1996 Mazda Miata - Paint Restore & New Top
Overall Paint Job Due To Cheap Paint Job and New Convertible Top Installation
This 1996 Mazda Miata was a pretty good little car, it ran great but it had a few things wrong that needed fixing. The gas lid release cable was broke, the transmission mount needed replaced and the convertible top was trashed.
Unfortunately the car got a Maaco paint job, a cheap job. They used a synthetic enamel that was full of runs, orange peel and didn't last a week.
The paint had to be sanded down to the original top coat. That synthetic enamel is the worst paint on the planet and is unpredictable, even under another paint job. After sanding most of that paint off, I applied 3 coats of a urethane primer. I block sanded it thoroughly to level the surface free of waves.
The front bumper cover was dipped in and warped in places due to the material they made them in of that time period. No one offered a replacement and a used one would have the same issues.
So using a heat gun from behind, I reshaped and stretched the rubberized plastic back into shape. I replaced the top myself, the kit I bought had great instructions.
All of my cars in my pictures and videos are actual real customer's cars, so usually my main focus is to get the job done. However, I plan to do better in the future on collecting more photos.
Slide Show
Click on any image below to open a larger view and a slide show. You can click the arrows to the right or left. Each image has a brief description for each step of the process
If you have any questions about this job or one of for your own project, please contact me. I usually respond within 24 hours and do my best to get you the most accurate answers...
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