# Paint or Build First?



## Monte Sonobe (Sep 27, 2018)

Hey guys. So I'm buying my friend's stock 240sx s14 '95, and I was drafting some plans for the build on it. The car is in decent shape with no real mechanical errors, so far. However the thought crossed my mind... should I paint the car and engine bay before I begin any performance mods, or build on it first and then paint once I'm pretty satisfied with the build? I thought of this because I realized how installing mods along the way could make the future painting process take longer and may be more expensive.

Motor-wise, I'll probably swap some sr20 into it and go from there. Then I plan to get a kouki setup going w/ a wide-body down the line. So I won't paint the car until then, for financial reasons. 

SO should I save up and do body work first??? OR get the car up to spec before I worry about that?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

IMO I would paint the car after all mechanical work has been completed. During mechanical work, there's alway a chance of accidental paint damage such as a tool or chain getting dropped on the body. If you want to detail the engine compartment, paint just the engine compartment prior to installing the engine assembly; you can mask off certain areas to reduce possible paint damage when installing the engine, exhaust system, etc.

Using an SR20DET is an excellent choice; lots of performance products are available and lots knowledgeable folks to help you out. If you can, post some pictures during your progress on the forum.


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