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Strut Tower Repaint
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This is my third (hopefully last) complete redo. The outcome is ok, not as good as I was hoping, but since it's under the hood anyways... I can live with it.
Material:
1) Dupli-Color MetalCast (RED)
2) Dupli-Color MetalCast Ground Coat
3) Dupli-Color Sandable Primer
4) Dupli-Color Clear Coat
5) Lots of latex gloves
Stripped to metal with Jasco & sanding. After stripping off all the old paint, wash it with soap. Lay down 2-3 layers of primer, making sure to rough it up with 400-grit wet-and-dry. After primer completely dries, lay down a 3-4 layer of the MetalCast Ground Coat. Notice I stuck some paper towel into the bolt holes so not to spray paint into it. It's up to you... but keep in mind that we're about to apply about 12-14 coats of primer, paint, etc... your bolt may not fit afterwards.
NOTE: MetalCast was designed for bare metal, which means it has to be applied on a unfinished, prep metal surface. The MetalCast base coat is a transparent layer so if you�re applying it on a dark surface, you won�t get the anodized effect. That's why the ground coat is a silver flaked coat. I found this to be a better surface coat than the bare metal. Also, the ground coat sticks better to a primer coat than just bare metal and that�s why I also primed the metal before the silver ground coat.
A close up of the ground coat. The next picture shows me applying 4-5 layers of MetalCast Red coat. Take your time or the paint with build up and run. Don't overlap layers on each coat if possible, the MetalCast paint is very watery and runs very easily. After you are done with the base coat, it's going to look nice enough to install... but DON'T!!! It's not ready yet because we still have to treat the paint and apply a clear coat.
Painted lower mounts, ready for baking. I baked both mounts for 45 mins at 200 degreee in the oven. This seems to be the best outcome out of my last 2 baking time. After baking, the coloring will change to a darker red but it'll lighten up after it cools down. You can also see it next to the OEM strut bar's black paint; this is before the clear coating� after it has cool down.
After baking, take it out and let it cool down for couple hours in a dry area at room temperature. Keep in mind that these are metal mounts, METAL plus HEAT equals VERY HOT! Don't expose it to water, or extreme hot or cold temperature. It may cause the paint to flake & peel. After it cools down so that you can handle it without burning off your hands, take it outside and lay down 3-4 layers of clear coat on it to finish it up and protect the base paint. Go slow on the clear coat or it'll run also. You�ll also notice rough area here and there depending on how well you spray (blue arrow). These area can be easily corrected with a good layering of clear coat, and some polishing.
After the clear coat dries, wash it and polish it a little to give it a shine. Use washer for all bolts as to not rub the clear coat and place pressure on the base coat.
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Tie-down Hooks
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The Miata comes with two tie-down hooks in the front of the car and two tow hooks in the back. The two in the back are actual tow-hooks that should be use for towing or pulling of a Miata. The ones in the front *SHOULD* never be used. They were mounted there for the sole purpose of holding down the Miata during transport from factory.
The removal of these two tie-down hooks are very common. They are generally refer to as "baby teeth" by Miata owners. They are bolted in place with three(3) bolts each and are a pain-in-the-butt to remove. It's do-able, but you'll need a 12-point short socket and mid-size socket wrench. Put some towels on the lower lip of the air-dam or you may dent it if you start dropping the hooks on it. Go slow and have fun... NOT.
After the removal of the hooks and mounted a black grill cover. The grill cover mounts to existing mounting holes with bolt... no drilling require. The CAD plated bolt on the left is for the license plate mounting bracket.
This part is a *MUST* for Miata because of the low point of the air-dam. All it takes is one rock into this area to take out your air conditioner condenser or radiator. But make sure you get a free-flowing grill cover!
NOTE: Some grill cover won't need your hooks remove for mounting, but they are harder to mount IMHO.
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Clear Side Markers
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I personally dislike the orange side markers so that's why I changed it. This mod doesn't do anything that's useful other than personally taste. Easy install, buy the side markers, take out the screws holding it in place, replace with clear units. Just make sure you're using orange bulbs... don't know about other states, but it's illegal to have white lighted side markers in CA.
NOTE: You can try taking off the OEM foam backing off the OEM markers. But I gave up after about 5 mins and just went to Home Depot and picked up some cheap weathering stripping. Line the inside (outer edge) of the clear markers and press into place. You'll know what I'm talking about once you remove it.
