How to paint seats??

[MrNomad]

The interior is ready for paint given all of the prep work, brake lines, shelf, etc. The question is the seats. Have folks assembled the seats including all rivets before paint or did y'all wait to rivet the seats together after paint?

[dan]

Guess it just depends on whether you want to see unpainted rivet heads. I know a lot of people like that look.

But imho it doesn't matter other than the aesthetic choice.

[robertahegy]

I left almost the entire interior unpainted, including the seats. I have a grey and red interior, so the AL looks nice unpainted. I only painted above the main longeron (canopy frame, upper aft skin, panel) and covered the inside of the side skins with fabric covered closed cell foam pieces.

Roberta

[chaskuss]

Originally Posted by MrNomad

The interior is ready for paint given all of the prep work, brake lines, shelf, etc. The question is the seats. Have folks assembled the seats including all rivets before paint or did y'all wait to rivet the seats together after paint?

I Alodined, epoxy primed and finish painted all my parts prior to riveting anything together. I did this because I live in SE Florida, corrosion capital of the world. Having the rivets painted or bare is a personal choice. However, if left bare, it will make future repairs (drilling out rivets) easier if the identifying dimple in the flush rivets is not buried in paint. I always use this mark to locate my center punch. I center punch the rivet prior to drilling, as it aids in keeping the drill "on center".
If the rivets are painted, any future rivet removal will tear the paint around the rivet heads, making paint touch up a cosmetic necessity.
Charlie Kuss