Paint & Shifter

[Ric S.]

Can someone share their thoughts on two questions. The first is the paint job. Beside the obvious of having the body reset to the frame at the manufacturer's, is having the painter in Gadsden do it a big benefit. Said another way, is there anything I would want to do to the body before painting that they would not do?

What is the best or recommended gear shift assembly? No experience at this end.

Thanks in advance!

[twanita]

make sure you have the aluminum footboxes and engine installed before putting painted body on..also, make sure engine compartment is painted or sheetmetaled. everything else you can do after.

southern has a hurst shifter for toploader with a correct looking handle and knob. reverse t handle is not functional.

[Justin Upchurch]

Having the car painted and the body installed does help cut the time of your build. However, there are some things that are more difficult to do with the body on the car than off, such as running the wiring and working the nose alumiium, but still isn't that big of deal. My car was a painted DPK with the engine compartment painted silver and the heat shields installed by Unique.
Over all, let Unique know what your goals are and they will point you in the right direction.

Justin

[brfutbrian]

it depends on what you want out of your build and your skills. unless youve got a painter ( one youve got 100% confidence in) or youre painting it yourself, go with the painted DPK. having a car painted on your own can be a real nightmare if you dont get with the right painter. buying a painted DPK you know youll get a nice paintjob in a timely manner for a reasonable price. if i was building a painted DPK id remove the body anyway. to me it would be faster and easier to do the work thats difficult with the body on. especially if youre installing your drivetrain yourself. just something to think about. i think most folks are using a hurst comp plus shifter. later, brian.