what do i do first

[71dodge]

ok what should i do first my car is stripped wat do i do paint the engine bay and put the front end kit and drop in the motor and trans or put the roof on and paint the car as one ? i do need he room in my garage and the motor in the car would be nice?? let me know

 

[Dartnut]

IMOP, i would paint the entire car first. If you don't, you will have even a little overspray on all of the parts no matter how well you cover it and have to do a lot of touch ups.

 

[memike]

I paint the door jams and trunk and hood bottom's first along with the engine bay. But that is just me, I back tape the hood and trunk and door jam's when I get ready to spray the car on the outside.

 

[homecloned]

Since you have the engine out, I would start there 71dodge, that way you free up some work space in the garage. I am actually doing mine in parts due to space. Yes you will do a little more work this way but it can be done. Any overspray can be buffed out. Are you painting it yourself?

 

[rumblefish360]

Engine bay sme color as the rest of the car. Paint first, then K-frame.

 

[ramenth]

Engine bay sme color as the rest of the car. Paint first, then K-frame.

Yup. If you need to free up room. If you're going back to the vinyl top would suggest that you paint before you install the top, that way there's no "hard" tape line where you have to mask. A hard tape line will want to peel later on down the road.
Personally, I have limited amounts of room at times, but still try to do things the factory way when painting: paint first, everything, then install parts. That would be hood, fenders, deck lid on, doors off. Then motor and K-Frame installed together, followed by soft trim, glass, and then cosmetics. Can be a pain in the butt, but the bolt heads are all painted at the same time, no tape lines, everything clean.

 

[WildCat]

The way my car was done

All body work done and car put in primer

The interior floors door jambs, trunk and engine compartment painted. K member was out and it was on a set of casters

Then the engine was mounted to K member then installed in te car, just like the factory so no scratches

The convertible top installed

then back to have paint on the out side

My car was completely apart and parts everywhere. It takes a lot of room to do this and if space was limited I could not have done it.

I would paint the top just as if it didn't have a vinyl top. Then you can put the top on and the paint will keep the top from rusting under it where the factory just had primer and they rusted

Good Luck

 

[71dodge]

im doin all my own body work im not sure wat to do i will settle on somthin though

 

[Sharko]

I would listen to memike and get the engine compartment,door jams,underneathe hood,and decklid,the edges of the fenders painted after you get that metal work on the roof done and any other metal work.
Then when the whole car is trimmed in you can go ahead and paint the entire outside of the body all at once when you have it all back together and all the panels lined up

 

[moper]

You can do anything you want, really. It just means later you will be re-masking over and over until the car's done... Also, do the roof last as was said. You cna also paint the engine bay and jambs with the nose off, then after the engine's in and it's dolling, stick the nose back on and do the panel bodywork and lining up, thne paint the rest. But you have to mask the bay abd tires and suspension again every time you spray anything.