68 camaro restoration....where to now?

[68topls]

ok....I have chasis done and the body panels are being installed by body guy. He's going to allign everything and put in an epoxy primer and hand the car back to me. Where do I go next.....paint, engine/transmission install, mechanicals.....?

[Morgan]

I would do mechanicals/engine before paint but that might just be me. I know if I painted it first I would somehow scratch it doing everything else. The last thing done on my car was paint.

[cheapthrillz]

agreed^^^

Basically get the car running and driving (without interior), then let the paint shop disassemble and paint everything and put it back together, then do interior.

[Texas Hotrod]

It's sad to say, but to properly build the car, it has to be built twice.
Fully assemble the body. Get all the door, hood, fender (etc...) gaps the way you like them, lay on the primer and start block (use a long block) sanding. I feel that blocking has to be done on a fully assembled body. Mock in the grille, window mouldings and tail lights. Make sure everything fits, if the body needs tweeking, now is the best time.
Gauge and mark all the hinges and fender mounts. Then you can break it back down to paint the jambs and all the hard to get places.
Are you painting the insides of the fenders? The fire wall? Under/inside the shell? The more thourough you are here, the better it will look in the end.
If you have a stock subframe/stock-type running gear, it'll be safe to go ahead and paint the car. Just leave the front clip off until most of the mechanicals are installed. Old bed sheets and painter's tape really comes in handy too. You'd be surprised the damage that metal dust (from chop saw/grinder) can do, so keep it all covered.
Don't forget to install the windshield and the lower trim strip before the front fenders are put on (or am I thinking of a different car).

Have any pics of the project????