sealing the interior

[lrt1941]

I!m ready to put the body on GTM 284, to begin the body work. Should I seal the interior up now or wait till I!m done with the body?
Thanks Leonard

[Taz Rules]

You will produce a ton of dust when you do the bodywork. Fiberglass dust, which will get everywhere and create an itchy rash wherever it touches. I'll leave it up to you, but I personally wouldn't want that all over my seats and in my carpet.

[lrt1941]

I don!t intend to put the interior in, just seal the aluminum panels so water cant get in when done. I should have said caulk the interior with RTV.
Leonard

[kabacj]

Leonard

You might want to consider using auto body seam sealer instead of RTV. Seam sealer will cover with paint or undercoat while RTV will not. Maybe it does not matter for how you plan to finish the car just pointing it out.

I would seal the car with the body / doors off. It's just easier. A strong light placed on the outside of the car will help you identify holes that need sealing.

And I assume you have roughed in the wiring for the horn/lights/wipers/battery? I would do that before I sealed everything up and put the body on.

[mikespms]

I agree with John about the seam sealer.I coated all my panels with lizard skin and painted them before installing them and used seam sealer on the foot boxes and front bulkheads panels but made the tunel panels removable using a thin peel and stick rubber strip on the frame and securing the panels with self tapping screws,also used sound and heat insulation to block the tunnel heat and noise.You will find that removing the tunnel panel will make any need to servive or repairs easy.

[lrt1941]

Thanks for the help Mike and John. I believe I will seal it up before I put the body on.
Leonard

[6t8dart]

Another reason to seal before you do body work...dust will get into the joints, and make it hard for seam sealer or silicone to stick. I woild seal it from the outside as much as I can, and back it up with another layer on the inside.

[flickery8]

Anyone want to share tips on sealing from the body just behind the door to the gas tanks? I want to redo this area and it is an odd shape.

[RumRunner]

I used cardboard to make a template then fabbed a single aluminum panel that covers and seals the entire area. The edges have bulb seal on them, and fit tight to the body, gas tank covers, and rear bulkhead. This is the best picture I have. I did not use the FFR close-out panels. Hope this helps.

-Michael