Program
Training with structure, safety, and accountability.
Students rotate through the work that matters in a custom shop: body, paint, fabrication, upholstery, electronics, wraps, tint, wheels, tires, hydraulics, and suspension.
View the programCars Before Bars nonprofit career academy
Build cars. Build skills. Build a future.
Cars B4 Bars Academy gives students practical automotive training, professional mentorship, and a pathway into custom car careers before bad choices become barriers.
The Mission
A nonprofit academy built around real shop work.
Cars B4 Bars Academy teaches students how custom vehicles are designed, repaired, fabricated, wired, painted, trimmed, wrapped, and finished. The classroom is the shop: students learn with tools in hand, mentors nearby, and standards that match the work.
Our workshop partner, Lowlife Hydraulics, provides the learning environment where students can see how real projects move from teardown to final delivery.
7
shop departments
1
hands-on workshop
100%
skill-first training
What students practice
- Shop safety, tool use, cleanup, and workflow discipline.
- Hands-on project blocks guided by working builders.
- Portfolio-ready work samples and career habits.
- Team communication and responsibility on live builds.
Departments
Every skill connects to the finished build.
Workshop Partner
Lowlife Hydraulics is the academy classroom.
Students train inside the Lowlife Hydraulics workshop, learning how real custom vehicle projects move from planning to teardown, bodywork, paint prep, fabrication, hydraulics, wiring, interiors, and final delivery.
Learn about the workshopApply
Ready to train in the shop?
The application now has its own page with student details, availability, interest areas, and partnership questions.