In a message dated 8/27/00 3:13:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

<< 1.  Can regular automotive paint be thinned down enough to blow through an
 airbrush?  I'd like to be able to use the exact paint that's on the car (and
 yep, I know that the color has changed slightly from age.)

    Yes, you can use regular automotive paint, reduced to the proper
viscosity to pass in your air brush.  Use an acrylic enamel type of paint the
same colour as your van.  With or without the hardener.  With the hardener
you will have to mix up small batches for your purpose then throw the unused
portion away.  DO NOT PUT IT BACK IN WITH THE REST OF THE PAINT IN THE
ORIGINAL CAN.  Check the paint code in the storage compartment under the
drivers seat.

 2. If I can confine the spray to a very small space, will the finish
 eventually blend in when it has dried, and when I wax over it in the spring?
  >>

    Well, almost.  It will never really perfectly blend in.  Since for that
to happen the old paint would have to soften up with the application of the
new.  The new fandangeled paints we have today have hardeners in them and
once set they will not soften up with the application of fresh paint.  There
will always be an edge.  You can reduce this edge by first sanding the area
you wish to paint with a fine, #400 or #600 grit sandpaper or a 3M red or
green sanding pad.  Apply the paint to a cover bit over the sanded area and
after the paint has dried, 48 hours, you can buff the painted area with a
coarse then a fine buffing compound then wax.  With this method you will be
hard pressed to find the repair.  YOU will always know as you KNOW but other
will not.

Cheers

Frank Condelli
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains
Vanagon List, LIMBO & IWCCC member
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service for the Ottawa Valley
STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html">Frank Condelli &
Associates</A> or http://frankcondelli.com