I think your order would be the way I'd do it.
But rear fender first would avoid having to slide the rear fender behind the curve at the rear or the already mounted running board. There is a bit of room between the front fenders and running boards if you already have them mounted, and if you don't have the front clip on, there would be lots of room to start the running boards forward of their final mount position.
Some wide masking tape on critical spots would be recommended to avoid chipping the paint.


Kevin
1951 Chevy 3100 work truck
Follow this saga in Project Journal
Photos
1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car)
Busting rust since the mid-60's
If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.