Here's my cheap way to get "rotary accent package" with some toyota silver touchup paint from pep boys. Also painted mesh under bumper. What do you guys think?

heres picture

That actually looks really good.......how did you do it? I know you used toyota touch up paint...but how was it applied?

heh well i did the entire mesh with just the included "nail polish" style brush in the little bottle of paint. Tedious? yes but worth it. I'd say the whole thing took about an hour and a half or 2. There are actually lots and lots of mistakes but when I stood up I cant see them anymore and neither can anyone else. The rotary accent was the most difficult because the paint doesnt seem to cover the black too well so it required several coats. I eventually bought a small brush from wal-mart and went over it again.

I guess the thing I'm most proud of is I didnt spend a couple hundred bucks on the rotary accent thing. Again worst case scenario just paint it back black again or go ahead and get the rotary package and put it over top of it.

i was thinking about paining the rear accent too not the mesh since i have a red 8. looks good.

back bumper looks great
are you worried it may come off when washing

Just a suggestion ... I think it might look better with the mesh inside the rotary symbol left black. The rest looks great.

already washed it 2x no problems. It is touchup paint so I think it should hold. I wonder about the black inside the rotary...hmm

Interesting. As others said, it looks really good. I laid out the bucks for the accents, but the silver mesh looks pretty nice. Too bad the rear "diffuser" wasn't for real though. Let some of that muffler heat escape, reduce lift at speed?:cool:

I have mine painted to. Used Chrome Bumber Paint and it went on easy and two coats.

Have not painted Mesh yet but that is next!

Way to go! I like it! I haven't done the front one yet but I'm already out the garage doo....

check out the painted vents thread too. I added a new pic just now

I really do like the way that looks.......but there's gotta be a better way to apply the paint to the mesh than with a small brush. Anybody have a suggestion?

That looks very good. I'm imprissed. Especialy on black. Thanks for being the one to try it.

Theres really no way you can do it I dont believe other than by hand and a small brush. The pseudo mesh is non-removable.

Greg, can you take a closeup pic by any chance?

Good job.

Greg, can you take a closeup pic by any chance?

Good job.

I have the rotary accent but after seeing the way you painted the mesh - I'm off to Pep Boys for some paint.

Well here comes the embarrassment. Sorry about the waterspots. You can also see the mistakes pretty clearly here but again you can a. take your time with it or b. don't get so close! just compare to the original picture the result is worth it. No one knows its not factory. Hope this is close enough

oops again heres picture

thats not bad
what was the name of the product you used again

Its called plasti-kote scratch color. I used GM 3859 but any ole silver will do the trick. I would recommend the lighter silvers though.

Ah what the heck here it is. (is this advertising?)

Originally posted by RX-GR8
i was thinking about paining the rear accent too not the mesh since i have a red 8. looks good.

You'd paint the "mesh" red. that'd look ok-ish. The rear under bumper is the crappiest part of the car - it's gotta go! If something aftermarket doesn't come out, I'll have to brave it myself!

aftermarket can replace it
but the bodykits are very expensive right now
rotaryextreme is making a copy of ms kit and will sell for 1/2 price

Close Ups

Looks great. For a second I thought I was looking at my own car. Nicely done and not so hard huh? I think this should be an evening project for all. -Greg

Could you post a full-car shot of the blue RX-8 with the painted mesh? I'd like to see how the new "grill" looks with perspective to the entire rear shot.

Sorry Camera isnt the geatest ...... Even the color of the car changed in this one ..... LOL

Sorry Camera isnt the geatest

Sorry Camera isnt the geatest

Well done guys I think the results look really good.

Right I need some silver paint, a very narrow brush, a not so narrow brush, a nice comfy mat, some nice weather & I'm sorted.

All i need now is the bloody car!!!!!!!!:(

Paint for mesh used:

#6 or #4 Artist Brush Square Short Cut Tip. .99 Cent.

1 bottle of Testors Silver Enamel Model Paint $1.19.

1 Bottle of Testors Black Model Paint $1.19.

Need Black to cover up the mistakes. But, if your hand is real steady you won't need the Black Paint.

Good Luck!!

note to self


no coffee before start of project

Anyone seen or tried this on a tit gray 8?

I have the rotary accents (which are very nice) but I'm wondering if there would be enough contrast between the silver mesh and gray color... anyone wanna be my guinea pig and try it out on their gray? :p

I've seen red, blue , black


IMO the gray would look good too

Guys this looks like agreat idea but I am concernedthat after a few weeks the paintwill fade and look shitty as the car gets dirty. It sounds like apain in the ass to paint the mesh and I would rather just spend $100 once to have two permanent chrome accents than to have to repaint again and again every month. Will the mesh and the accents need to be repainted frequently or will it last for a while?

Nice job guys. All of you decided to paint the mesh inside the rotary symbol, I would have opted not too. Doesn't matter it looks good either way.

I painted the Volkswagen logo of my mum's Corrado gold to match the wheels, with ordinary gold spray paint. I did this almost 1 year ago and it still looks great. If the cheap spary paint I used still looks good, touch up paint will for sure stay looking good. Ill post a picture if anyone would like to see.

It's been over a month and no change yet...

so i saw this pic of a Ferrari 360 from the Ferrari Challenge series, and it made me think that maybe silver touch up paint isn't the only color that might look good. when i get some time, i'll photoshop this kind of red mesh onto an 8.

could fit really well with the red/black leather and an overall red/black theme.

its not hard making a ferrari look good

Outstanding work guys! It seems a bit tedious to me, and like Visa I want to see it on a Titanium model before I try my own, but I appreciate the sharing you've done.

no, i was saying that the red mesh might look good on an 8, like it does on the Ferrari

here's what i was thinking...

i made this VERY crudely in photoshop, so you'll have to use your imagination a little bit, but i think it could look cool if it was done well. also some red painted calipers would go well with this...

looks odd to me

Greg - I really like what you've done!! I may make that the first mod to my RX-8. Thanks for taking that all-important first step!

Greg Ithink I am goingto paint my accents this weekend. Ijust wanted to know if the paint on your accents is still holding up or if you hadto repaint it again.

I think that it looks really good! :D

not even a chip or scratch to report so-far. I have 5k now. Good luck to all and merry christmas.

Hey everyone, question to ask you.

If I decided to paint the mesh on the back lower bumper with the touch-up paint from Mazda, would it work? Would it stick to the plastic? I thought of lightning yellow mesh to match the car. I'm not sure how the silver mesh would look plus I don't think anyone has done a body match color yet on the mesh. Thanks in advance for your help.

PS - What about painting the diamond shapes and not the lines themselves? A Photoshop opportunity for anyone who would like to do it. ;)

thats a good idea

yea def good ideas. i went with the mesh painting a long time ago. still looks good. def post pics if you do it

SEM Makes a vinyl paint that you can use to touch up the mistakes on the mesh, it will match any factory trim color.

Just an FYI. You can buy it at any local automotive paint shop.

What kind of prep work did you do?

How hard is it to get that lower section of the bumper off? Perhaps taking it off and cutting out the mesh section and then mounting actual mesh would be a good approach also.

haha i didnt take it off. a nice comfy mat, and a slightly sore back n neck cause i just layed down to do it :-p . i dont think anyone has cut the mesh as of yet.

Cutting the mesh out is an idea I thought about after reading this thread.

What do you think would look better... black or silver/metal? I am thinking that silver/metal would look best in the rear and it might accent well with the front if you replaced the stock center grill... That grill mesh Tony Orlando used on his 8 would look badass IMHO.

im working on the kelspeed rear bumper.
just need some funds but when done it will compliment the
8 so much more.

Ive got lots of experience in home brew painting. After a while the paint will start to look crappy. Just keep that in mind if you do it you may have to repaint it every once in a while.

The best thing is to scuff the surface, use bulldog spray adhesive, and use eurethane paint. Followed by a clear coat.

Of coarse this is the more expensive rout but if you want it to last as long as the body paint.

said 7 - I didn't think about that. Great insight. Thank you. Damn, back to the drawing board.

nice!

I painted my mesh as prescribed here right after the idea was posted and it looks fine - still, since Oct. and many washings AND I did both accent rotors too. IMO the painted mesh completes the look on the rear of the car. Now, when I see one unpainted it looks like part of the bumper is missing or something - from a distance. The forum member who came up with this idea is great.

Nice job. Looks just like mineexcept your exhaust tips seem to have held up over the months and still look very clean and silver unlike mine whichhave this permanent black stain on the bottom center that I cantget rid of.

Unfortunately mostpeople that I showthe car to dont even notice the mesh unless I pointit out to them since its so low on the car

Question: I have a titanium, and was thinking about painting my emblems either black or a dark gunmetal gray. If I paint the emblems a dark gunmetal gray do you guys think the mesh would look cool done in the same fashion, as well as the rotary accent? How about if I paint the emblems a gloss black like some of the members with black cars have done? How do you guys think that would match up with painted mesh and accents?

Man, 10 days later, and nobody has answered my question?

I dont think it would look good. Just my opinion

Finally read this one - my question is, has anyone actually cut the plastic out and replaced it with grill work?

Would this help with air flow or hinder it?

Finally read this one - my question is, has anyone actually cut the plastic out and replaced it with grill work?

Would this help with air flow or hinder it?Would you like it in bright aluminum or black aluminum? :D As soon as I finish the front grill replacement, this is my next tackle. Thhe hardest part of doing something like this would be that the rear bumper may have to be totally removed as it would be very difficult to cut it out without doing so. Perhaps a keyhole saw or somthing else but you would have to be very steady handed to do so. I have replaced the front center grill on my RX-8 with large diamond paterned aluminum griill that I have coated with spray plasti dip black.

Air flow would improve but to what advantage, I could not say.

Wow that sounds cool. I wont see.

Hey Dennis, I looked at the body shop manual, and removing the bumper would most likely be required. That way you could devise a method of attaching the grill work. I'm wondering about the material also, and I think the back would benefit from bright aluminum to match the emblems and exhaust. There is the small door for mounting the tie down bolt you have to deal with also.

I really do like the way that looks.......but there's gotta be a better way to apply the paint to the mesh than with a small brush. Anybody have a suggestion?

I just painted mine. Use a very small roller, but mask the surfaces all around it and you'll be fine. This will save a lot of time, but you still have to be careful! Make sure you use very little paint on the roller at once, just go over it a few times. I made that mistake, and the paint ran a little, and i had to touch it up with some black. Other than that this is pretty damn easy.

I'd paint my new one just to do it again, if it weren't for the fact that my new one came with the accents. I don't think it'd look too good ... chrome-looking paint mixed with polished accent.

bump for pics reposted.

Thanks.

Fixing Pics