Tunes67 - 92 MX-3 GS

[Evo_Spec]

holy shine batman!

[wagZE]

I saw this in person a few months back, definately a unique smooth looking color. Very nice mods on this car, maybe sometime we can get a meet going.

[Tunes67]

Heh.. a month later and I notice you posted my pics Mark LOL Thanks.. and no.. they dont look pink like they did when I went to post them. Maybe they only looked pink when I clicked on preview or something. Noticed you threw in a pic from the corksport meet too And thanks for the props guys, lots of time and work in her and I wont say I dont appreciate a pat on the back for it The show part is finished on her for the most part now, stereo is decent enough and so is the interior for now. Mechanically she is sound and will be for quite some time, but I am now looking for a good DE to put in her with the 626 5 spd I have waiting. I have long term plans (at least a year after the DE swap is done) to go turbo as well. Heh.. though the K8 is in good shape.. that doesnt mean I am content with the power I have everything needed to do the DE swap except for the engine itself. Just waiting to find a good one at a price I can afford.

Also.. for those interested in the paint color.. I dont know the actual code (lost that paper from the paint shop and havent bothered to get a copy yet). But it is a newer Mazda color called Copper Red Metallic. I love this color because in the sun light the copper flake just pops gorgeous, but on cloudy days or in twilight light the color is subdued and really unremarkable. Basically here in washington, that means the car doesnt draw that much attention on a daily basis and this has kept me (in part at least) free from speeding tickets

Cheers!

Tunes67

[SuperK]

It's such a beautiful and clean car. I hope you become much more active when you're performing your DE swap and... be careful with your paint!

[fowljesse]

Pretty! I hope we can get a meet together so I can see it!

[Tunes67]

I will be honest here, and yeah, Josh and Mooneggs will probably say I am way too picky when I say this, but the paint job is really a 10 foot car. From 10 feet away, its freaking awesome, when you get close to it.. you might feel more like I do in that I have learned that its pretty much impossible to get a "Nice" paint job for under 10k unless you are able to do it yourself. I freely admit that I lack the artistic hand/eye coordination to do the paint job that my eye craves. The body work is good. The body guy did a excellent (correct even) job when repairing the rear quarter panel and shaving the door handles and antenna hole. The failing is in the paint itself and the clear coat. Not gonna relate all the trials and utter bullshyt I went through during the paint job. I will say that I got taken for a freakin ride by not 1 but TWO paint shops and all the cash I saved by buying this car cheap and doing all the work in this log by myself pretty much breaks even in value. I am not bitter over the cost of the paint job, what I am bitter about and the conclusion I have come too, is that in the autobody painting industry, no one takes pride in their work unless big dollars are involved.

I apologize to those on this site that find the previous to be offensive, especially if you or someone you know is in the autobody industry and feels that I am overstating the issue. I am only able to report what I experienced. Not just on this car but on my previous 1975 Nova paint job I encountered the same slap it through as fast as we can to make a buck attitude. I never expected a flawless show car. I stated as much upfront to both painters. What I did expect was quality for the cash being paid. And I feel that is where the industry fails unless you have a huge wad of cash and a lot of time or Chip freakin Foose in your back pocket to make sure the job gets done right.

If your serious about getting a paint job done... and you are unable to do it yourself or lack a buddy with the time or talent to help, make sure you take a big jar of Vaseline and several pairs of rubber gloves with you while you do extensive research going from autobody shop to autobody shop. DONT talk to shop managers. Talk to the guys doing the painting themselves. Heck.. in retrospect, if I had it to do again (or maybe on a future build) I might even consider stalking the painters.. watching where they hang out and even getting to know them and their work ethic before contracting them to touch my ride.

I will get off my soapbox now, I think I have made it obvious how I feel about the paint job I got for the cash I paid. Learn from my mistakes and DONT let autobody shops rip you off.

In closing I will only say those bastages are just freaking lucky I am not a postal worker LOL

Cheers

Tunes67

[Tunes67]

Oh yeah.. SuperK.. I will make you this promise. When I do my DE swap, I will document it here fully with pics as I go. And dont worry about the paint I will remove the hood to start with Cheers!

Tunes67

[MrMazda92]

For what it's worth, I absolutely love your color choice. I'm sorry that your experience with the paint shops was crap.

[Josh]

There were some hickups, but in the end it looks pretty decent. Although with the multiple shops and whatnot it could have been taken to a more reputable shop and done for the cost. Hindsight is 20/20. IMO it looks damn good, its because its his car he is so hard on it.

[Nd4SpdSe]

That looks so much like Kp2t's old car's repaint color, I think it was like a Toreodor Red, especially in the shade, but you're is brighter in the sun

[Josh]

A few more pics of Tunes car from the end of last summer

[mobius]

love the color

[kulluminati777]

This is a mighty fine color. Any updates? Do you still own the car?

[AaronTietje]

I like the mazda centercaps.

[bbunkerc397]

I will be honest here, and yeah, Josh and Mooneggs will probably say I am way too picky when I say this, but the paint job is really a 10 foot car. From 10 feet away, its freaking awesome, when you get close to it.. you might feel more like I do in that I have learned that its pretty much impossible to get a "Nice" paint job for under 10k unless you are able to do it yourself. I freely admit that I lack the artistic hand/eye coordination to do the paint job that my eye craves. The body work is good. The body guy did a excellent (correct even) job when repairing the rear quarter panel and shaving the door handles and antenna hole. The failing is in the paint itself and the clear coat. Not gonna relate all the trials and utter bullshyt I went through during the paint job. I will say that I got taken for a freakin ride by not 1 but TWO paint shops and all the cash I saved by buying this car cheap and doing all the work in this log by myself pretty much breaks even in value. I am not bitter over the cost of the paint job, what I am bitter about and the conclusion I have come too, is that in the autobody painting industry, no one takes pride in their work unless big dollars are involved.

I apologize to those on this site that find the previous to be offensive, especially if you or someone you know is in the autobody industry and feels that I am overstating the issue. I am only able to report what I experienced. Not just on this car but on my previous 1975 Nova paint job I encountered the same slap it through as fast as we can to make a buck attitude. I never expected a flawless show car. I stated as much upfront to both painters. What I did expect was quality for the cash being paid. And I feel that is where the industry fails unless you have a huge wad of cash and a lot of time or Chip freakin Foose in your back pocket to make sure the job gets done right.

If your serious about getting a paint job done... and you are unable to do it yourself or lack a buddy with the time or talent to help, make sure you take a big jar of Vaseline and several pairs of rubber gloves with you while you do extensive research going from autobody shop to autobody shop. DONT talk to shop managers. Talk to the guys doing the painting themselves. Heck.. in retrospect, if I had it to do again (or maybe on a future build) I might even consider stalking the painters.. watching where they hang out and even getting to know them and their work ethic before contracting them to touch my ride.

I will get off my soapbox now, I think I have made it obvious how I feel about the paint job I got for the cash I paid. Learn from my mistakes and DONT let autobody shops rip you off.

In closing I will only say those bastages are just freaking lucky I am not a postal worker LOL

Cheers

Tunes67

This is so true, I spent 7 grand painting my mx and wasn't impressed so 10G's is what these shops want for a complete as they call it these days. Well let me tell you I knew the shop through my father and I did all the assembly work with my buddy and it was still 7G's. They say red is most expensie paint because of the red oxid but the prep work is the biggest job not the paint! The paint only takes a few hours and some technique but the real end product is the prep work I say this from seeing first hand how much work goes into the teardown and prep & resembling. Another thing is my car was painted with PPG paint and the material bills were $2,500 for the primer and SQ colour, not taking into account 2 weeks of shop space and labour. Still if I had to do it again and probally will down the road I will use BASF paint their clear coat is smoother if you get close up, but wont stand up like PPG clear. So ya I think maybe 5,000 is fair for a complete not 10G's we are not looking for a Ferrari paint job but a NICE average paint job that can be respected, I feel ya Tunes67.

On another note did you water sand and polish the car? did you use dry or wet paper before polishing? Did you do 2 or 3 sets of clear coats I did 3 sets of clears with using 1000grit between coats makes a big difference when doing final polishing.

here is some pics of my paint job Enjoy, and sorry to here you not happy.
http://s1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg5 ... 2%20paint/

Cheers