Automotive Metal Fabricator & Welder

Texoma Classics is a classic car restoration shop in Sherman, Texas. We take vehicles from bare metal to finished cars — frame-off restorations, restomods, engine swaps and full mechanical modernization, on everything from muscle cars and classic trucks to Airstreams and vintage tractors.

We are hiring an experienced Automotive Metal Fabricator & Welder for the fabrication side of those builds.

This is not production welding and it is not a job where you make the same part all day. A vehicle may come in needing a rusted section cut out and a patch panel formed and welded into place. Another may need a bracket, spacer, bushing, mount or other component made because the original part has not existed for fifty years. An aftermarket component may technically fit the vehicle it was sold for but still need to be cut, machined, reshaped or rebuilt before it actually fits the car correctly.

That is the work.

You will fabricate and modify automotive parts, repair sheet metal, MIG and TIG weld, operate a manual lathe for one-off components when needed, and solve the kinds of fitment problems that come with restoring and modifying vehicles built decades ago. Depending on your mechanical experience, you may also work alongside our automotive technicians on teardown, assembly, suspension, drivetrain and other restoration work when fabrication is not required.

You would be working on genuinely interesting vehicles. These are cars people have waited years and spent real money to have done properly, and they leave here photographed and documented. Our finished builds are public — look through them at texomaclassics.com/projects before you apply and judge the standard of work for yourself.

The shop is four warehouse-sized buildings with lifts in multiple buildings, shop air, MIG and TIG welding, a paint booth, a dedicated upholstery room, diagnostic equipment, an A/C machine, floor jacks, fabrication equipment and WiFi throughout. You bring your own hand tools and toolbox; the major shop equipment is already here.

Work is steady year-round. The shop is currently at capacity and the constraint is people, not projects. This is a 1099 contractor position paying $30–$45 per hour depending on experience, 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, on site in Sherman. It is not a salaried W-2 role and it does not include benefits — we would rather say that plainly than waste your time.

This role focuses on fabrication and metalwork throughout a restoration, with mechanical work as needed:

• Fabricate one-off brackets, mounts, spacers, bushings, tabs, supports and other automotive components that cannot simply be ordered
• Modify reproduction, aftermarket and existing parts so they fit and function correctly on the vehicle
• Cut out rusted or damaged sheet metal and fabricate, fit and weld replacement sections and patch panels
• Perform automotive sheet metal repair and fabrication while minimizing distortion and preserving surrounding material
• MIG and TIG weld steel and other materials appropriate to the job
• Measure, mark, cut, drill, grind, shape, fit and finish fabricated components
• Operate a manual metal lathe to turn or modify one-off automotive parts when required
• Work from dimensions, templates, original parts, photographs, factory manuals and the vehicle itself when no drawing or replacement part exists
• Fit components repeatedly as needed until alignment, clearance and function are correct
• Repair or modify mounts, brackets, exhaust components, body hardware and other fabricated assemblies
• Solve fitment problems involving combinations of original, reproduction, aftermarket and custom parts
• Assist with teardown, assembly and mechanical restoration work based on your automotive experience
• Inspect completed fabrication and welding for strength, fit and finish before the vehicle moves to the next stage
• Record work performed and parts or materials used so the customer's build record stays accurate

• Automotive metal fabrication and custom fabrication
• MIG welding; TIG welding experience strongly preferred
• Sheet metal fabrication, patch panel installation and rust repair
• Measuring, cutting, forming, fitting, welding, grinding and finishing metal
• Manual lathe operation and basic manual machining
• Fabricating parts from measurements, templates or an existing component
• Modifying parts without compromising their strength or intended function
• Understanding how heat, welding sequence and material thickness affect automotive sheet metal
• Confident use of hand tools, power tools, grinders, drills, saws and common fabrication equipment
• Mechanical aptitude and an understanding of how fabricated components interact with suspension, drivetrain, steering, body and chassis systems
• Working through a problem when there is no catalog part, repair procedure or step-by-step set of instructions
• Knowing when a job is outside your experience instead of experimenting on a customer's car

• Two or more years of hands-on fabrication, welding, automotive restoration, hot rod, custom vehicle, collision repair, machining or closely related experience
• Demonstrated ability to produce clean, structurally sound welds and accurately fitted fabricated parts
• Automotive fabrication or classic car restoration experience is strongly preferred, but a strong fabricator with good mechanical aptitude will also be considered
• Experience with manual machining or operating a metal lathe is strongly preferred
• Your own hand tools and toolbox. The shop provides the larger equipment used throughout the facility
• A valid driver's license and a driving record that allows you to move or road test customer vehicles when necessary
• High school diploma or equivalent — demonstrated experience counts in place of formal education
• Authorized to work in the United States
• Able to work on site in Sherman, Texas, 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday

If you have photos of fabrication, welding, sheet metal repair or parts you have made, we want to see them. A few photographs of work you personally completed can tell us considerably more than a list of certifications.

Restoration and fabrication work is physical. This role involves standing, bending, kneeling and working overhead for extended periods; lifting and carrying parts and assemblies of up to 50 pounds unassisted; working under and around vehicles both on lifts and on the floor; and working in a shop environment with welding arc and fumes, sparks, grinding dust, solvents, noise and varying temperatures.

The position requires safely operating welding and metalworking equipment and wearing appropriate eye, hearing, respiratory and other personal protective equipment for the work being performed.

Reasonable accommodations will be considered for qualified individuals.

Texoma Classics considers all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Hiring decisions are based on skill, experience and demonstrated quality of work.