Crimson's Build Thread

[ShadowPuppet]

So probably should have started this back in March when I bought the car but better late than never... lol

A bit about her

Her name was actually given to her by my mom who, when I brought her home, mistook the colour for "Crimson" instead of RJT haha. How she did not know her Camaro colours I don't know *heavy sarcasm*. And yes I live with my mother... get over it :P I'm 19 okay? XD

Crimson was purchased second-hand from a used car dealership in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. She is my first car ever and so far, I am still suffering (if you can even call it that?) from the permagrin syndrome. She currently lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada and has seen nice speeds of ~170 out east in the country.

She is of the 1LT coupe variety and has the RS package. She's had only 17,000KM on her when I picked her up so she was still practically brand new. Hand wash only, even in the winter, though I have some paint work to do on her to get the swirls out from the previous owner.... noob >_> :P

How I got her

I've wanted a Camaro since I was 12... And up until quite recently, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford one until later on in life after saving up. That all changed mid-January when I signed a NIIIIICE big contract for work which pays for the car, the insurance, and the gas on it thrice over (you do the math ). I love the feeling of owning something that you've wanted for ages and worked hard to get. More kids my age (19) need to experience that feeling... it truly is awesome.

Anyways, since I'm starting this thread a few months late and have already done a few mods/upgrades since then, I'll post some stock photos in this post, then follow up with another post for each mod done up until now

P.S. Please note the look on my friends face peering into the window lol

[ShadowPuppet]

So being Canadian, eh, we get this wonderful thing called snow... and we usually get it pretty bad too lol. Because of this, I had been told by various threads on C5 that snow tires with the Camaro are an absolute 100% must and that I should have two sets of wheels: one for summer time, one for winter time.

I decided that I would use my stock wheels for winter since they're covered under factory warranty still and then I'd get a new set for the summer time.

Well I had them installed about a month ago and I absolutely love them! Now once winter approaches, I'll have to get a set of winter tires to put on the stock wheels

Much love to blkngldbabe from Highland GM in Aurora for ordering these in and for the install!

[ShadowPuppet]

Ordered some factory paint online from automotivetouchup.com and decided to paint the trim around the speedo gauges and the steering wheel. Wet sanded with 600 grit, 3 coats of adhesion promoter, 3 coats of colour, 5 coats of clear, buffed to shine. I think it came out awesome

Oh and I also did the same to the keyfob to match :P

[LIM3]

Like what you've done !

[ShadowPuppet]

Getting a bit more recent now (see OP; having to create this build thread a bit late lol)

I took out the center console bezel to paint it to match as well and this one I'm realllllly pleased with. Took a good 2 hours to wet sand the whole thing down and had to make a trip to Home Depot halfway through to get more 600 grit sandpaper lol. It's super ghetto driving around without a center console bezel xD

Anyways, wet sanded with 600 grit, 3 coats adhesion promoter, 3 coats colour, 5 coats clear, buffed to shine

Also included an image of the car without the center console for your amusement :P

[ShadowPuppet]

Originally Posted by LIM3

Like what you've done !

Thanks bud!

[ShadowPuppet]

Had to order another can of RJT paint today because the one I have is almost empty from spraying all these bits and pieces lol.

Might I just say that taking out the shark fin is the biggest pain in the ass EVER haha. Took me a good 45 minutes to get the coat hangers out, the retainer clips and actually pull down the headliner... pain in the ass... Not to mention the trim removal tool I bought a few weeks ago sucked and just kept bending instead of actually taking stuff out. So I had to go get a proper set (which worked MUCH better lol) like halfway through the job :P

Anyways, since this is an exterior piece, it's got a lot more paint on it: wet sanded 600 grit, 3 coats adhesion promoter, 3 coats primer, wet sanded 600 grit until smooth, 3 coats primer again, 3 coats colour, 5 coats clear, buffed to shine.

From what I can tell the paint matches the factory paint almost identically but I think it's a bit off because of plastic vs metal parts. Either that or I just overdid it on the clear coats or something xD

Sidenote: Looks really weird with no shark fin on the roof lol. Had to put masking tape over the hole to make sure nothing fell in there :P

[ShadowPuppet]

Alright! All caught up haha. Next on the list: Sequential Tail Lights. My dad is building me the relays so should have those up in a week. In the meantime, if I can't sit still, probably get the dash trim out and paint that. Anyone know if you can take the cloth off? and if so, does it look decent?

[jewel25]

I love it.

[ShadowPuppet]

Originally Posted by jewel25

I love it.

Haha thanks man! Appreciate it!

[ShadowPuppet]

Coloured the stitching today

[AmericanMuscleCars]

Hey man, sorry if I didn't see it but where are you getting the matching paint? I love it!

[ShadowPuppet]

Hey man, no worries. I am getting the paint from automotivetouchup.com

It's relatively cheap and ships to Canada haha. Though I always have to pay import charges on it of $18 it's still worth it

[AmericanMuscleCars]

NVm found it, Thanks!