Kenteth

Basicaly the car is getting body work and paint per me. I'm going flat black for the winter, and possibly semi-perm, depending on how it turns out. I've got two mushed front fenders which have widebody replacements due here tomorrow. I still need a front bumper/cone. The few drift sessions, inclimate northern winter weather, high highway speeds, and high parking curbs pretty much have the current one destroyed. I've got stocker GTU 15" rims, but would like to spice them up a bit.

I have no intentions of shaving the door handles at this point, but do plan to shave the badges and add a single bird mazda logo to the hood.

The introir is all black and almost complete after 4 years of slowly relpacing/fabricating broken/missing parts. I plan to tint the windows with 5% or so, nothing to dark-- just some decent UV and sun protection, maybe darker though since I've removed A/C.

I need to start soon, the northern weather is approaching fast. Its about 40* outside and raining at the moment, probably some flurries tonight. The garage is heated only by a kerosene jet-- not really appropriate for painting.

So some quick thoughts:

1) What type of front bumper should I run with? Remember the front fenders are widebodies. I wouldn't mind staying stock.
2) Would really like to spruce up the wheels. I plan on sanding/polishing them up a bit and spraying them with dupli-wheel coat. But what color, I'm thinking ither gunmetal, gold/bronze, or black. Any ideas guys?
3) Should I really shave the badges? I wouldn't mind doing it all, but what you guys think?
4) What should I do with the molding? I'm thinking of just removing it and shaving over the mounts...
5) Last one, I like the high-spoilers. The stock-looking porche ones that raise about 6 or so inches off the rear deck. Molded in of course.

casio

damn, its still 80s in texas. uhg.
flat black is so awesome. i admit, SCC (mag) convinced me with their s13 project.
which is the "bird mazda logo" and how big we talking? my friend has a vinyl machine. once set up, i'll be selling decals. hopefully this will be sooner than later. he's in less of a hurry than me and he owns the machine. =/

you said logo, i wasnt sure if you meant a factory badge or a decal.

Kenteth

We're talking 3-4" stockers that you see on 6's. It won't be a decal, but the actual raised badge. Yeah I guess logo wasn't quite the right name for it.

I would to find one of these, and I know its not a cosmo, or 13bre... just love that badge


But I'm actually speaking of:

Kai

Sounds like my car. I pulled the side mouldings and the rear stickers ('86 cars only had stickers, no plastic badges.)

I'd rather see a madza rotor logo or an old style M logo.

casio

naw, its okay. i wrote it, then edited it because i realized "badge" isnt really in my vocab. i had to sit and think to myself what to call it.
3-4"?? thats a little big. arent they like 2"? ..... ahh, yes, the 6. do they have the flying M logo? i guess those "badges" are a bit bigger. i dont see too many 6s and i dont find myself looking at their badges. now i'm curious.
well if you ever need any decals, hopefully i'll be the man to talk to. and no, my car wont end up having stickers all over it !!

Makenzie71

****...there you go forgetting how big Texas is...it's COLD here (comparatively), too....:p

If you do the falt black bit...black everything out. Black all the lenses out, powdercoat or black out the stock GTU wheels, everything. Then black the interior out. Get balck carpet and recover the door panels, new seats/skins, and stain the vinyl parts. Go witht he stock bumper...and look for a TII spoiler or go clean.

Flushed slicks would look sick too with blacked out housings...

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Shaving the badges would be fine. If you're going steath mode, the side strips won't show that much, you could leave them.

If you're talking about the sawblade wheels, gunmetal or body color will work. You can polish the lip and face of the blades and blackout the rest, or black it all with a polished lip.

The stock GTU/TII wing works well for stealth.

Where are you getting the wide fenders? They may have a front to go with them. Then of course you'll need the wide rear fenders and wider wheels to match.

powrdby13B

that would be pretty tight... i'd go with that... i was thinkin about that for my fc... and shave the rest of the badges
and you should get the GP sports front air dam... its cool!

Kenteth

ok... well maybe it is like 2"... I think rx8s have them too...

casio

T2 in the rear, convertible in the front. i wanna get rid of my 15" convertible wheels. theyre so damn small and funny lookin. your car would look much nicer lowered. mine would look much nicer with T2 wheels (that extra inch goes far [and no "thats what she said" jokes]).

gerbraldy

You gotta shave the side moldings too. A stock body rx7 with the moldings takin off looks like a hundred thousand dollar car.

Kenteth

If I went 16"s I'd probably try to find steels actually, don't ask why.

As for shaving the molding, I have to agree... Just more body work than I wanted to do, I've got a few rust spots I have to concentrate on (why I'm wanting to get this done before the weather turns worse)... The sunroom (EDIT: or sunroof...) has spots where only the paint is left, its pretty sad.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Sunroom eh? Now that is something I need on one of my 7's.

Kenteth

Meh, hah, I must be tired.

Heres how the car looks at the moment.

Makenzie71

Start sanding that clear coat off...

Do you know how to propperly prep it for the flat black look you want?

Flobb

i did the duplicolor bronze on my wheels, I'll get a pic up later tonight for you to see.

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

Why, thank you It as a $200 car, but close


Odd that, mine had plastic logos.. I think both Rx-7 and Mazda on the back..

Flobb

not the best pics of the wheels, maybe I'll take a few quickies tomorrow.

http://webpages.charter.net/a-melita...ay-off-021.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/a-melita...ay-off-028.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/a-melita...ay-off-037.jpg

Kenteth

Sand 100, sand 300, acetone, air spray?

Makenzie71

Yeah but you gotta be sure not to remove the factory paint. Primer is horid at resisting water and it will seep under the surface and oxadize the metal. You need to be sure to just give the factory paint enought of a roughing to give the new primer a good bonding surface...which does not take much sanding at all.

I'd actually suggest that you just wet-sand the car until it's as smooth as you want, then throw the primer on it. But the big thing is not to strip the stock paint...

kks_John

unless you use an epoxy based primer, in that case strip ALL the factory paint off to bare metal.

Kenteth

hmm, interesting... Coincidentaly, since there will be areas with body work, whats the best way to seal it since the primer may be the final coat? Something that will stick to the body work, and primer will stick to...

BTW: what grit sand paper should I start with for sanding just the clearcoat?

Kenteth

Those actually look pretty nice, I think its either bronze or gunmetal that I'll go with... What prepping did you do to the wheels? just sand them a bit?

Makenzie71

I would use 400 for the most part, or 200 if you wet-sand.

if there's a LOT of body work you need to do like kks said; find an epoxy based primer and strip ALL the paint and primer off the car. They make this stuff you can find at wal-mart called air-craft remover. I've used to strip a seven, takes about 7 cans if you do it evenly and propperly.

Kenteth

theres not *alot*, just a little dent here there that will have to be popped out and flushed clean.