Ethical Dilemma - Painting a MKIII 3E5 VS 202

[SupraMedical68]

I'm just thinking out loud on the forums, but just recently I started stripping down a bone stock Red N/A '91 for paint which is a actually going to be a bare metal restoration (recently started another thread related to this outside of the general section).

The question remains, I have every single tool I could want at my disposal, but if I'm putting all this work why not just go the extra mile and spray a color code I can appreciate such as 202 "Gloss Black" or 212 "Obsidian Black". While I can appreciate the 3E5 Super Red "Arrest Me Red", looking at even the best painted Red Supra makes feel apathetic or blah (e.g SupraMan72's 7M very well done, but 3E5 is so common). The other part is this the only car in the past five years I've actually gotten a ticket while driving.
How can I elude police with a moderately modified 1JZ or a obnoxiously loud SPT on exhaust on EJ55 Subie, but then get pulled over for no reason in a very quiet, supposedly low key 7M?

On the other hand, if I repaint the car 202 then I'll be creating more work for myself, which I'll be repainting every single nook and stripping every panel with the exception of the engine which would be mostly left alone until due for a rebuild/swap. The car will no longer have it's "original color code from the factory". I find that somewhat relevant since there aren't many MK3's in one piece still on the roads, I don't want to just start butchering one because it had flaking clear coat.

So, pros and cons:

Pros for Red
-Stays with original color
-Saves a good deal of time and effort of a color change
Cons for Red
-Attracts unwanted attention from others
-Very Common color choice for the MA70s/Red is boring to me
-Red Base for 3E5 is pricey

Pros for Black
-Will possibly be represent of what a MA70 is supposed to look
-Gloss Black is a timeless classic that remains relevant after more than 20 years, Clean OEM look
-I have an odd obsession about 202, 204, 206 Supras and miss owning one
Cons for Black
-Extra body work, will be spraying a good amount of material in trunk, passenger compartment, door jams, hatch glass hinge etc.
-Engine bay which already looks crappy will look like ass until the motor is pulled again
-Next owner will either be really thrilled or real pissed that the color was changed.

Anyone with input supporting either decision would be appreciated.

 

[SupraMedical68]

 

[aloshan]

IMO even though some reds look sexy as hell , the black exemplifies exactly what the mk3 is about. Low , wide and loud

Rodels supra in the "clean mk3 thread" is a perfect example of that.

 

[Enraged]

if you are actually striping it down for a proper color change (jams, engine bay, everywhere!) then I would choose a new color.

specifically, I would change to one of the brand new Toyota/Lexus colors. go to a new car lot and browse the selection. Personally, I prefer a dark green Supra, I rarely see them. Red, white, black, and burgandy seem to be the most common colors.

 

[te72]

Speaking from experience, I am pretty sure mine WAS 3E5, and the only reason I miss it is because the prep work done when the car was painted was a cheap job. Paint looks alright now, a black sapphire pearl, comes across as blue/black/purple with a hint of red in it depending on lighting.

If I were doing a complete strip down/restoration, I'd change it from red. Way too common if you ask me, but color is entirely subjective.

In my case, I almost wish I would have stuck with the red, but went with the red hue of the paint I chose. Would have looked like one of those sparkle-filled dice you see sometimes, but pretty dark.

Tough choice you have here...

 

[Quin]

IJM, Quiksilver, Alpine Silver, Black, Hunter Green, Midnight Blue, Grand National Black, any stock black, the bright blue on the MKIV, pearl white, regular white, just about any color available on any new car, anything other than 3E5. Help the color get more appreciation by NOT rocking it. There are too many pink MKIIIs around...

 

[hvyman]

Black hands down all the way.

 

[3p141592654]

206 Black Ruby Pearl ... best of both worlds!

 

[Quin]

There's a color called Lava Red on the new Mustangs. It looks black unless the light hits it just right, then it's very obviously red. Looks pretty neat.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

I have a 3E5 Supra, and am planning on painting it something else.

I like the red, and when it's clean and in good condition, it looks very nice. There's a REASON that it's a popular colour.

In my case though, I'd like a different colour. I KNOW that my car is never going to be a collector's item, and will never qualify for classic status. The half million+ klicks on the odometer ensure that, so therefore, my car will never have that kind of value, and as such, it's not going to matter if I change the colour. It's already not factory paint (Well, it's factory paint on a couple of panels which I've replaced, but that's already a different colour than the vehicle data tag suggests. For that matter, it's a different motor, transmission and differential than the vehicle data tag suggests, so really, nothing to lose by changing colour.

If you think that you will have any value to things being "factory", then stick to the factory colour. If not, then do what you like. That's my take on things.

 

[dirtbike44]

I'd think it's worth it to change to whatever colour you like. Neither are really going to change the resale much, so you might as well go with whatever makes you enjoy the car most.
Personally, I'd like to see estoril blue on an mkiii, but a nice deep black is also one of my favorites.

 

[Poodles]

Unless the car is stripped down to be completely repainted, it's ALWAYS going to show somehow. If you're OCD, it's going to drive you nuts.

Personally, there's nothing better than a clean 3E5 car...

 

[mirage83]

Personal opinion, anything other than red (very common) or black (also very common and arguably more difficult than most other colors to take care of and keep looking good). As someone else already noted there are some really sharp colors on some of the newer cars out there, many of which I think would look great with the lines and profile of a MkIII.

IMHO, you should get a little creative with it and make it unique rather than just another red or black (of various flavors) Supra. I don't think that would present a real problem for any future owner, and you yourself sound like you're planning on just making it a sharp looking driver rather than a 100% original-down-to-the-trim-screws museum piece, so I wouldn't be concerned about it not being true to the original code.

 

[SupraMedical68]

Thanks for all the input.

Just to clarify, I'm definitely not worried about the resale of the car, I really couldn't see it mattering either way especially as a N/A. If there is another owner after myself I'm sure whatever happens it can't be any worst than the condition of the car prior to beginning the paint stripping process.

I'll probably go with the 202, my end goal is to create a clean representation of how a clean MKIII Supra should look. Also, the 202 gloss black seems just as relavent now as 20+ years ago. I haven't seen the 212 (used in some higher end cars up close), but I can say the 209 Black Sand Pearl commonly used now looks bland. I may step outside of the normal colors a bit more next year when I repaint the 1990 (currently in stock 176), maybe Anthracite Metallic or Quick Silver from the MKIV.

 

[SupraMedical68]

I'd think it's worth it to change to whatever colour you like. Neither are really going to change the resale much, so you might as well go with whatever makes you enjoy the car most.
Personally, I'd like to see estoril blue on an mkiii, but a nice deep black is also one of my favorites.

I like the Estoril blue on M3s if that's what you're referring to. I'm also partial to Subaru's WR Blue

Unless the car is stripped down to be completely repainted, it's ALWAYS going to show somehow. If you're OCD, it's going to drive you nuts.

Personally, there's nothing better than a clean 3E5 car...

You're right, if I see any red, (minus the engine bay for now) I'd probably be irritated, that's every single panel would have to be removed prior to paint including even the hatch glass.

I saw a recently repainted 88 Turbo owned by SupraMan72 in Nashville, they do look great when clean. I also used to admire Supra1008's 1990 Supra, which actually still had the factory red. Red cars fit my personality poorly though.

 

[Drake69]

Gunmetal Gray.

Not that common and if kept clean looks REAL Good.....

 

[Nick M]

Personally, there's nothing better than a clean 3E5 car...

Except a clean black one.

 

[Poodles]

No such thing as a clean black car in Texas :rofl:

 

[SupraMedical68]

Gunmetal Gray.

Not that common and if kept clean looks REAL Good.....

Yeah, I'm definitely liking the gunmetal gray, I've always been a sucker for clean OEM colors. What color code do you have?

The only thing I'd say about the gray is, I'm repainting the 176 silver car a different shade of silver or gray (coming up this spring) if I were to use a gunmetal it'd have be on that car.

I'm about 45-50% done with my prep work, so hopefully I still have a little more time to think things over.

 

[Poodles]

MKIV Quicksilver looks fantastic on a MKIII. Hell, all the MKIV colors look great on a MKIII...