I plan to paint my 444 project myself and am looking for some suggestions.

The body is disassembled (all pieces off, glass out) and the "hidden" refinishing is done (underneath, etc.). On each piece I have primed and block sanded guide coats off. On the main shell I masked off the interior before priming - will deal with that later. I plan to wet sand the last prime coat with 600 paper, apply sealer and two coats of single stage black polyurethane.

Now the question - pre assemble or not?

I'm leaning to painting each piece separately and assembling after paint. My thinking:
1) gain spraying experience as I go (first time with this gun/paint);
2) avoid having to rush around to keep overspray from previously painted parts that have started to dry.

A car fixing friend says its better to just pre-paint the mating edges, then assemble and paint the whole car. He says this will avoid damage in handling and assembly and to just not be concerned about the overspray problem.

If any of you have done with this on a PV I would appreciate recommendations. Time is not a big factor - I just want to get a passable job.

Thanks,

Keith Williams, near Moline, Il.