Going to repaint to a non-stock color

[WyldWeasel]

I went back today and checked paint chips in a better light, and I decided to go with the '98 Isuzu Copper Orange Mica. It's actually a great match with the red interior, and I think I'll be extremely happy with it. Many thanks to E Zoo Zoo One for the suggestion and the link to the pix. My heart goes out to that fellow in Massachusetts and the hell he's gone thru to get his salvaged Amigo past the idiot inspections. Does anyone know if he eventually suceeded?

For those who want a before pic, here's my Ebony stripped down for body work.

Stripped for Paint

[E-ZooZoo One]

…Many thanks to E Zoo Zoo One for the suggestion and the link to the pix.

Just glad I could help!
I can’t wait to see the After Pix

…My heart goes out to that fellow in Massachusetts and the hell he's gone thru to get his salvaged Amigo past the idiot inspections. Does anyone know if he eventually suceeded?

Yeah, Chris really had a run of bad luck with all of that red tape – and I still feel like it was partly my fault, for posting the link to the eBay auction in the first place - but AFAIK, after innumerable miseries, he finally got it legal.

[WyldWeasel]

That's great to hear about Chris and his Amigo. My ebony is also a salvage vehicle. It was salvaged in AZ (I have a feeling it was stolen, as AZ issues salvage titles for stolen vehicles, and this only had cosmetic damage aside from a dent in the oil pan and the AC condensor being punctured), then issued a rebuilt title and sold at auction.

The fellow I purchased it from brought it into SoCal about 2 years ago and went thru the bureaucratic nightmare of getting it inspected and legal here in CA, which took him 18 months, as the DMV lost his original paperwork, then couldn't figure out what to do when he overpaid them. Luckily, however the Highway Patrol passed him both times at the inspections. At least here in CA the emphasis is on safety and emissions, and not cosmetics.

Because it's salvage, I don't feel so bad repainting it to non-stock, as any potential collector value is killed by the salvage aspect. Plus, because I got it so cheap I can afford to drop some $ into it cosmetically and really make it as close to a brand new VX as possible. Better than new, in some ways, since I'll probably have the only '99 Copper Orange Mica on this board.

Oh, and for anyone who's curious: I am going to replace all the badges and stickers after it's painted (even the one under the hood that talks about emissions). I want it to look as close to stock as possible, as if it was indeed a color option for the VX that any one could have purchased. IMO debadged VX's look like someone repainted them and was just too lazy/cheap to replace the badges.

[transio]

Go for Lotus Chrome Orange! That color is HOT!!! Pearlescent Orange. Yummy.

http://www.puresportscar.com/gallery...range-side.jpg

[E-ZooZoo One]

...IMO debadged VX's look like someone repainted them and was just too lazy/cheap to replace the badges.

I sort of see both sides...

On the one hand - I'm a die-hard Isuzu Fanatic, almost to the point of obsession.
(Of course, if you asked Miss Kathy, I’m sure she’d tell you to drop the word “almost”!)
I love it when people check out the VX and eventually say something like “You’re KIDDIN’ me - that’s an ISUZU???”

On the other – keeping folks guessing is probably a whole lot of fun too…
I was joking around with Kathy the other day, and told her that I might just re-badge ours as a ‘Porsche Habanero’

[transio]

I sort of see both sides... On the one hand... On the other

And on the OTHER other hand, the VehiCROSS's badges are ugly as dog poo. Love the VX, hate the badges. It just looks so much nicer without them. The only one I regret removing is the "ISUZU" badge on the front. I was planning on making a custom "Tonka" badge, but it became too much work and I gave up. Now I have a big hole in my grill.

[WyldWeasel]

Ah yes. That Lotus Orange is nice. However, one of my goals is to have a color that works well with the red/black interior, so that sort of limits my choices as far as the colors go. While I love alot of the oranges out there, some are too yellow, some are too gold, some are too berry/cherry, some are too brown, etc. So I am limited to the oranges that are bright enough for my purposes (i.e. good contrast with the cladding, which is my main gripe with the Foxfire and Dragon mica, they're too dark), while still being of the correct shade/tone to work with the red/black interior.

And LOL on that Habenero bit. It would be fun to be a fly on the wall if a so called expert started going on about how Porsche came out with this smaller 4WD version of the Cayenne.

[johnnyapollo]

I believe the orange that you've picked is the same as one of the 25 colors offered with the Limiteds in Japan - good choice! I don't know if anyone actually chose that color in Japan - most that I've seen pictures of are within a fairly limited range - I like the fuscia too!

-- John

[WyldWeasel]

On one of the JDM tribute pages there are a few pix of an orange VX from the interior, and that really struck me as a nice combo. But the photos are so stylized that it's hard to get a good idea of how it will look over all. I'm so excited, I can't wait to see how the car will look when it's finished.

[Chopper]

Photoshop is cool but, If you can find a House of Kolor specialist(won't be hard on the left coast) they have an amazing program available. Digital photos are taken of the vehicle from different angles and even under different lighting, they are loaded, and in no time you are seeing your car in its new color- even graphics and details, in bright light, twilight,front, side, whatever views you took. Sort of a Cali sunset orange without all the pearl. Check Sikkens paint- they made the original. Wayne P.S. Carefull pulling those side windows...the rear is a bit tricky as well but the sides are in like a Celica triangle glass. I called the glassman... even he wouldn't guarantee success, and he covers most everything except the Toyota Triangle. He did ok, and all ended well this time.

[Triathlete]

Already came in that color...

...in Japan!

[CSTYLES]

I believe the Japanese orange is different from the copper orange mica offered on the amigo and i-280 pickup. A while back someone posted a picture of the 20 some colors offered for the 175 limited edition in Japan. Can't read the color, of course, but in parenthasis the color code is 766. The color code for copper orange is 838. Anyone read Japanese?

サンバーストオレンジマイカ（７６６）

edit: babelfish has it as "sunburst orange mica"

[WyldWeasel]

Wow, great pic Billy. Thanks for posting it! That's very close to what I'm going for with making mine copper. I think you are right Cstyles about the color difference. I seem to remember looking over the various color chip books and considering the Isuzu Sunburst Orange Mica but finding it was too orange for the door panels. The Copper Orange Mica is slightly darker and redder and somehow, in a weird way, more luminous. Not sure how that works but I'm sure some paint expert can explain it.

[mbeach]

Your truck is going to look awesome -congratulations!

[E-ZooZoo One]

Your truck is going to look awesome -congratulations!

TRUE THAT!

I haven’t said anything about it yet – but the main reason that I was so quick with that link is that our VX will need to be repainted someday (sooner rather than later), and that’s the color that I was thinking about using…

And it sort of ties-in with my Habanero joke – mainly because it was the color that inspired the name in the first place.

…And LOL on that Habenero bit. It would be fun to be a fly on the wall if a so called expert started going on about how Porsche came out with this smaller 4WD version of the Cayenne.

“Yeah, Norm, ya see right there… that’s Porsche’s answer to the Dakar Rally question. --- These babies are so hot that no other name would do the trick……… `cause, ya know, the habanero is the hottest pepper on the face of the planet… In fact, it’s so hot that…”