I am a big fan of your previous roadster build and took some inspiration from it for mine. This build is turning into a real eye catcher as well. I can't wait to see the final product. Glad you like the lighting solution. It seems like you'll be able to road test it before me even though I have a two year head start on you. I may be a little embarrassed in that fact. :P
Thank you, I really appreciate the kind words. I admire the direction your build has taken as well. She's going to be a beaut. I hope you are able to work out your check engine light issues as well. Fingers crossed.
Moving down the line
As I wait for the parts I ordered to secure the splitter I have started moving north to south down the body. Fist stop the front quick jack holes. Nothing fancy here just casually massaged the holes bigger with a stone until they fit the grommet opening. These are a must for me. I just can't imagine I would be satisfied with the look if there was not some sort of bumper there.
Moving onto the side louvers. I used rivets to mount the tabs, they are behind the blades in a way that makes them all but invisible. I will also powder coat these so any imperfections will be unseen.
First thing is the opening does not line up with the pre built louvers. My goal is to take as little material as possible while still roughly putting the holes into the proper shape. I also want to leave plenty of meat on the bone for my body guy to work with. When leveling it with the horizontal opening it ends up looking a bit like this
You can see the lines I marked for making it match.
After fixing the opening I used bonded studs with adhesive and let them set. The best method for me was to put them in the mounting holes with the louver strapped to the body with the zip tie. I then put adhesive on the back of the boded studs and squished them into the body. This way everything lines up. I will sand the excess down and add a little more over the top before I put the bed liner on
They set up pretty nice. I am just using 10-24 nuts to hold them in place.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-03-2025 at 07:10 AM.
The shape of the Backdraft part is not a direct fit to a Factory Five body but it's close. I removed the bit that wrapped around the bottom of the oil cooler vent and made it level with the bottom. I also had to widen the bottom a bit and round out the corners. I marked a few points around the contours to the likeliest places I would need to secure it. Where I had the clamps was the point that had the biggest positive impact on fitment, so I started there.
I purchased some anodized titanium button head bolts (6mm). These will keep their look over time better than painted or powder coated screws. I put a rubber washer underneath and fender washers in the back. This is my permanent solution.
I put one more bolt at each edge and did a rough trim around the MK4 fender. Again, leaving a little meat on the bone for proper shaping and finish work down the line.
I think as a look it came out about best case scenario. I think the BD unit can be made to fit without a crazy amount of modification.
Lastly, one lesson of design that stuck with me is something my dad said once. "If you can't hide it, accentuate it". With that in mind I am keeping this in my back pocket for after body and paint. If I don't like the look of the button head screws I purchased a set of chin spoiler brackets. My thought was it might look cool to use the upper part to secure the spoiler in place and drill a hole in the bottom and give the look that the bracket is holding it up. This also might look gimmicky so I will wait to see how it goes.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-03-2025 at 04:22 PM.
I think there is a definite "race car" vibe with exposed fasteners which I kind of like. Bolt on scoops, spoilers, etc. that give a car an aggressive git er done kind of feel.
I decided day one (as evidenced by the first post in this thread) that I am committed to orange. I still don't know what form that will take but I keep circling around the same 3 themes. There are risks and potential rewards to all of them. The biggest and only real risk to me is I just don't want to wish I had done something different. Most builders (including me on my first one) keep the color a bit of secret until the end. I totally get that. It's personal choice and maybe it's not always welcome to invite a critique of those choices. I am sort of working this process out in public because you never know what someone else might see that you didn't. I love hearing new ideas even if I ultimately go a different direction.
With that said the only thing I won't do is paint the car black. Nothing looks sharper in the show room or worse on the road. I owned a black sports car once and regretted it days in. I will drive it too often to get away with black.
My central color inspiration is Chevy C8 orange (amplify orange). That doesn't mean I am married to the paint code code I am open to other shades but this is a great starting point.
My leader in the clubhouse on color scheme has been based on this backdraft I found. I think it shows how this scheme kind of works. Truth be told this was a very bright red and I played with the screen settings to make it look like I wanted it to. The grey does really pop against it.
The next option is more subdued by making the body color grey. This significantly changes the look and feel of the car. It makes it a lot safer of color choice. I know it works because Scott Wareagle did it with his build. My shades would be different but you can see that it works. I put his car in the same tier as Paul's Roadster builds. This is as high a praise as exists around here. I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures off his build so I will just leave a link here. Check it out if you haven't seen it.
Lastly I just can't shake some form of the Gulf Coast look. I love this and refuse to walk away from the idea.
I purchased some hood louvers from Raptor Speedworks. I am going with a smaller 4x12 angled vent. This functional, looks great, gives me another color opportunity as well as continues the modern theme. I did a few more mock ups on Paint. None of this is to scale and largely looks like one of my wife's elementary school students did it but you get the idea. Once the car is fully assembled I am going to have some renderings done so I can make sure I like what I am doing. In the meantime don't be shy if you see something that might work. I always appreciate feedback.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-06-2025 at 01:03 PM.
I'm a sucker for orange. Do you want an orange car or a car with orange accents? Seems like that would be the first decision. But I know, every picture can change your mind!
I bet if you put this over Orion Silver it would be the most spectacular orange you ever saw.
Is there a way to get them to demo a combination like that?
Originally Posted by OB6
I'm a sucker for orange. Do you want an orange car or a car with orange accents? Seems like that would be the first decision. But I know, every picture can change your mind!
Is there a way to get them to demo a combination like that?
You could call HOK and talk to Reed, their main tech guy.
The other option is to reach out to Coast Airbrush, they can sell you small samples if you have an airbrush (hello Temu) or they can even do aerosol cans although I'm not sure if they can do all colors. My car is HOK Cobalt Blue over Orion Silver and it is the bluest blue you'll ever see. Everyone, and I mean everyone that sees the car comments on the color and how gorgeous it is.
If you are considering the Gulf livery, do a search for Backdraft RTB4 with the gulf colors. That will give you a great idea. They actually terminate the stripes around the nose a couple of different ways so you can get some different ideas there too.
Darryl [dbo_texas]
MKIV #9644 (build thread) (Index)
MK4 Complete Kit | Gen2 crate Coyote | Tremec T56, 3.55 IRS | power steering | hydroboost | dual roll bars | FFR carbon fiber dash | 18" Halibrands + Wilwoods | RT drop trunk kit & turn signal | front battery mount | saddle leather Intatrim Stoneleigh seats + interior accents
There is an orange with more impact than most you have covered here. I worked in Harley development with the styling guys. They specified the racing team colors and picked AMC Big Bad Orange from the 60's AMX. I saw an AMX at a show last summer and it still impresses. https://bringatrailer.com/2015/09/17...c-amx-go-pack/
Another orange I like is Ford Mustang Calypso Coral.
jim
There is an orange with more impact than most you have covered here. I worked in Harley development with the styling guys. They specified the racing team colors and picked AMC Big Bad Orange from the 60's AMX. I saw an AMX at a show last summer and it still impresses. https://bringatrailer.com/2015/09/17...c-amx-go-pack/
Another orange I like is Ford Mustang Calypso Coral.
jim
I like it a lot. I found this video of a resto project. Gave me an opportunity to see it new and he did the engine block in teal which gives a sense of what that combination would look like. Thank you
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-07-2025 at 08:16 AM.
I decided day one (as evidenced by the first post in this thread) that I am committed to orange. I still don't know what form that will take but I keep circling around the same 3 themes. There are risks and potential rewards to all of them. The biggest and only real risk to me is I just don't want to wish I had done something different. Most builders (including me on my first one) keep the color a bit of secret until the end. I totally get that. It's personal choice and maybe it's not always welcome to invite a critique of those choices. I am sort of working this process out in public because you never know what someone else might see that you didn't. I love hearing new ideas even if I ultimately go a different direction.
With that said the only thing I won't do is paint the car black. Nothing looks sharper in the show room or worse on the road. I owned a black sports car once and regretted it days in. I will drive it too often to get away with black.
My central color inspiration is Chevy C8 orange (amplify orange). That doesn't mean I am married to the paint code code I am open to other shades but this is a great starting point.
My leader in the clubhouse on color scheme has been based on this backdraft I found. I think it shows how this scheme kind of works. Truth be told this was a very bright red and I played with the screen settings to make it look like I wanted it to. The grey does really pop against it.
The next option is more subdued by making the body color grey. This significantly changes the look and feel of the car. It makes it a lot safer of color choice. I know it works because Scott Wareagle did it with his build. My shades would be different but you can see that it works. I put his car in the same tier as Paul's Roadster builds. This is as high a praise as exists around here. I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures off his build so I will just leave a link here. Check it out if you haven't seen it.
Lastly I just can't shake some form of the Gulf Coast look. I love this and refuse to walk away from the idea.
I purchased some hood louvers from Raptor Speedworks. I am going with a smaller 4x12 angled vent. This functional, looks great, gives me another color opportunity as well as continues the modern theme. I did a few more mock ups on Paint. None of this is to scale and largely looks like one of my wife's elementary school students did it but you get the idea. Once the car is fully assembled I am going to have some renderings done so I can make sure I like what I am doing. In the meantime don't be shy if you see something that might work. I always appreciate feedback.
I like the way you think.
My plan is for another GM orange, one from the Cadillac CT4 V, Blaze Orange Metallic.
I've always loved the Gulf livery, the blue/orange combo definitely pops.
...My central color inspiration is Chevy C8 orange (amplify orange)...
Are you sure about that being Amplify Orange Jesse? I think it might actually be Sebring Orange (or if it is Amplify the photo may have been color enhanced). I have 2 autocross friends with orange C8s and they are somewhat different; one is Amplify (code GC5) and the other is Sebring (code G26). In this photo Amplify is on the left and Sebring is on the right.
Amplify is a little more muted, a bit yellow, kind of pastel and is a base/clear with no pearl or flake. Sebring is more intense...and is a tri-coat/3 stage with the mid coat carrying pearl which makes light "pop" on the curves.
The true test is to see the colors in person either on the cars or with an actual paint spray out.
Just FYI, this is a spray out I did for the orange that I used on the Gulf livery Coupe:
That's probably right. I got those last 2 photos from the interwebs. I did in fact see an amplify orange in person. I was at some fancy restaurant in San Jose and it was parked out front. I think your right about those pics. This was my original reference photo.
Thanks for clearing that up. This illustrates the point of this exercise, I have already seen some real nice options that I didn't know about. I may like the Sebring better. lol
Thank you for the clarification.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-07-2025 at 10:31 AM.
If you are considering the Gulf livery, do a search for Backdraft RTB4 with the gulf colors. That will give you a great idea. They actually terminate the stripes around the nose a couple of different ways so you can get some different ideas there too.
That's really nice. When you get a picture in the sun you can see the paint quality. I think if I go the Gulf Livery route I would want to modify the blue a bit. Something darker and metallic perhaps? Thank you for the link!
A couple examples
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-07-2025 at 08:14 PM.
Exploring the Gulf Livery theme. I really like the Chevy Amplify orange with some shade of blue is maybe the best of both worlds? I definitely need to see that BBO in person now too.
I found some color mixes that I think really work. Also doesn't hurt that they are all painted on super cars.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-07-2025 at 08:51 PM.
I found a couple other colors that I like. If i go this route I really need to figure out if I want metallic or not. It really is a very different look. I am pretty sure at this point whatever orange I go with will be a solid. A lot to think about. Solid colors look very different. I would like to find the same color in both forms to see how it looks.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-08-2025 at 07:26 PM.
Admittedly I like the grey but it feels very different from the "hold on to your giblets, this car is gonna rock your world" look your orange has going for it...
Has anyone tried playing around w/ ChatGPT or AI? I'm sure you might be able to get a rendering of a roadster in different colors considering all the other things it can do.
Has anyone tried playing around w/ ChatGPT or AI? I'm sure you might be able to get a rendering of a roadster in different colors considering all the other things it can do.
...My dream car will be orange with black accents. 2 of my favorite orange shades come from Dodge:
1) Gen 3 Viper Copperhead Edition (Metallic)
Same as Dodge Mango Tango Here are a couple of them I've done.
Notice how the two roadsters appear different even though I can assure you that they were both done using the same paint? A good example of how colors sometimes look different in photos when they are taken with different cameras.
Has anyone tried playing around w/ ChatGPT or AI? I'm sure you might be able to get a rendering of a roadster in different colors considering all the other things it can do.
This is brilliant. I just tried this with Microsoft Copilot and it absolutely nailed it first try. Here's the prompt I used:
Create an image of a Factory Five Roadster with body color Honda Mountain Air Metallic BG62Mand stripe color Acura Palladium Metallic NH743M. The interior should be saddle leather brown.
This is brilliant. I just tried this with Microsoft Copilot and it absolutely nailed it first try. Here's the prompt I used:
Create an image of a Factory Five Roadster with body color Honda Mountain Air Metallic BG62Mand stripe color Acura Palladium Metallic NH743M. The interior should be saddle leather brown.
So I did it, it's not quite as "artificially intelligent" as I was hoping (probably for the best, we all saw The Terminator and know how this ends) but man it was fun to play with. I tried to get it to just change the color of an existing picture but I don't think it can. It takes what it has for a Cobra and inserts it back into your pic. This is all to say it's AWESOME to play with. After goofing around with all the blues my wife was like "why don't you try the orange you said you wanted to paint it" so try it I did.
I think it's going to take something really powerful to knock me off the orange. It just works.
But this really works too. Like a lot
Grey
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 05-09-2025 at 09:14 PM.
Roll bars are a bit jacked up but that looks insane…
And I’m posting in his thread because he probably cost me another grand cause Danny needs a chin spoiler now.
Roll bars are a bit jacked up but that looks insane…
And I’m posting in his thread because he probably cost me another grand cause Danny needs a chin spoiler now.
Just FYI you can upload an existing picture to copilot and tell it to change the colors. I did it yesterday and it came out pretty good. It swapped the interior color, base color and stripe color per what I specified. You can only do the upload option if you are logged into your Microsoft account (free). Here's the before/after (not my pic originally):
Last edited by dbo_texas; 05-10-2025 at 06:23 PM.
Darryl [dbo_texas]
MKIV #9644 (build thread) (Index)
MK4 Complete Kit | Gen2 crate Coyote | Tremec T56, 3.55 IRS | power steering | hydroboost | dual roll bars | FFR carbon fiber dash | 18" Halibrands + Wilwoods | RT drop trunk kit & turn signal | front battery mount | saddle leather Intatrim Stoneleigh seats + interior accents
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Originally Posted by topherchrisb
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Here are a couple of them I've done.