Car Enthusiast Thread

NeoSneth

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That's some tasty orange peel. I believe there is a Mythbusters where they drove a dimpled car, and it did have measurable gains.
 

GohanX

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Yeah, I should have significantly less peel with the gun set correctly, and I'm going to try adding some high temp reducer. I accidentally ordered low temp, and it was around 90 degrees so that didn't help. I tried sanding and polishing a spot and it flattened nicely but I had to remove a lot more clear than I would like.
 

lithy

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Is it the light or is your car some sort of dark blue or purple?
 

GohanX

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It's "Royal Blue Pearl." It kinda looks like different shades of blue depending on how the light hits it. It's pretty similar to the original color of my car, but the original had a little more green in it. Unfortunately the original color was $500 a gallon, so I got a standard close enough color.
 

lithy

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It's "Royal Blue Pearl." It kinda looks like different shades of blue depending on how the light hits it. It's pretty similar to the original color of my car, but the original had a little more green in it. Unfortunately the original color was $500 a gallon, so I got a standard close enough color.

Have you really only posted in this thread a few times? I went searching for posts about your Miata but couldn't find anything. I thought you had an NA which would mean it's a 96 M Edition or a 97 STO? Unless I thought wrong and you have an NB and it was one of the several blues for those years.

I'm in something of a similar boat, my car was originally a 94M in Montego Blue (a greenish blue), but was repainted a darker green. I'm unsure if the repaint color is one of the other Miata greens or just some green picked out either for looks or cost.

I might be picking up a hardtop tomorrow, there is one within a reasonable drive for a good price and it's green. Which green, I dunno. The guy said which one he thought (Marina Green Mica which was one year only for the 97M) but looking at it in photos I don't think he's right. In my head I want a hardtop from an Emerald Green Mica NB. I think that's what my car is closest to. Gonna bring a headlight cover along tomorrow to compare colors. If it's close I'll probably take it, I can always sell it off again if I'm not a fan of the color match or if I just don't use the thing (seems probable) I shouldn't be out any money.

I've also got a fiberglass hard deck cover that's currently red that I would like to get painted to match at some point and fitted to the car. I have thought about trying it myself, but not knowing the color and not having the equipment keeps pushing me back toward having a shop do it.
 

GohanX

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Mine is a 96 base but it is Montego Blue. That was a regular color in 96 and 97. Whoever painted your car probably did the same thing I did, picked a close color since Montego was so expensive but went on the green side instead of blue. Hell, even actual Mazda Montego Blue varied year to year and car to car since the exact mix of green and blue were never consistent. I used to have some buddies with Montego Blue RX7s but theirs were way more green than my car.
 

GohanX

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God damn, this paint is hard as a rock. I’m using a pneumatic palm sander which barely had to touch the Mazda paint to sand it down for prep. I was working at sanding down the new paint for half an hour and didn’t get it done. I don’t even need to remove the paint, i just need to make it even to respray.
 

lithy

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Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix today. Public road course through Schenley Park, big car show on the golf course.

Still here watching some racing but here are some car show highlights.

PXL_20230723_141359189.jpgCleaned up so I could park in the show.

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Noble M400 lol license plate

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Nash Metropolitan with a Corvette engine stuffed in it

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Modern Aston outfitted with some Living Daylights inspiration

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Great looking Packard Super Eight
 

lithy

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Looks like it gets used like it is supposed to be. A+

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Always wanted one of these, but I already have one car with no roof.

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A 289 Cobra. You see the 427 replicas all the time, so this one was nice.

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The kinda car that you used to see regularly and at some point they all rotted to dust or got hidden away in a garage.
 

NeoSneth

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Can we get a real recession so the enthusiast car market crashes again. Am i right?
Getting tired of resellers and youtubers flipping cars like it's the housing the market. These things are supposed to plummet in value,. Then I can go buy them at a discount.
 
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Syn

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@lithy it's too bad you're just far enough away to be able to make it to the Woodward Dream Cruise. You'd love it. Cars, old and new, everywhere. Nearby parks have vintage, rare and expensive cars as well as what's cruising. Everyone is in a good mood and it's a great time.
 

lithy

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@lithy it's too bad you're just far enough away to be able to make it to the Woodward Dream Cruise. You'd love it. Cars, old and new, everywhere. Nearby parks have vintage, rare and expensive cars as well as what's cruising. Everyone is in a good mood and it's a great time.

It is definitely on my list to make that some year. It's only 4 hours or so to Detroit, I just drove a few hours to Norwalk, OH to meet my dad for the Pontiac Nationals (that's where the pics from post #13,008 are from, realized I didn't mention details).

I like shows, especially with good variety, but I like cars in motion so much more, the cruise part sounds great.
 

GohanX

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Resprayed primer and color on my test fender. They went on much easier this time, I figured out that the first time I didn't have the gun assembled correctly, and on top of that I had the fluid control set way too high. I was assuming that I was going to have issues with the paint gun not spraying enough fluid on my small setup, and it was quite the opposite, it was puking it everywhere. I found a Youtube video of a pro using my exact gun and I copied his settings, it sprayed much easier, flatter, and shinier. It doesn't even look like the same shade of blue as the first spray. I still need to throw on the clearcoat, I ran out of time yesterday.

I did do a really shitty job of prep though, and it really shows. But that's okay, test panel.
 

GohanX

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Started to spray the clear, but had a little malfunction on the second coat. I didn't have the paint cup screwed in tight enough and I started leaking clearcoat halfway through the spray. Oh well, at least the bottom half of the panel looks good and shows me what it will look like finished on the car. It still has a little orange peel, but it's more of the easily buffed out kind and not the "wtf did I do" kind.

fender.jpg
 
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Syn

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One trip to the hardware store for a nut and the DaveFab aluminum windshield washer reservoir is complete. With the turbo's heat I've replaced as much of the plastic reservoirs as possible.

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Syn

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With the Dream Cruise next week I started cleaning the car with a wash & wax. Interior next. I don't let it go so some Armor All, vacuuming and interior glass cleaning is all that's needed.

I bought some wider rims (17-8) for next year's tire purchase. They were on sale. I'll get new sensors, tires and alignment. Damn stuff is getting expensive to do in one shot.
 

Moob Butter

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‘Festival of the unexceptional’ from a couple of weekends ago. It’s a celebration of shitty everyday cars which are now becoming rare. Top stuff gets a prize, like this Daihatsu Applause from Sweden which got 1st place.

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Also, new car day today. Picked up a cheap C Class W202 from 1996. Pics to be shared when I’ve taken some in daylight.
 
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lithy

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Good stuff, we were driving home on some smaller roads from about 90 minutes away today when I saw a Dodge Mirada. No pics since we drove on by.

Rare of course does not mean valuable and doesn't even necessarily mean interesting, but it is notable enough to me to see things you don't see ever or often, especially things that were once even ubiquitous but have simply disappeared to the march of time and lack of enthusiasm for them (as is the case with many consumer grade models).

Pic from the internet.

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Syn

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I'm not getting tires until next year so the rims are going in the basement. 20230809_185244.jpg
 

lithy

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National Pike Steam, Gas, and Horse Association show. Basically a big show of lots of stuff, cars, trucks, tractors, steam engines, heavy equipment, old Bessemer engines. A great show.

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Studebaker stakebed truck

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General Lee on a period Chevy flatbed

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Jeep Forward Control, first I've ever seen in person

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Big kids sandbox with toys
 
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