Painting the Mirage...6 years into it.

[Jerry]

14 is good!
We like car show pictures.

[Blueovalz]

Six years of working on this car at every free opportunity I've had, finally appears to be wrapping up. Started the detailing work tonight, but about to finish this string soon. During the last year and a half, my passion and perfectionism waned, and I wondered if I'd ever "get off the couch" to get it painted. That's when Debbie pretty much kicked me in the back-side, and said "get 'er done!". She's absolutely jazzed about how the car has transformed in the past month...I'm still trying to take it all in. Anyway, here's some end-game photos, with only a very little bit of detailing left to complete.

[Sulley]

The Manta looks amazing!!! Congrats and great job!

[Blueovalz]

I was up until 3 a.m. last night preparing the car for one the largest car shows of the year in Little Rock, putting numbers on the other side of the car and other graphics. It drew a consistent crowd of folks that loved the car. I'd guess that only about 10% (or less), had any idea what it is supposed to represent, but I loved talking to the guys that had actually watched a Can Am event (showing my age now) back then, and knew what the car was.


One of the rare periods in which I could sneak away from the questions, and take a photo:




BTW...anybody on this site know an old relic that goes by the name "Chopper Jim"?

[Nidrahynnad]

Terry it looks great! I know the feeling that you described...I have been at this so long that I have lost perspective on how close to being finished I am...My wife and friends are telling me how far it has come, and all I see is what is left to do! Enjoy the car, drive it, show it, bask in the well-deserved attention!

Dan

[Jerry]

The Z car you did looks amazing. This one of course looks REALLY GREAT.
You probably look at it and think, ah I should have made this longer or that shorter or something, but trust me everyone else sees, WOW, NICE!

[Blueovalz]

I'll be coating the underside of the fiberglass panels, and inserting thermal barrier on the rear panel, re-fabricating my rear uprights to make them lighter and taller, and other ongoing improvements as it moves to "hobby" from "project". I also applied Plasti-Dip onto the dash (the orange paint was too glossy, and not visually consistent with the M8).

[Jerry]

The 2nd picture on this page is cool. You can see how short the wheelbase is and how wide the wheelbase is.

[Blueovalz]

Took the car to work after lunch to let the guys finally see the car we've talked about for 7 years. I'm starting to REALLY enjoy the car now.

[Nidrahynnad]

Terry
Looking Great! Getting to drive it and see people's reaction to it helps make the labor worth it!
Congratulations!

Dan