Well, got my car back from the body shop today. They did a heck of a job for the price (though I did all the prep work myself ) Sorry the pics are dim, crappy lighting at the apt... I'll get some daylight'rs tomorrow. :-)

First, for reference, night I bought it...



And Tonight....












New paint, lots of body work, new hatch, headlight covers, tail lights, exhaust, side molding, interior, door handles and sunroof... more to come...

 

How much did it cost ya ? Im going to be painting mine soon and want to do the prep work also to save some money. Whats needed to do before you bring it to the shop to get it painted?

 

It cost me 400 bucks, and they went through and touched up my work first. It's a maaco paintjob, so we'll see how it lasts, but they did you acrylic enamel, which is the good stuff, with hardner. It's a single stage w/ clear coat. There is one small run, in it, and some imperfections where my bodywork wasn't perfect, but mostly in the hood, which is getting replaced with a TII hood in the future anyway.

For me, I primed the whole car, filled all the imperfections I could find, and then removed EVERYTHING I could before they painted, so they didn't mask much. Helps prevent mask edges, and thus chipping paint! It really does look nice, and for the price, it's excellent. Once I color sand/polish it, it should look really really good.

 

The night pix reveal the thing I keep telling myself I am going to do something about: respray undercoat inside the wheel wells so they black out . They look so cheesy all gray and dirty like that.

If you spray those wells with glossy black undercoat, lower it 1 inch all around, and add some 17x8s with some low pro rubber, that will be a very clean set up!

Keep up the good work!

Nat

 

Nice choice of color- will check back for daylight pics.

 

I agree with spraying the wheel wells!

 

Go to your local parts store and buy a couple cans of "Rubberized Rocker Guard". It's an aerosol spray that is made for wheel wells and rockers. It is easy to apply, and isn't really messy. It stands up well to dirt and abuse, and makes a HUGE difference to the overall look of the car.

 

A few shots of it in the daytime. That's my garage queen next to the RX.

 

I'm impressed man!

lol.. looks just like my car..

 

Paint job looks great....

I think that some new wheels would tie everything together. Or for now just use loads of tire shine!! LOL

Very nice car!

 

looks just like mine