Black Front Badge (Pics)

[USAF_TRobertson]

I am probably going to be doing mine this weekend hopefully. I bought some "Black Chrome" spray paint I found on the net. I plan on:

1. Sanding. (Although I need to get a recomendation on what grit to use)
2. Priming. (2 coats minimum)
3. Black chrome paint. (3 light coats at least)
4. Clear coat. (2 light coats at least)

Does this sound right to everyone?

 

[Darksun280]

What grit sandpaper did you guys use and is there anything to watch out for when doing this on your own? I just put tint on my red rear reflectors so I am fealing pumped to do something more difficult.

Also, anyone do a shiny black paint? Seems like everyone did a flat so I am just wondering what you used for a paint. I assume it's spray paint, right?

How do you get the back emblem off? Just pop the back part of the rear hatch off or is there a door to access it?

Thanks!

i got lazy with the front one and did sanding with a medium grit sand paper then only did 4 coats with black primer only cause the flat color matches the black on the front bumper. I know i should have clear coated it though so i'll probably end up having to do that

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

i got lazy with the front one and did sanding with a medium grit sand paper then only did 4 coats with black primer only cause the flat color matches the black on the front bumper. I know i should have clear coated it though so i'll probably end up having to do that

I don't know about the clear coat, unless you can get it in flat. I really like the look of it the way it is right now. Of course, now you need to buy rims to match.
I second the question asked earlier: how did you remove the rear emblem?

 

[zoom_craigy_zoo]

Man that looks good, however I wouldn't fork out the dough that stahreeeeetu-nitttt is asking for them.

Darksun, yes I believe there are two holes for the Mazda emblem on the back of the hatch.. but if you plan on putting it back on, you have no issues! I've heard of people removing it though and having the trunk shaved for that nice clean look.

 

[zoom_craigy_zoo]

I hate how this forum blanks out names/websites. GHEY.

 

[Renzokuken]

Anyone have a true red with blacked out emblems and no mazdaspeed3 emblem? Curious as to what it would look like?

Here...

 

[BSTD3]

Looking good Renzokuken! (bow)

 

[chacon101]

Yeah, no s***. That's a nice ride. I love this car (beer)

 

[Renzokuken]

THNX guys.

 

[Darksun280]

yeah nice car man. You better copy right it before i steal your design though.......

 

[justanothermp5]

im not sure if anybody anwered the question on what grit to use, i start with like a 400 and go at it for like 2 minutes then 600 for like 5 so its all smooth and all ur really trying to do is scuff the surface so u can get the paint to stick
i did mine on my p5 and it turned out pretty good

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Looking good Renzokuken! (bow)

+1
Are those the factory rims painted black? How long have they been painted, how are they holding up, and how did you do it? I love cheap mods that look really good.

 

[USAF_TRobertson]

im not sure if anybody anwered the question on what grit to use, i start with like a 400 and go at it for like 2 minutes then 600 for like 5 so its all smooth and all ur really trying to do is scuff the surface so u can get the paint to stick
i did mine on my p5 and it turned out pretty good

Thanks, I'll be doing mine this weekend! I'll try to get some decent pics up but I am stuck with my old 2MP digital camera since my good one got stolen :-(

 

[Renzokuken]

+1
Are those the factory rims painted black? How long have they been painted, how are they holding up, and how did you do it? I love cheap mods that look really good.

Let me PM you a link to another forum. Did it about a month ago.BTW they are holding up great. You will see why from the link. Im sorry, I didnt mean to thread jack.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Let me PM you a link to another forum. Did it about a month ago.BTW they are holding up great. You will see why from the link. Im sorry, I didnt mean to thread jack.

Thanks. I don't know, going from blacking out emblems to blacking out rims isn't too big a leap. I wouldn't call it jacking the thread.

 

[USAF_TRobertson]

I removed my emblems and got a few coats of primer on since yesterday afternoon. Should be applying the first coat of "black chrome" when I get home around 4PM.

Tips for removing:

Front "M" logo: There are 5 clips that hold this into the grill. I thought I could snap them out using my fingers... big mistake. I broke the two clips at the 3 and 9 o'clock position in the first 5 minutes. They are VERY fragile. It will still be held in ok with the remaining 3 so it's not a huge issue. The only way you can remove them is to get a stubby flat tip screw driver and pry/push on the OUTSIDE of the clip gently while pushing the emblem out with the screw driver. Just have a little patience. Once I figured this out it literally took me 2 minutes to remove it.

Total time to remove: 10 minutes
Total curse words: 3

Rear "M" logo: This is held on mainly with glue/tape. There are also 2 plastic guide pins that go into the back of the car. They do not clip into the car therefore all you have to do is break through the glue/tape. I soaked this one with Goo Gone and used a hair dryer for a few minutes to warm it up. I then used dental floss, yes dental floss, to loosen up the glue/tape on one side. Once I did that I took a plastic scraper and gently went around the remainder of the emblem. I applied goo gone every few minutes to act as a lubricant/penetrant for when I was prying with the paint scraper. It was really easy to do using the scraper.

Total time to remove: 5 minutes
Total curse words: 1

"MazdaSpeed3" logo: This is held on entirely with glue/tape. I soaked this one with goo gone and heated it up with the hair dryer as well. Using dental floss I started at one end and just went in a sawing motion to remove it. I broke the floss a few times but no biggie as I had a brand new roll. This one actually took the longest mainly because I kept applying goo gone and using the hair dryer to soften up the glue/tape every couple minutes.

Total time to remove: 15 minutes.
Total curse words: 4


Now you're left with a bunch of glue/tape all over the back of your car. No problem - just use more goo gone and your finger nail and scrape it all off. It honestly took me about 30 minutes to get it all off. After that I used a clay bar to remove all the contaminants from the paint that was left on. I suppose you dont have to use a clay bar but I had one so I did. You could probably just use a soft rag and some more goo gone and wipe away any remaining glue/tape.

Next I pulled my car out of the garage and into the driveway and rinsed all the goo gone off with a hose. I am going to wash/wax it again this weekend so I am not too worried about it.

I took the emblems inside, peeled off any remaining glue/tape from the back of them and gave them a quick rinse and dry. Just take some 400 grit sandpaper and rough them up a little bit. I only spent about 10 minutes sanding them all because it didn't look like it was going to make a huge difference.

Rinse and dry again and you're ready to start applying primer. I am using some white primer from Lowe's that said would be ok to use on plastic. Nothing fancy. I have applied four coats so far and will begin to apply the paint when I get home today; allowing the primer to dry for about 8 hours while I am at work.

If you're not familiar with how to use spray paint properly this would probably be a good time to google it.

This will prevent getting runs/drips in the paint. Basically hold the can about 16" from whatever you are painting and go in a sweeping motion back and forth. Start spraying a few inches from the emblem and stop spraying a few inches past it. NEVER start/stop spraying while pointing the can directly at the emblem. A few light coats should do fine.

I'll update this once I finished and I'll take some pics...

 

[enganear]

USAF_TRobertson
Nice writeup. Thx for taking the time. Looking forward to pics.
-enganear

 

[VAbehrcub]

The Mazda badge (the one that says 'Mazda') on my hatch has a hole behind it (for mounting the badge). I noticed Edrive73 took the badge off. Did you have to fill the holes?

 

[USAF_TRobertson]

The Mazda badge (the one that says 'Mazda') on my hatch has a hole behind it (for mounting the badge). I noticed Edrive73 took the badge off. Did you have to fill the holes?

The Mazda Speed3 does not have holes in that location. It is all a sticker.

 

[USAF_TRobertson]

I am in the middle of painting my emblems right now and have a few questions for those that have already done it:

1. Did you prep the car's paint before reinstalling the emblems that use tape? Should I swab it with rubbing alcohol or anything to remove the wax?

2. What's the easiest way to cut out the tape for the rear "M" emblem and the "MAZDASPEED3" emblem? Anyone got a shortcut or any tips?