Roadster body prep before chassis assembly?

[rtbellah]

After poking around a bit and not finding the answers I thought I would just ask....why does FFR recommend in their "how to" build videos to do the basic body prep before you ever take it off the chassis but nobody seems to follow that...most seem to build to the go cart stage and then do body prep. By prep I mean panel gapping, wheel well trimming and such. Is there any drawback to to doing those things prior to the chassis build? My kit arrives soon and I was planning to do the prep and get the body in primer BEFORE I begin the chassis - any sage advice from all those who have built these cars? My reason for asking is I plan to DIY body and paint (post primer) at my Dad's garage while I work on the chassis in mine.

[Robodent]

I can not speak of the roadster however I built a ffr truck. There is a lot of fitting and mocking up that’s involved with any build . Just the weight in the interior guts of a door could throw off a pre gapped door . There’s a lot of finessing and holes to cut throughout the build IMO . There’s several ways to skin the cat but if everything is put together then the bodywork is done after that then chances are your only doing the bodywork once instead of maybe twice. Good luck and have fun with your build. Rob

[edwardb]

I've not watched the videos close enough to say for sure -- but I'm surprised about a recommendation to do the kind of body fitting you're describing before removing the body when shipped. The body -- and all the underlying aluminum panels for that matter --- are placed for shipping. That's it. So it can ship in one oversize unit rather than several oversize pieces. Not necessarily their final location once everything is built up. Adding to that, none of the bulb seal is placed. So yes, there's a reason you don't see builders doing it that way. There's no way you could confirm the body is right where it needs to be, in the right shape, and ready for detailed work like fitting and gapping the hood, doors, etc.

Having said that, you can take the time to mark the back side of the aluminum panels in preparation for drilling before taking it all apart. They're accurate enough for that. But I'd still be careful during actual assembly to key off the shipping screw holes. May/may not be exact.

[svassh]

Yep, 1:45 of this video they say you can do the bodywork first. I'm assuming with it mounted as shipped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok9W_Dzao3M&list=PLWvfrZxPoPnbmHRjXTlVS-CVcPoK4x6lB&index=14

[Jeff Kleiner]

Quite simply no, that isn’t how it’s done.

Jeff

[GoDadGo]

All I Can Say Is Thank You Sir Jeffski, Thank You!

[nucjd19]

I asked the exact same question as you about 6 months ago when I was getting ready to get my kit delivered and after watching their how to body video. And was given the same sage advice from Jeff and edwardb. Too many variables that need to be accounted for before doing final gapping of doors adjusting the body on the chassis, etc. So, I have followed the same path as everyone else building the chassis and go carting. Now I am getting ready to start fitting the body as my next phase once my interior side projects are finished.

[rich grsc]

You got the hots for Captain O? You're going to upset the Bat

[rtbellah]

Thank you to all the gurus that responded. I was thinking that panel fitment in particular could be problematic that early in the process but the build video said the body comes "mounted where it needs to be from the factory". I think I will follow the sound advice and wait for go-cart before I do panel fitment and final prep.

[j.miller]

You got the hots for Captain O? You're going to upset the Bat

WHATEVER !..... nobody likes me, everybody hates me I guess I'll go eat worms.....LONG AND SKINNY ONES , GREAT BIG FAT ONES, I GUESS I'LL GO EAT WORMS..... whoops! that was supposed to stay in my head. my bad...Da Bat !!!