Body and paint, or mechanics first?

[killer medic]

I have been getting a lot of conflicting advice on whether to do body and paint, or mechanical work first. I have basically five stages I have come up with. What should go first?

Body and paint (including interior sheetmetal)
Interior
Mechanical
Electrical
Weatherstripping and accents

Paint first, then weatherstrip?

 

[zookeeper]

The sequence you lined out is pretty much the way I've done my '68. I did it that way to prevent overspray all over everything, since I want the car to be detailed looking. I did the body and paint, then mechanical, and am just finishing the interior right now.

 

[RedGTvert]

Body and paint first, no question. I would do the interior last before weatherstripping and accents. While the shell is off at the body shop having it's thing done, you can get all the mechanics and electrical in order.

It is ptobably easier to do some of your wiring before even putting the car together. Certian things will be much easier to do as a shell.

 

[danny clemens]

If you're going to be driving while restoring I would do anything that has to do with safety first.

 

[180 Out]

If you're doing mods, you should mock up everything prior to paint, then take it all off. There is a lot of fitting and massaging that goes into just about every mod, contrary to what the magazines and some suppliers would have you think. They involve a lot of hanging over the front fenders and a lot of jacking up and down. IMO it would be best to fit all your modified stuff first, before paint. PITA, no doubt, to install stuff then take it off then put the old stuff back on to make a roller, but not as bad as scarring that $5000+ paint job trying to install aftermarket stuff for the first time after the paint's finished.

 

[Taranis]

I'm glad I read this thread. I was going to do:

1. mechanical
2. electrical
3. body and paint
4. Interior and weatherstripping

The thing is that my car doesn't even have an engine or a tranny in it right now. I wanted to shove that in there prior to fitting new body panels in case the car shifted a bit with the added weight....does it make a difference?

 

[truck90278]

Assuming you are not driving the car, then while the shell is in the body shop, get the engine and all other mechanicals completed. If you have pulled the suspension, you can rebuild it and get it painted. Same applies to the rest of the drive train. If you are planning some mods, then you may want to fit them up prior to paint work. Most of the better builders/shops, may assemble the vehicle completely to make sure everything fits and aligns together. Then blow the car apart and paint it and reassemble. Our project is a '65 coupe. The body shell (without any suspension) was first media blasted because of a lot of beginning rust. While it's in the body shop, we are rebuilding/powder coating or painting the drive train and all other suspension components. Once we get the shell back, the first in is the drive train and front suspension, including R&P steering. Electrical will go hand-in-hand with the engine as we are installing a new underdash harness, actually may install the main harness before the engine as some of the areas are easier to get to without the engine. We will also be installing all new brake and fuel lines. The last thing we will do is the interior and trim. It really depends on how far you are going. Many times I have done all the mechanics first, with good results.

 

[Taranis]

Ahh.
At least for me, I know the issue is a yearly budget. Which prohibits two expensive processes from going on at the same time.

 

[zookeeper]

Good point. I know exactly what you mean and in fact I'm in the same boat. I've done the "credit card" build up before and was very, very sorry for a very, very long time. No car is worth going heavily into debt. That's why I think it's soooo important to get out the catalogs and add up every part you might think you'll need (or want) before you ever turn a wrench, and if possible, before you buy the car. I've spread out my spending over the past 4 years, and while it's still a lot of money, at least it's 100% paid for right now. Yes, it's meant working a little slower, or not at all sometimes, it's worth it to me. It also means that if the time comes to ever sell the car, I won't have to give all the sales proceeds to Citibank to pay for the car. Instead, it'll all go towards my next dream car, a '71 Hemi Challenger clone. But that's another story...