Liam's NA Miata - Finally back on the road!!!

[LeadFootLiam]

I don't think I have ever seen someone remove original paint that way just to repaint the car. Usually you just sand it down and paint over the old paint...

I'm stripping it to bare metal because Mazda screwed up the primer, or paint for the white Miatas in 1990. Now, after 25 years the paint chips with ease. I don't the same problem happening after I paint it. I wish I didn't have to strip all the paint but I feel I do.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I have my car in the garage so I don't have to worry about major rust. I will look into some epoxy primer. It will be better than plastidip, because i really don't want to peel it all off when the time comes to paint.

Will the paint adhere better on epoxy primer than regular primer?

Thanks

Yes paint will adhere better to epoxy primer, than the regular cheap primer you get in a can.

I don't think I have ever seen someone remove original paint that way just to repaint the car. Usually you just sand it down and paint over the old paint...

Removing all the paint is actually the proper way to re-paint a car. I have been painting cars for over 20 years and trust me, you would not believe what people hide under paint and primer. Coat hangers, news paper to fill holes, excessive bondo, window screens from houses, screwdrivers to fill holes, and many more nightmares. With all the paint and primer removed, there is no mystery to what is under.

I'm stripping it to bare metal because Mazda screwed up the primer, or paint for the white Miatas in 1990. Now, after 25 years the paint chips with ease. I don't the same problem happening after I paint it. I wish I didn't have to strip all the paint but I feel I do.

Yes this is the proper way to remove all the paint and primer. That way there is no mystery at all to what is under the paint and primer. I actually give you a huge pat on the back for doing this the proper way. 👍

Just make sure you keep an eye on every spot the paint stripper drips. For example: On your trunk, the body line around the trunk lid has a gap. If any of the stripper runs down in there it will remove paint around the trunk seals and might even eat the seals themselves. So watch those types of areas closely and you should be fine.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

Yes paint will adhere better to epoxy primer, than the regular cheap primer you get in a can.

Removing all the paint is actually the proper way to re-paint a car. I have been painting cars for over 20 years and trust me, you would not believe what people hide under paint and primer. Coat hangers, news paper to fill holes, excessive bondo, window screens from houses, screwdrivers to fill holes, and many more nightmares. With all the paint and primer removed, there is no mystery to what is under.

Yes this is the proper way to remove all the paint and primer. That way there is no mystery at all to what is under the paint and primer. I actually give you a huge pat on the back for doing this the proper way. 👍

Just make sure you keep an eye on every spot the paint stripper drips. For example: On your trunk, the body line around the trunk lid has a gap. If any of the stripper runs down in there it will remove paint around the trunk seals and might even eat the seals themselves. So watch those types of areas closely and you should be fine.

Thanks , hopefully I won't find any crap like that in my car lol. I will keep an I out for the paint stripper drips too.

Here is where I got to yesterday.

I'll be feathering these today

I'll start on the bumper and rear panel as well depending on how much time the bondo spots take.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I honestly would have waited until you could paint it. I see it's raining there, you might worry about surface rust.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

I honestly would have waited until you could paint it. I see it's raining there, you might worry about surface rust.

It's sunny right now, that's just water from the hose.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

Holy moly, is been a while now. Over these months I finished the body work and priming, got an engine swapped and it's back on the road!

Here is the body work 90% finished I still need to fix some small errors.

The new engine runs very well, going to change the oil next week, and it hasn't lost a drop according to the dip stick overall all these month of sitting (Since November 15) I did start her up to operating temperature lots of times.

Right now I don't have any major plans, as I'm going to Scotland this August and need to save for that. The car won't be painted till next year, some rust sections need to be dealt with, they aren't as bad as my rear rockers where. Going to try and find some used fenders and bumpers because I'd like to replace all of those.

More pics

Body work went well, unfortunately some dents can't be taken out, they are too big for bondo. When this eventually gets paint it won't be perfect, I never intended this to be a show car. I wish I would win a bunch of money so I can get it over a done with lol.

Also what can I use for rock chips? Miata come with a rock chip guard on the lower half of the car. What stuff can I use or what's the proper name for it?

 

[Heldenzeit]

Glad to read you are still alive haha. It will be really nice once its all one color again.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

Glad to read you are still alive haha. It will be really nice once its all one color again.

Thanks lol. I actually don't mind all the different colours right now, I going re paint it mariner blue, so I'm pretty excited.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

So have some updates. I got a rug doctor and did my seats and carpets. My car always had a funny smell inside and I think it's gone now.

You cant really notice a difference in how the clean carpets and seats look, but here is how dark the water was in the waste tank.

Yuck!

Today my Garage Star Bushings came in.

While I was installing them, this happened

Yup snapped the bolt, fantastic. Im going to get a bolt extractor set and get that out of there. Hopefully this doesn't affect how the bushings work, because they do work! My commute is around a 45mins both way so we'll see how they hold up!

In a nut shell these bushings are stiffer than the stock ones and have a better fit when the door is closed, therefore stiffening the chassis and reducing rattles. Lots of good reviews on them.

Any one have any other suggestions on how to get that broken bolt out?

Thanks

 

[Heldenzeit]

I love my GS door bushings. Ken makes a good product.

You could always drill the old bolt remnants out.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

I love my GS door bushings. Ken makes a good product.

You could always drill the old bolt remnants out.

Yea they work pretty good for what they, I noticed a difference,nothing major though. My car would shake and around 110km or 70mph and with these installed it doesn't really do it any more. I didn't notice any difference with the snapped bolt, but I still want it out just for peace of mind.