Great stuff here! I also like your mod list format/layout!

 

Haha I think I have studied your build thread so much it came very natural :yes:
Thanks again for paying it forward and helping out a noob like me!

 

Nice stuff mate, looks good. Interested to see what else is in store, and how the side skirts are

 

With suspension being next on my list and I expect to have aftermarket front and rear bumper as well as MS3 style wing..I figured I'd hold off just a little longer on side skirts until I can get it all painted/installed at the same time. Good news is by the time I drop and add skirts etc, this car won't need much else.
Thanks for the kind words and thanks to all of you with build threads as it has educated me on much I didn't know about when I started all of this.

 

Added a bunch of new pics and others I had to dig up to the first post!
Also ordered some 3M 80 Spray Adhesive to do a more pro job wrapping my interior trim next week. Decide on doing a couple pieces in red Plasti-Dip with Red Metalizer and Glossifier to balance out the color scheme. Broadway 300mm blue convex rear view mirror on the way as well. Interior is going to look awesome one way or the other by the time I get done with it.

 

good lookin build man...I like how you did the skyactive emblem...gonna look even better after you drop it

 

Looking good. :thumbup 1:

 

Dude, I'm not sure if you have enough done to your car :stuart:

Nice build!

 

little stuff so far but yeah I know. I bought it to save money..had a 2003 f-150 super crewcab v8. Gas to work and back went from 20 buck to 5 bucks. That extra 15 just ended up in the buy shit for the car fund. FML :death:
On a positive note, I wouldn't change a thing. Getting this car was a very wise move for me and couldn't be happier.

 

...and so it begins. Ordered Road Magnet 1.75 springs..may go ahead and get camber arms too. Going to get Koni Str.t in the next week or two but won't install and drop my ride until I get my side skirts and Knight Sports front bumper to get painted..then will install and drop everything at the same time. All likelihood won't have any of this done for about 3-4 months this just marks the beginning of the real transformation. "Atom" eyelids on the way and want to custom paint inside my headlights but will probably wait until I do the rest of this work.

 

Great stuff! You will definitely need the camber arms or you'll be running in the -3 to -4 deg range in the back. And obviously if you are planning on opening up the headlights, wait until you are done before installing the eyelids.

Your car will feel great once lowered with the new dampers. Do you have a RSB yet?

 

Sick car man!!!! Keep up the awesome work.

 

That is way easier than it seems without knowing what is involved. You're right on the RSB that is what I'll do. Thanks man!

 

Finally decided to take advantage of the down time and get some interior work done. Here are some pics...

Ugly silver trim I call the "accents" (before)

Red Plasti-Dip base (4 light coats)

(close up)

Red Metallizer Plasti-Dip (3 light coats)

(close up)

Final coat w/ Plasti-Dip Glossifier (3 light coats)

...while this was my goal, and it turned out far better than I thought it would, the metallic made it pinker and glitter would have made me feel like I was in my dad's old bass boat. It completely lost the "sporty" look. Peeled it all off and started over this time only using only base red and glossifier.

Final product (4 coats red Plasti-Dip & 2 coats of Glossifier)

(close up)

...light coats give a powdercoat look. I like it matte but am going to try glossy for a bit.

Now for some fun with Di-Nok...yay! (WARNING: extreme patience needed to make it look good and do it proper)

So after about a day of frustration, here is the final product pre-installation.

I did the steering wheel too but forgot to take pics. I have 2 more pieces to plasti-dip red when I can figure out how to remove them and about 4-5 more to wrap as well when I figure out how to remove center console on my 2013..can't find anything lol.
Pics of everything installed tomorrow. Interior should have a COMPLETELY different look to it now. Hope it was worth the effort.

 

Oh yeah, ordered my RSB today! Can't wait to feel the improvement.

 

Nice! You'll love it! Diggin' the red interior trim pieces too.

 

 

damn dude that came out really nice...that's pretty much exactly what I want to do to my interior...how'd you get the air vents off?

 

Thanks, I finally got the time and determination to try it. First time using Plasti-Dip or CF Di-Nok. Coming together quickly if I can just get the final few pieces out to customize lol.
I had a problem with this at first. Once I figured it out it took 2 seconds to do the other side. They are in very tight and the force you must pull with seems to be a bit scary especially since the only thing to hold is the flaps. Use both hands and pull straight out very firmly WHILE at the same time kinda rocking the vent in different directions. Once it gives it gives fast so don't overdo it and hurt yourself or break anything. As I said, very easy once you've done that first one.

 

sounds good man thanks for the help

 

Sure thing. It took me just diving into it because I was sketchy about doing all this for the first time on my first brand new car. Not bad. In fact very glad I got the nerve. My car feels COMPLETELY different now and I love it! If you have any questions about anything else I'm glad to help however I can. This scheme matches your car perfect and you will be very happy with it. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

 

2 rounds of orders on the way.
First, Koni Oranges, SPC Adjustable Rear Camber Arms and Road Magnet 1.75's. Along with CorkSport RSB and Motor Mount Inserts.
Second, since CorkSport has failed me on restocking the Cold Air Box and Front Strut Bar when they said, I chose to spend a buttload of money on other items. Side Skirts, MS3 Spoiler and several smaller cosmetic items. I waited almost 6 months for the restock date just for CS to fail..that's seriously unprofessional. As much as I already bought from them, I'm seriously considering going elsewhere for all other items except the cold air box if and when it ever arrives...or I find an alternative.

 

You should think about doing the two dash gauges rings in red also. I've seen pictures of this done and it looks good.

 

Oh I'm not done
Last pieces will be the Gauge Cluster and the trim around the nav/radio in red. Last piece to wrap in CF is air condition control directly under radio. I already wrapped the rest of the console (thanks @tastic) and the center top a/c piece. I don't know if I'll get OCD about the little things like knobs, door handles and the a/c vent chrome but if I do I will prob do those in red plasti dip or Charcoal plasti dip. That is the color I have chosen to do the mazda "m" on my steering wheel. I feel like this has already gotten out-of-control :stuart:

 

Here are some pics of my rear sway bar installed. Can anyone confirm that the brackets will be ok NOT centered like this? Tires up or down that is as far as I could get it on the soft setting. Also, it seems to have helped but it's not dramatic on soft setting. Does this mean I may want to adjust to the stiffer setting? >>total noob question I know.

Received my Konis and Road Magnet 1.75s. All part numbers match my order and since this is my first suspension mod I just want to make sure this looks correct with you that have these installed?..basically, two fronts seems to be "slightly" different sizes and rears are both completely different looking albeit both are smaller than fronts. I hate that I'm almost 35 and have never done this and can't answer these seemingly retarded questions myself. Thanks in advance for any opinions and advice!

 

Hey have you installed your Konis and Roadmagnets, and if so how's the ride?

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Damn dude i'm not a huge fan of hatchbacks but your car looks sick. making me rethink hatch.

 

hey appreciate it man, it's a fun car to shop for. Liquid Silver was honestly a good 4th or 5th down my list on colors but it's what they had with the tech package and options I wanted. I've grown to love her though. Should look better once I've dropped it, add the side skirts and speed 3 spoiler in the next couple weeks. Nobody told me owning a Mazda would be this fun :cheesy:

 

Ya i am glad you love having a Mazda as i do as well. Where did you find the speed rims? i need to get bigger ones on mine.

 

Where did you find the speed rims? i need to get bigger ones on mine.

A member earlier posted some 2011 (i think) speed3 18's. Only a couple of small scratches but with a fresh gunmetal powdercoat..bam 2013 speed3 rims like mine...unless they were a different weight or offset that I'm unaware of. The post wasn't done according to rules and I don't see it anymore but they pop up here all the time you just have to act quickly.

 

Battled and I do mean battled the dealership to get them with my purchase of the car. I spent so much time haggling with them about it I forgot about window tint altogether and had to do it a couple days after buying it. No complaints though because I got some state of the art tint from the place here that does all the Ferrari's at their dealership

 

Thanks i will keep my eyes out for them.

 

Where did you buy your window visors?

 

Got them from Mazmart.com. You can find part number on AutoExe website for ordering via Mazmart. Only efficient place to order AutoExe to North America that I have found.

 

To answer your RSB question, center the bar such that the endlinks have the same angle. If either endlink is off angle it can bind prematurely mid-corner and upset the car (been there, you don't want to).