RE: Cut before or after painting?
I do a lot of drag cars , and there are many different size tires both on the front & back , now there is two resons I recomend cutting first for custom painted cars 1. it would be easier to get the body slammed as low as possible without having the tires rub . 2. everybody mounts the bodies different on the different chassis & different wheelbases w/ it cut I kwow where the wheel wells are and also the angle of the bottom of the car , which aids in laying out the graffix keeping them flowing from the front to back and at the right angle , when I paint a car to sell on ebay or simmular , I don't have a clue what kind of car it will end up on . Some bodies are for wheel bases from 10.5-12" and an electrick will usually have much smaller back tires , in that case I would use the center body line as a guide . As far as truck bodies or touring cars that have the standard wheel well layout I agree w/ one of the other guys that say it gives you something to hold on to , also somebody else mentioned scratching the paint job if your not good and patient w/ sissors that is something to take in consideration . Like I'm a lots of help !! Good luck and do what works best w/you and the project your working on . Norman "the WINDY CITY AIRHEAD"