Ultimate LE interior paint thread - SEM - Portola, Firethorn, Napa

[73Bacon]

Well, you super anal retentive fashion types on MazdaRoadster should appreciate this. Or maybe not

The point of this thread is: You can get a really good match to the 1993 LE red on plastics by spraying these two SEM paints simultaneously:


Yes, after a bunch of testing with about a zillion original LE plastic trim and all three SEM colors people use for this (Portola, Firethorn, and I added Napa to the mix) this is what I found.

My opinion of the three colors normally used for this:
- SEM Portola: Too pinkish or cherry red.
- SEM Firethorn: Darker, but too glossy and still red with no burundy.
- SEM NAPA: Too burgundy:

Looking at the colors I wished I could mix Firethorn and Napa. Then, I realized if aerosols could mix in the air and form smog over Los Angeles, they could do something similar in my garage. Just spray both colors at once and let them mix. The resulting color is in my opinion nearly a dead match for the factory LE red plastic colors.

For anyone seeing this topic for the first time, you can use SEM interior plastic paint to restore or color convert to a 1993 LE red/burgundy color. If you do this be sure you follow these basic steps:

- Degrease part
- Clean with 98% rubbing alcohol, wipe dry
- Spray with SEM plastic adhesion promoter
- Sand with 400 grit
- Re-spray with SEM plastic adhesion promoter
- Light coat of color SEM plastic paint
- Wait five minutes
- Second coat of SEM plastic paint

In my case, I sprayed my color coats using SEM Firethorn and Napa at the same time. Two hands, aimed at the same spot on the part, light coats and uiform passes = perfect color.

Experimentation is below. I sprayed over black, over the original LE, and compared the results to a Nakamae leather door panel and original 1993 LE parts.

This picture, clockwise from one o’clock: 1993 LE stock glovebox, Firethorn kick panel, Nakamae door panel, Portola glovebox.


Portola govebox on left, Stock 1993 LE on right, Firethorn kick panel


Another pile of test runs


Stock 1993 LE on the left, Firethorn+Napa on the right


Another pile of test parts, this time out in daylight. Of course between the reflections, the uneven lighting, how the different textures show the colors, and my shitty camera skills you can’t tell anything from this picture other than I had nothing better to do last weekend


Partial shot of dash prepped for paint


Dashboard painted Portola, mixed with LE glovebox. Wayy… too pink. Not that there’s anything wrong with that


Dash sprayed Firethorn, too dark


Pile of parts painted Firethorn+Napa simultaneously. A stock LE trim panel is on the Left. Look at how rich the combo color is.


Dashboard painted Firethorn+Napa, this works.


Have fun with this one guys, its not as hard as it sounds if you've got a pair of steady hands