painting my car - color choice

[H@xtGSX]

They were easy to make. I just sculpted them in place with clay until they looked good, removed them and made a mold from them with bondo, removed the clay, put some vaseline on the inside of the mold, and then filled it with chopped fiberglass mat and resin. Once they dried, I just fiberglassed them to the bumper. They are seamless with the bumper plastic after a bit of sanding. Then paint.

 

[MikeSD]

well I made the mistake of telling the paint shop "not to rush it" and that I was going to be gone Tues-Thursday, so they still have not painted the car. But they promised they were taking extra time to get the body just right and were going to paint the car tonight so I can pick it up tomorrow.
I guess it is good to be last in the booth so it will sit in the booth over night to cure. Less dust and what not.

Oh and I had them fill in the little triangle in the Certifit front bumper. Wondering if I should have had them fill in that lonely antenna hole as well. hrmm

More body work shots.

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eclipse 004 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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eclipse 002 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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eclipse 006 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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eclipse 008 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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eclipse 009 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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eclipse 010 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

 

[gofer]

They're going to paint it tonight and you just took those pictures? Wow. The body work looks good, however, it seems there's still a lot of prep that needs to be done before they start shooting it.

Can't wait to see it though!

 

[MikeSD]

I thought the same thing Corey, but he said it would be ready to paint tonight. I sure hope it comes out good after all this.

 

[jakelandry]

Shops always put off paint till the customer gets to the point of taking the car. At the shop I work at one of our lazy painters will flat out leave his side jobs and go home to drink beer for days at a time which is good cause they pay me to do them . Be sure and post pics when its done!

 

[Iroc_g]

You choose a good color. I was searching for 2 years for a graphite gsx before I bought my blue one.

I like the color of my car, but it is needing touch ups now. But since the paint was a "home brewed" mix with a few different pearls, nobody has gotten close enough. I'm anxious to see the finished product. Id get my car redone for that kind of money!

 

[H@xtGSX]

I would suggest, if you still have time to have it done, to have them weld in a little plate and plug the antenna hole too... unless you plan on using it. I put Sirius in, so no need for the antenna, and it looks nicer without one anyhow. I hope they welded in plate behind the wiper motor hole... the first time I plugged mine, I didn't. I just used fiberglass, and it cracked a few months later.

One thing I am noticing though... Are they eyeball and hand judging the body? I see nothing to suggest a guide coat was used for the amount of sanding and bondo work there is.

 

[unplugged]

I've always been a fan for pearl white

 

[MikeSD]

You choose a good color. I was searching for 2 years for a graphite gsx before I bought my blue one.

I like the color of my car, but it is needing touch ups now. But since the paint was a "home brewed" mix with a few different pearls, nobody has gotten close enough. I'm anxious to see the finished product. Id get my car redone for that kind of money!

Thanks, I saw it in the booth today curing and it looks really dark. I cant wait to see it in the light. I should pick it up tonight.

I would suggest, if you still have time to have it done, to have them weld in a little plate and plug the antenna hole too... unless you plan on using it. I put Sirius in, so no need for the antenna, and it looks nicer without one anyhow. I hope they welded in plate behind the wiper motor hole... the first time I plugged mine, I didn't. I just used fiberglass, and it cracked a few months later.

One thing I am noticing though... Are they eyeball and hand judging the body? I see nothing to suggest a guide coat was used for the amount of sanding and bondo work there is.

The holes were welded with a back plate....I think i posted a couple pics with the welding marks.
They said they "blocked it" and then did a guide coat and hit it again, so I hope it is straight.

I get it later today and we will see. sure hope it is right after all this.

 

[MikeSD]

ok well it is done.....almost. They missed a spot in the jam, and the tape peeled a part on the pilar so it is going back in the booth. Plus it is so humid the car is having a hard time curing, paint is really soft. Anyway here are a couple quick Iphone pics.
Oh and I already paid to have the windows tinted as soon as it is ready, which will help with the new color.

I think the color is pretty cool. From some angles it is almost black, then goes gray to silver. It has way more flake in it than I thought, but I guess that is cool.

What do you guys think?

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IMG_0622b by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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IMG_0621a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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IMG_0624a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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IMG_0626a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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IMG_0628a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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IMG_0630a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

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IMG_0635a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

 

[MikeSD]

close up

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IMG_0631a by Mike Murad, on Flickr

 

[95whiteGSX]

Looks good, if the flake was a bluish purple it would have been mitsu's Tarmac black it's such a sexy color tho man

 

[upgrading_86]

Yea I think you should stick to factory red for that price and red has always been the easiest color to clean always looks good with minimal effort why don't you powder coat your wheels gun metal

 

[MikeSD]

Looks good, if the flake was a bluish purple it would have been mitsu's Tarmac black it's such a sexy color tho man

thanks, it actually has a deep blue hue from certain angles, the silver then black.

Yea I think you should stick to factory red for that price and red has always been the easiest color to clean always looks good with minimal effort why don't you powder coat your wheels gun metal

too late to stay red but I like the idea of the gun metal wheels. I was wondering about that but will wait until the windows are tinted and get a better feel for the new color.

also going to nightshade the side markers and real tail lights just a coat or two...not blacked out.

 

[H@xtGSX]

I think it looks GREAT! Nice color. It's similar to what I mixed, except without the smoke blue flake in the mix, and a little more of the black base is showing. I really like it. Nicely shaved, good color, and it's a 2g... sexy beast...

Mine for contrast:

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[MikeSD]

I got to say it is a little darker than I thought it was going to be, but at least it is not the average silver grey car you see all over the place.

 

[H@xtGSX]

It's going to be hot inside... but it'll look awesome being hot. Gunmetal and black pearls are really hard to accurately photograph. They never look the same in the pics as they do in person. They absorb a lot of light, but the metallic element of the paint makes the silver stand out, so flash photography is always silver. In shadow, it'll be black, in the sun a deep silver gray. I think it's a great color, but you do pay for it in heat gain. I am eventually going to go back to a white pearl with a gold ghost flake on it, because the heat gain here turns my car into an oven.

 

[MikeSD]

well here it is. it has a lot of orange peel and going to need a color sand and buff. It is quite a change from the red I was so used to.

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IMG_9118 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

 

[gofer]

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A BOSS!

 

[MikeSD]

thanks Corey, it will look better once the windows are tinted. Thinking the rims night look better gunmetal grey as well.

Think you could do your PS magic on the rims?

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IMG_9104 by Mike Murad, on Flickr

 

[MrCii]

I think the wheels look good the way they are, tint those windows and youll be set man!

 

[gofer]

Think you could do your PS magic on the rims?

Sure, once I get back to my own computer. What would you like me to do with the Enkei decals on them, get rid of them, leave them, or make them a different color?

 

[MikeSD]

Sure, once I get back to my own computer. What would you like me to do with the Enkei decals on them, get rid of them, leave them, or make them a different color?

thanks, just cover the decals.

 

[ViciousLord]

I'd say keep the evo 8 wheels factory silver. Your car looks good dude.

 

[dsmcrzy]

Looks great!! Very unique color on a dsm with out being a 'look at me color'. Very nice! Congrats.