so you know how to weld.

Call and reserve your seat today! Please e-mail or call about our reasonable prices!

Question: Is HRI a part time school?
Answer: NO: Part of our training is to prepare the student for the work place. The student will go to school 7.5 hours a day five days a week. 8 am till 4:30 pm is our school hours. HRI is very serous about the training we offer our students; we want our students to be very successful in the specialty vehicle industry.

Question: Do I need to know how to weld before I get there?
Answer: NO: But if you did that means you could move on a little fast during the welding training. If you’re weak in welding don’t be concerned, you will be an excellent welder by the time you graduate. Welding is something we will have you practice and perform almost daily.

Question: Will I be held back because of slower students?
Answer: NO: The majority of your training will be self paced. Each student will work at there level of expertise. If you require more time to achieve completion of a task or if you achieve the task quickly you move at your individual pace. The more skill you have coming in, the quicker you move up the knowledge ladder.

Question: Are female students allowed to take the course?
Answer: YES: I have experienced many very capable female students. The hot rodding industry is an excellent opportunity for any student with some artistic and highly motivated desires to succeed. The gender or race does not matter.

Question: How does the Hot Rod Motorcycle program fit in?
Answer: The Hot Rod Motorcycle class is a three month class that you could elect to take by itself or mixed and match with any of the other Hot Rod classes. If you were to take all four classes in the Hot Rod Motorcycle Program you could build a complete bike right down to the paint and custom graphics. Hot Rods and Custom Motorcycles are real good fit. More and more shops are building both hot rods and choppers. It’s all about learning to build a custom motorcycle, part by part. Call for details!

Question: Is there dress codes at the HRI?
Answer: Yes: We require the student to buy and wear Dickies dark work shirts. Work blue jeans (Non baggy for safety reasons) or Dickies work paints. If we are going to perform like a team we need to look like a team. We could supply the uniform, but to save you the money and us the hassle. We would prefer you go to a store like Wal-mart or where ever you choose to buy them, no mark up and you’ll save money.

Question: What is the appearance code?
Answer: We require the student to be well groomed. If he has a beard it must trimmed and can not be to long for safety reasons. Hair must be kept well groomed. Long hair must be tied back. We are going to try to maintain a professional atmosphere.

Question: What is the student to instructor ratio?
Answer: Max instructor ratio should not exceed 15 to 1. In order to give the student the best training possible, HRI plans to maintain a very low instructor to student ratio.

Question: How much does it cost?
Answer: our number one goal is to give a student a high quality education at a reasonable price. We are not a corporate or government backed school. Hot Rod Institute is just a small private school. For about the cost of a good used truck you get one year of awesome car or custom motorcycle training. A student could be out in the work force making a good living doing what a true car guy loves. Price varies between options, call for actual cost, we don’t like to beat around the bush, we will tell you the cost, straight up. Give us a call today!

Question: Is there financial aid available through the school?
Answer: Yes; we have recently been approved to offer student financial aid through Sallie Mae Financial Corporation. Please check out their web site and let us know if you have any questions. http://www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/find_student_loan/training_loans/career_training_loans/

Most training loan interest rates are based off of the credit rating of the applicant and/or cosigner.  We don’t plan to recruit a large number of students. We want this to be a high quality, elite school, not a high quantity school.

Question: Does HRI accept just any student that has the money to attend?
Answer: NO, we will be doing interviews to make sure we are right for the student and the student is right for us. We don’t want to waste anyone’s money or our time.

Question: Does HRI offer on campus housing for students?
Answer: NO; But we will do the research and try to locate affordable housing and a possible room-mate for the students that need help. One of the reasons we decided to locate HRI in the Rapid City area is because of it affordable cost of living for the students of HRI. Make sure in your financing that you take housing and living expenses into consideration.

Question: Is there part time jobs available in the area?
Answer: Yes: This is one more of the reasons we chose this location is because there are good part time employment opportunities for students. This will help off set some of the living expenses.

Question: Does HRI have health or accident insurance for the students?
Answer: NO: Its one of the requirements of the student prior to the start of class. The student must have health and accident insurance policy and provide proof before attending Hot Rod Institute.

Question: Does HRI assist with career opportunities?
Answer: YES: As a part of the curriculum the student will be coached on developing a portfolio and develop their resume’. We will also have some roll playing to help with the job interview. We will be in contact with many potential employers form all over the country. The school will be increasing its data bank of contacts on a regular basis. There are plenty of careers opportunities out there, and you have to want to go to the job. HRI does not guarantee employment.

Final comments: If you are considering Hot Rod Institute or any other school you should know exactly where you stand and have no surprises. AT HRI our main objective is to make sure the student gets their monies worth out of their education. “If you really enjoy the type of work you do, should it really be considered work?”

Give us a call or e-mail today! 

 
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