RX8Club.com - Matrx8's build thread

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I know the pics are in my flickr account somewhere but I can't find them now. I noticed it on Shinkamami's car the last time it happened because I went to help her when her car broke down and when we got it on the flat bed, I was standing behind it looking up at the exhaust and noticed the rust on the welds and the cracks. All her Mazdaspeed stuff was installed on her Shinka by the dealer when she bought it so they covered it again under warranty but soon after she sold it and bought a Mazdaspeed 3.

It was odd because her car always immaculate and garaged and AFAIK had never left Texas.

Cool, but those welds are not the ones that fail. But if that is the one I did see that one for sale, it looked okay from the pics I saw overall but one of the canisters did look to have a leak at one of the welds. But I can't find the pics now, not sure if I saw it here or on FB.

Could be either. I saw it on FB first linked to the for sale section here.

So.. update, because I've been busy.

OK. So the MS exhaust is on and sounds delicious.

I painted a couple silver pieces on the interior red and have plans to do a bit more.

I plastidipped (I was curious, don't hate me) my mirrors and side vents and they actually looked really good.... till I went to a car wash. Now it's pealing -_- So I'm going to have to peal it all off and paint them for realz. yo. I'm white shut up, it doesn't come naturally.

I rolled the fenders the old fashioned way (because all the mechanics around here were too chicken to do it themselves) with a heat gun and a baseball bat. Managed to not damage anything, so that's a plus. I'm also learning that I can do some things myself better than a so-called professional can.

When the body shop installed my new headlights and my new horn they kinda half-assed it. They also told me my front bumper was SUPER CRAZY DIFFICULT to take on and off and I believed them because they were the ones who fitted it in the first place. It's not hard at all.

Speaking of half-assed, instead of mounting my horns facing forward, they mounted them pointing down because the bumper was in the way. A trip to home depot and 3 bucks later, suddenly I have an amazing heavy duty bracket (normally used for lumber) that I'm going to screw into my crash bar and hang my horns from the way they should be.

One of the side markers I installed (the ones infamous for leaking) leaked (surprise surprise), so I have to re-seal that before I put them back on.

More half-assed work from my favorite body shop, I told them to take the bulbs out of my old headlights and put them in the new ones. Well, they didn't replace the HIDs so I had to do that myself.

I also decided to paint the inside of my headlights. Nothing crazy, I just don't like the gray so gloss black it is just like my old ones. Those are done being painted, I'll be reassembling them shortly.

I'm also going to get the front bumper repainted as my last road trip destroyed it.

Because I've been told it's dangerous to try to camber a car yourself, I'm having that done professionally. I'm hoping after that's done I'll be able to lower it with no problems. I'm going for an inch, and we'll see how it looks/drives.

So as of now I still need to finish mounting the horns, reassemble the headlights, reseal the 1 side marker and repaint the side vents and side mirrors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrx8 (Post 4689485)

So.. update, because I've been busy.

I rolled the fenders the old fashioned way (because all the mechanics around here were too chicken to do it themselves) with a heat gun and a baseball bat. Managed to not damage anything, so that's a plus. I'm also learning that I can do some things myself better than a so-called professional can.

Brave man. I tried the same. Now I'm learning body work to repair them. :yelrotflmLucky thing I got myself a welder and compressor recently for touch ups.

dang, how badly did you mess them up?

Actual fender rollers are cheap. But glad you lucked out and didn't damage anything.

Yeah its pretty easy to Jack them up luckily my paint isn't messed up. Just got the bacon fender wave going on.

$200-250 for a tool you'll only ever use one time isn't what I consider cheap. I tried my damndest to find one, or to find someone willing to do it but everybody freaked out when I asked if they'd roll my fenders. Baseball bat and a heat gun? 40 bucks. Doing it myself and doing a good job? Priceless.

You can get an Eastwood fender roller for $119.00 shipped or a no name brand for $100.00. And why would you only use it once? Do you plan on only ever lowering one car in your life? My buddies Eastwood locally has been used a dozen times at least.

*shrug* Either way they're done. If I ever need one again I'll look a little harder.

I was hit in a parking lot and need a replacement bumper. Would i be able to buy just the bumper and it look good? Would it be flush with the sides without the side skirts?

No it will look silly without the side skirts and even more silly if the car is not lowered. This bumper looks like shit when the car is not lowered significantly.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...2ab32b7d96.jpg

Oh man 9k, I have some pictures from back in the day that make me cringe. Remember this? *Shudder*

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...350b30dbc0.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...2fe2065090.jpg

She sure has come a long way since then. Thanks in no small part to your advice 9k, thank you :) I'm getting better at photography too! Here's a link to the rest of them, 39 total (Yeah, I'm not spamming huge pictures anymore either lol)
https://imgur.com/a/bqXiz

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...a2430b5f96.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...c08df2cef2.jpg

Oh also, I lowered the car by about an inch all around, and cambered the front (And I think rear as well) as far as it would go. Replaced the headlights, painted the new ones black and added demon eyes (+10 Horsepower!). Fixed the flooded side marker and re-sealed it, re-painted my front bumper (There probably wasn't a square inch of it that didn't have a rock chip, it was really really bad), and finally, I installed hellahorns (+10 moar horsies!).

Also, my old wheels were sold to new guy in town I met a few weeks ago, who loves his RX8 as much as I do :)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...cf6f57e874.jpg

What are the circles behind your grill?

I'm getting more and more into photography, and getting better and better at it. I recently hired a model and did a photo shoot with her, it went really well and I hope to be able to post the results sometime this week if I'm not all doped up on Oxy from the dentist lol. I also finished repainting the front grill, it's black again.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...7bbfa6574d.jpg

Nice pics. Nice equipment.

Nice shots. Stance looks better than before, though the front could still use 1/2 inch or so :P Looks clean though man

I don't see any other Mazdas, :lol: What was your competition like?