Sequence of events

[chopthebass]

Should holes for rollbar be cut before or after paint? The reason I ask is that I have Breeze stainless rollbar that needs the brace welding, and as I am getting my paint guy to do all the bodywork (don't try to talk me out of it! ) I don't want to have the holes in the wrong place. I mean, if I put body on best I can, drill holes, and find out they are out slightly once he does the final alignment.

It will be daunting cutting holes in the painted body, so just wondering what you would do?

Cheers
Ian

[skullandbones]

Before paint! It would be good to fit the body and all things like quick jacks or any other things touching the body and drive for a while to see how it goes then disassemble.

Good luck,

WEK.

[chopthebass]

Thanks Wek. But I won't fit any panels or doors, as my paint guy will be fitting/gaping. Do you mean just the body shell?

[chopthebass]

And he will do the final body fixing, so I assume you mean make some temporary connections where body meets chassis?

[DaleG]

Absolutely, fit body and all attachments; quick-Jacks, roll bars, windshield, etc. as if for final fit, to make sure all is as should be before paint. I have Breeze's roll bars and had to fool around with the holes; also had to mess with the windshield slots in the body. Forr the body guy to do his job re fitting doors, hood, trunk, the body has to be on the chassis, all fit as above.l

[chopthebass]

Thanks Dale. Still confused. I read in another thread that you fit the body to the doors too. Not just trying to get doors to fit to body. So, I can't do a final body fit. If I do what you suggest, my body guy might not be able to align doors and will need to adjust body, therefore messing up rolls bar hole locations? Or am I worrying too much?

[DaleG]

My take from when Jeff Miller came to the house to take the body back to the shop in California for paint:

We had the body on and "final fit" to chassis. He attached the doors, trunk and hood and made mods (sanded, added to, etc. so they aligned perfectly with the body); all three needed some amount of body work to fit correctly, even the holes for sidepipes needed "clearance" work. Then, we dismantled the body from chassis and he took the body, door, trunk and deck lids to his shop for the routine bodywork and paint.

At that time, I had not fit the windshield or the roll bars; when Jeff brought the body back and I did the final fit, I needed to massage the windshield slots and roll bar holes on the painted body...very carefully, I might add. Jeff was going to install the body and final fit everything, but I was not ready at the time, so I did it myself later on, with the help of a few friends.

Your body guy has to have the car in his shop to do the fitting of doors, etc. Once fitting is complete, you can take the rolling chassis home, or store it at the shop if he has room. At that point, you have a choice of bringing the body home and fitting it yourself, or assisting the body guy reassembling it. Hope this makes sense.

[chopthebass]

Thanks Dale, makes sense and really helps me understand. Just have to decide on a color - and I can't decide!!

[edwardb]

X4 or 5 (or whatever) on mocking up and fitting everything before paint. As already mentioned -- bumpers, lights, windshield, roll bar, exhaust cutouts, etc. If your body guy is doing all the fitting, panel gaps, etc. then everything has to be hung and fitted before paint starts anyway. Including splash guards. For your specific question regarding the roll bar, once the basic body is in place, the roll bar cutout locations aren't going to change or very little. You will have trim rings, right? That gives you some tolerance. For the Breeze roll bar, the front holes should be almost exactly like the stock ones. But the back one may need to be enlarged slightly to allow the angled bar to go in and out. You want all that worked out before paint.

[chopthebass]

Thanks Ed.
I guess I can mount the body with minimal sill screws (as body guy will do final), then I can do what you suggest. I will have trim rings, although not sure which would work best with the Breeze roll bar.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Absolutely, you want everything drilled and fitted prior to paint. I completely build the cars twice. You mention "sequence of events". Mine is to do all of the initial body prep (parting lines finished, body blocked to 120, wheelwells trimmed and shaped, door tops rolled, hood cut and scoop fitted, etc.) and put two gallons of Slick Sand on it. It then goes on the chassis to have the door, hood and trunk fitting done along with all of the latches, the windshield and roll bars. The lights bumpers/QJs and pipes are also installed at this time. I then do the final "bodywork" shaping to match contours between the main body and moving panels before tearing it all apart again.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Fred%20J/100_5356.jpg

After they are apart I block them out to 400 and spray on another 1 1/2 gallons or so of Slick Sand then more blocking to 600 and finally on to paint. Even though it means one additional body R & R doing it this way when they go back on after paint, cut and buff the adjustments are minimal and everything already fits. There are different ways to skin a cat but that's mine ;)

Jeff

[DaleG]

Chop, Russ Thompson makes bezels for the 1-34" roll bars.47999

[chopthebass]

Jeff, can you stop by Calgary to assist me!

Thanks Dale

[cgundermann]

Thanks Jeff; great overview!!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jeff, can you stop by Calgary to assist me!



:)

Jeff