Sequence of events question

[UpNorth]

Hi all,
I’m getting close to move to section 4 of the build manual, the body section.
While going through the manual I started wondering if it shouldn’t be a good idea to complete the carpet installation in the cockpit before working the body and making it less easy to work the inside.
At this moment it is still relatively easy to take out the seats and the dash is still not bolted (or riveted) in place.
What’s your opinion and do you have any other advice as what to do in a different sequence than as shown in the the manual?

TIA

[edwardb]

I did the footboxes on mine out of sequence. Before the body was on and certainly easier to reach down in there. The rest really isn't hard to reach and I didn't complete until after all the body work, paint, etc. Easier to clean up the bare floor than carpet. Plus there are a few pieces that don't go on until the body is installed so you can't install the carpet on those until later anyway. For sure the outer rear cockpit corners and the rear hatch wall. The manual also says to wait on the hatch side walls until the body is on. But I found the body came on/off pretty easily with those in place.

[UpNorth]

Paul,
Thanks for the input.
I did the footbox carpets as you mentioned.
But I bought the high back Kirkey seats and I have a hard time figuring out how to uninstall them after the body is on in order to install the carpets.
I agree with you that cleaning bare alu is much more easy than carpet after all the sanding, etc during body work though...

[edwardb]

Haven't done Kirkeys, so not familiar with how they're mounted. I didn't bolt mine down until final assembly after the carpet was installed. I set them up so the mounting bolts are all accessible from underneath. But same answer as before. You're going to have to figure out something with those seats in order to install and carpet those cockpit rear corners after the body is on for good.

[Alphamacaroon]

As edwardb said, I would install at least all of the footbox carpet (at least the sides and front) before putting the body on. The rest is easy to access with body on.

As for the high-back Kirkey seats, how are you fitting them in now? Unless you are going through the roof, then nothing on the body should get in the way any more than the frame itself. I would certainly put them in before mounting the doors, but I can't think of any reason you wouldn't be able to fit them in with body on. Otherwise it would suck to have to take off the whole body to replace a seat! :D

[Al_C]

How about your trunk? If you plan to carpet the trunk, I would recommend that you definitely do that before the body goes on. Martin Ondrus gets credit for that suggestion and I'm glad he told me that! In my case, I installed all of the carpeting - except for the door sills - prior to the body. For me, that worked out pretty well.

[John Dol]

It depends a lot on if you are going to paint body on or off.
I did it with the body off and used that time to install most of my carpet. I didn’t have any carpet left to install when the body went back on, and the seats were easy to get in and out for install too with no body.

HTH,

John

[David Williamson]

Mine was painted with the body on so we did carpet after and the foot box front and outside wall was hard to work on. I have the Kirkey seats mounted on Kirkey mounts. The mounts were bolted to the floor, carpet installed and then the seats. The seats fit easily with the doors off.
David W

[UpNorth]

Thanks guys!
The jury is still out as to what I’ll do.
I’ll let you know...