DIY Custom Grill....
 

I wanted the diamond grill (mesh) put on my car and I as going to do it my self but after trying to take the grills out on my MSP I realized it was going to be a bitch (the bottom would just not come out) well I have a solution to those who want the custom grill look but only for about $8.00 (instead of $60 just for the mesh).
Go to you local Hobby,Craft, or Wal-Mart and purchase the model paint pen (comes in silver,black,blue,white is all I could find). These pens have a flat tip to them so it is easy to apply to just the outside of the stock grill. This application should apply to all MSP and P5 (or others not sure). Make sure you clean the grill before application and the engine is cooled off. I have had the paint on there for about 2 weeks now and it has not flaked or come off in any way. If you do get a chip (from a rock etc) touch-up will be a snap. The look is very suttle and clean looking as you can see in the pics....

The black area in the middle of the Mazda symbol is what the grill looked like before...Matty has seen it in person if you need a second opinion LOL

that does look pretty sweet, do you know exactly what it is you got? so i wont look like an idiot trying to find something that im not exactly sure what it is?

It will be in the model car section I only saw one brand I used Testors....no this will take sometime to do and a steady hand so you might want to invest in a black pen to just in case a boo boo....

where do i get the diamond mesh?

cool . . man that much better than stock one that's for sure. . . so u can built alomost like auto exe one. . . btw one here did the same but he took out the symbol . . he's nick name devorak. . .

That's a good idea, Titanium MSP. Please let us know how durable it proves to be after a few car washes, etc. And, did you mask and spray the solid top lip? The finish appears pretty even in the photos.

These plastic grills are stock on MSP and p5 (may be other 3rd gen Pro's.....but the stock grill is in black) and I just painted the outside edge silver....

I did not mask the lip off but that is a good idea if you do not have a steady hand (I happen to have a bit of artistic skill so i did not). So far is has rained quite a bit so and it has not come off yet...

Did you do the lower grill as well?

I used a silver one of those paint pens for something similar on a Beretta I had when I was 17. It lasts for a LONG time.

Oh yeah I did it on the lower grill as well (kind of hard to see in the pic...bad lighting sorry)

yeah, we're going to be doing my grills in white sometime soon. I can't wait to see how it turns out. If it sucks in white then I'll just have to go ahead and order up my postert bumper! I need an excuse!

I plan on doing my girls in white aswell. Post some pics when you do it in white.

Which girls are those? :p

My Girls

thats not a bad idea. it looks good.. i think ill try..

what are the pens (or whatever they are) usually called?

Go to Wal-Mart and go to the toy section in the area w/ the model cars they have the paint pens made by Testors....

BTW if you are concerned about the paint coming off I ran it through a touchless car (high pressure water jets) and it still did not come off...

My car doesnt have lower diamond mesh grill, where can i get the actual metal mesh?

Well I know around here I have found some APC mesh at Advance Auto for like $30.00 a sheet if you are only doing the lower half on sheet should do it but if you plan one both it might take 2. to do it and make it look good is the key though...
if you can not find it there then you can go to any web site that sells APC products and buy it on-line

You can also get some paint pens at places like Hobby Lobby. The ones I am familiar with look like Magic Markers. They have a lot of different colors available, so you should be able to match up just about anything. If you really want wild, I have used fluorescent paint markers in the past on my job. You should be able to get those at an industrial supply place, or maybe even Home Depot. However, I will not be held responsible for anyone else's poor taste!

i looked at walmart for those pens, and the only thing ive found was testors markers. came in a pack of 3 of black,gold,and silver. but i didn't see any pens at all, is the markers what you used?

Yeah sometimes they only have a 3 pack of the markers. I would suggest going to the local hobby store (Hobby Lobby etc...) or a craft store (Micheal's etc..) for a better selection. But yes they look like makers but have paint in them and most come in single packages....