Paint first or interior

Here I come again with weird questions. This past summer I meant to paint my body panels which are currently off the car before I install them. I don't have a paint booth so I think small parts are easier than doing the whole car at once. I strained my back early summer. Not serious but I didn't want to push it. Now I'm ready to work on it. Just this week I received from John Skinner full carpet and upholstery including seats. Beautiful stuff! John is a true craftsman. It was Christmas at my house yesterday!

My question is does it matter which I do first, paint/install body or install interior? Any advantages to doing one before the other?

All thoughts are welcome.
Dale

Paint first, otherwise you're going to be spending a lot of time masking every bit of the new interior and may still get overspray on parts.

What he said and with more emphasis!

Understood but I'm painting first and then hanging the body panels.

RestoreThemAll said:

My question is does it matter which I do first, paint/install body or install interior? Any advantages to doing one before the other?

Click to expand...

I think you can do it either way--there's not much in the way of overlap that could be a problem--but I'd get the body back together, fitted and sorted-out and the drive-train working proper, then do the interior. I've only done a BN2, but don't recall thinking 'Dang, I wish I'd done this or that before I hung the panels.' I think you want the doors hung before you install the upholstery panels on them.

Paint the body without the body panels, then paint the backside of the body panels, then hang the body panels, paint the exterior, then install the fender beads, then the interior. That way, you get everything painted. You don't want that brand new Skinner upholstery anywhere near paint.

Just paint everything first let dry assemble car then install interior

The pros doing my car are most assuredly doing the interior last.

My body panels are epoxy primed only, no paint yet. See attached pic. I've driven it around the neighborhood...right past the sheriff and judge's houses! I did add air ducts to both sides after taking this pic.
The plan
1) paint all body panels
2) hang them
3) Install interior

I think I will leave the interior in the dining room That way my wife will motivate me daily to get it installed. :wink-new:

Interior and trim should ALWAYS be last.

Cheers,
Dan M.

I can tell when a car has had the panels painted off the car.. There is almost always a difference in the stroke of the paint gun and vertical vs. horizontal setting off the paint therefore a different color of the panels.. hence I have been taught to set the panels first to perfection..then paint..interior last...

Pete