ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: rottenbob on August 22, 2008, 07:30:41 PM
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Hullo! I'm new here. Someone on the Zuwharrie site clued me in about ZukiWorld. I own a 1997 Suzuki X-90. I came across it when I was shopping for a Samurai. In fact, after reading some of the threads on this site tonight I began to wish that I'd gotten a Samurai tintop after all; I really love them (and I've learned that I really have to stick to the very minimal in camping gear because the X-90 only holds so much!). I have a website for my X-90 here: http://www.rottenbob.com/x-90/
I am planning on getting the X-90 repainted soon. I was wondering if any other forum members could recommend a paint shop in the Seattle area. I've read both good and bad things about Maaco, and I'm not sure if I want to trust them with my X-90. Other internet research that I've done has been largely fruitless. I also don't want to spend a boatload of money. Thx.
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You mentioned Macco. I once spoke to a gentleman who worked at Macco and he said that the only problem with a Macco paint job is the prep work. They do cheap paint jobs because people walk in and plop down a $100 and expect a world class paint job. The cheaper Macco paint job you get, the less prep work you will get.
If you do the prep work, or have someone do some good prep work, the paint they put on will be fine.
Another short story,
I used to work with a guy that had a 1966 Mini Cooper that he would enter into car shows (and won at many of them). He told me that he had Macco paint it 10 years previous. He had performed all the prep work and trailered it to one of the Portland Oregon Macco shops. It was red and looked like a very expensive paint job. He also said it was all in the prep work and he also took care of it all those years (keeping it clean and waxed).
You will probably hear negative things about all sort of paint jobs from all sorts of people. Do your home work and make a educated choice that you are comfortable with. It all comes down to what you want and make you feel good.
I also looked at your web site and have always liked the X-90s and if it were mine I would stick with the black (I like black vehicles), but like I said above, its what you like, not what I like.
I am thinking now, I wish I would of kept looking for a X-90 instead of buying my Samurai.
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Welcome to the world. I can't speak for any shops up in Seattle but I would paint that little bugger black again too. They only look good in black and red in my opinion.
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Yellow :'(
I suggest finding out where all the Import tuners get their paint work done, these are your best shops for good quality, custom work. Maaco is a good place for an inexpensive "freshen up your vehicle" paint job, but color changes are a different story, and very costly. You can help reduce the cost(and get a better job) by stripping the vehicle yourself - remove interior door panels, mouldings, etc. anything that's in the way. Headlights, tail lights, side markers... Maaco wouldn't do that, they tape everything off. A good quality color change job done at a shop should cost around $2000 - $3000. If you can find somebody that does this work from home, you will reduce that cost with sometimes better work as they're not pressed for time.
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I would suggest getting it wrapped in a camo vinyl. I think about 300 will do a tracker/x90. Im going to do mine this winter. There is a place in fife that does it for a reasonable price.
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Camo vinyl ? Is this actually a vinyl that is applied over the paint ?
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Camo vinyl ? Is this actually a vinyl that is applied over the paint ?
No different than a vinyl lettering decal like the zukiworld window banners, just a large roll to cover full body panels. I'm really not a big camo fan, I think he's better off with the yellow.
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They offer about 50 different H.D. camo styles now. Some of them are really good. They look like 3-d photo quality. And some of the snow/desert paterns are fantastic. One other plus is that this stuff is VERY durable. check it out.
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Hullo! I'm new here. Someone on the Zuwharrie site clued me in about ZukiWorld. I own a 1997 Suzuki X-90. I came across it when I was shopping for a Samurai. In fact, after reading some of the threads on this site tonight I began to wish that I'd gotten a Samurai tintop after all; I really love them (and I've learned that I really have to stick to the very minimal in camping gear because the X-90 only holds so much!). I have a website for my X-90 here: [url]http://www.rottenbob.com/x-90/[/url]
I am planning on getting the X-90 repainted soon. I was wondering if any other forum members could recommend a paint shop in the Seattle area. I've read both good and bad things about Maaco, and I'm not sure if I want to trust them with my X-90. Other internet research that I've done has been largely fruitless. I also don't want to spend a boatload of money. Thx.
I think I'm going to get one of these to help with the cargo problem in my sami http://www.thuletrailers.com/fw/main/N1150-117C41.html?LayoutID=9
nayr
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As said - Maaco is fine if you do all your own prep first. Their paint is fine - but they do MINIMAL prep. The more expensive the paint job - the more prep they're doing. It's not the paint itself that's expensive (unless you get into crazy custom Rod looking stuff), it's the labor.
And - yeah, the x90 SUCKS for cargo storage. Slap on a hitch, and get a small trailer.
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If you are planning on going off-road, the paint job won't matter much, since its gonna get some "trail stripes" on it anyway.
With that philosophy in mind, along with the fact that 99% of the people who see your truck will see it from more than 10 ft away, I am a firm believer in the "10 ft paint job". If it looks good from 10 ft away, its good enough.
For camping, you may be able to find an old mid 60's to early 70's Apache soft top camper out there. They weigh about 500 to 600 lbs and are pretty rugged. If you get one with a spring (rather than torsion) axles, you can do a spoa to lift it a bit.
So, what am I talking about? Here is my Tracker with the "I can't believe its a rattle can" paint job (as others have said, its all in the prep) and the matching '66 Apache Buffalo.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/jzap/P7040807.jpg)
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Anyone brave enough to use $1 Wal-Mart rattle can yet?
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Anyone brave enough to use $1 Wal-Mart rattle can yet?
Ive done it, although it was to my eclipse and it was less than 75 cents a can
8)
looks good from 10ft id say
(http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/12/web/2100000-2100999/2100310_26.jpg)
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Anyone brave enough to use $1 Wal-Mart rattle can yet?
Nope!!! I used the good stuff... Rustoleum at $3.74 a can. 5 cans for the Tracker, 4 cans for the camper
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Really? Damn... I used 2 cans of rustolium just on my bumper! I noticed the Rustolium has a vertical sprayer (easier), the the cheapies have a circle sprayer (seems harder to get even). I plan on doing my Zook soon, but I figured 5-10 cans of primer, and 5-10 cans of paint? Can anyone verify please?
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Bob,
I don't know if they have Tractor Supply in your area, but you can buy 2 quarts of paint, mix it 2 parts paint with 1 part laquer thinner and get a 15.00 paint gun from Harbor Freight, borrow a small air compressor and paint it in your driveway, did my old motor home 2 years ago and it still looks good. Like the others said, prep work is the key. Get all the old wax off by going over everything with a ScotchBrite pad and neutralize all the rust.
Junkman
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I was told a small compressor wouldn't keep up?
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I was told a small compressor wouldn't keep up?
You were probably told right. But if you want to go the route of junkman (which will yield better results if you read up on painting a bit), I'd step it up a notch and use a 60gal. compressor with a moisture filter and buy a little more spray gun http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43430 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43430).
I have this set up and I have gotten really good results.
A couple of other hints:
- if painting indoors, spray the floor down with water to keep dust down
- if painting outdoors, paint in the morning when the air is calm and bugs aren't flying
Other than that, just like everybody else says, don't skimp on prep.
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Really? Damn... I used 2 cans of rustolium just on my bumper! I noticed the Rustolium has a vertical sprayer (easier), the the cheapies have a circle sprayer (seems harder to get even). I plan on doing my Zook soon, but I figured 5-10 cans of primer, and 5-10 cans of paint? Can anyone verify please?
Most of my paint was in pretty good shape, so I wet sanded it (320 then again with 400) to remove the gloss and smooth it out. No need to primer, except a few spots where rock chips needed to be feathered out down to the metal. The paint will stick just fine to the old paint as long as you get the gloss off.
Rustoleum is pretty heavy stuff, so it covered well. 5 cans for the truck. It is a 2 dr convertible, so there is not as much to paint as a 4 dr or tintop. I also didn't paint the bumpers as you can see in the picture. Take everything off the truck that you can. Bumper covers, mirrors, tire carrier. Take the hood off and hang it up to paint it (much easier that doing it flat). Like everyone has said, prep is everything.
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Thx everyone for your input.
...If you do the prep work, or have someone do some good prep work, the paint they put on will be fine.
Yeah, I thought about that, but I don't think I have the skills or facility to do the prep work myself. My situation is that I live in a 4th floor condo in the inner city, and I have one parking space in our basement garage. Even if our parking garage wasn't dark and lacking electrical outlets, the condo assoc. rules prohibit us from working on our vehicles in the garage. Kind of a sucky situation. And no way can I afford a house in Seattle. I figure if I have someone else do the prep work it may as well be whoever paints it.
Yellow :'(
Well, that's not set in stone. I am also considering copper orange, dark red, or light blue.
I suggest finding out where all the Import tuners get their paint work done, these are your best shops for good quality, custom work.
Good suggestion! I'll research that.
A good quality color change job done at a shop should cost around $2000 - $3000.
I was hoping to get away with $1,500 or less. I'm not sure that anything more than that would be a worthwhile investment. I'm not sure how long I'm going to keep the X-90. I've been thinking about getting a Jeep Patriot, a Suzuki SX4, or a Kia Soul (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/25/officially-official-kia-soul-coming-to-u-s-in-april-2009/ (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/25/officially-official-kia-soul-coming-to-u-s-in-april-2009/)).
Too bad Suzuki doesn't still make the Samurai. If I paint the X-90 I'll probably end up keeping it for at least a few years.
I would suggest getting it wrapped in a camo vinyl. I think about 300 will do a tracker/x90. Im going to do mine this winter. There is a place in fife that does it for a reasonable price.
Yeah, Jalopnik had an article about that recently: http://jalopnik.com/399961/bmw-owner-changes-his-3+series-color-from-black-to-white-with-tape (http://jalopnik.com/399961/bmw-owner-changes-his-3+series-color-from-black-to-white-with-tape).
I can't help thinking that it would scratch easily. If you end up getting yours done please let us know how it turns out.
And - yeah, the x90 SUCKS for cargo storage. Slap on a hitch, and get a small trailer.
Another unfortunate aspect of living in a city condo: you can't have all those cool garage toys. I'm going camping tomorrow morning, but we are taking my hiking buddy's Subaru.
If you are planning on going off-road, the paint job won't matter much, since its gonna get some "trail stripes" on it anyway.
The closest I do to off-roading is old unpaved logging roads in the Cascade mountains; nothing serious.
Here is my Tracker with the "I can't believe its a rattle can" paint job (as others have said, its all in the prep) and the matching '66 Apache Buffalo.
Looks pretty good if you ask me.