Name: Bill Bandy

Age: 22

School: McPherson College

Location: McPherson, Kansas

Areas of interest :
Body & Paint, Interior & Trim, Fabrication & Metal Shaping, Frame & Suspension, Hot Rods, Resto Mods, Woodworking

Era of interest:
Pre-war – 1980s

What sparked your interest in collector vehicles?
I originally got into collision work on newer cars, but after high school I realized that the quality of work I was submitting wasn’t as high as I wanted.  I wanted my work to have an impact/legacy, so I took a job doing metal work on older vehicles and have been in love ever since.

Do you have a vehicle you’re working on / have worked on? What is it and what kind of work are you doing?
I currently am doing a ’50 Chevy truck, which I want to do an S10 frame swap. Most of my work is metal/paint related, and I’m currently building a custom painted guitar for myself.

What are your long-term career goals?
I used to want to be a painter, full time. However, my goal now is to push the boundaries and do unique builds. I want to create things people haven’t attempted, and inspire my kids’ generation for the next builds.

How has the RPM Foundation impacted your education/career path?
The RPM foundation gave me a fantastic grant this previous summer to allow me to go to upper New York City at an extremely high end shop and continue learning about metal fabrication.