Re: [T2] Bay Bus Paints

[Chris Mills <scm9985@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Good morning folks!

I did a shade tree paint job on our '78 a couple of years ago with good 
results and I'm STILL trying to finish the restore job (along came baby, 
mortgage, job, car payment, etc. etc.!)
<grin!>

If you are going to do painting, hurry because you'll need a relatively dry 
(not humid) and warm day (70 degrees+ is nice) and depending on where you 
live, they are getting to be in short supply this year.
Our Westy was my first automotive repaint by myself though I had helped 
several times on others.
What I learned from the local automotive body and paint supply store is 
that they can mix any color you want. The quantities can vary from a pint 
to a gallon. They can also make up a spray can for you if you want to do it 
that way.
No need to mail-order paint or visit a Foreign Car supplier - any Body Shop 
Supply store can supply any color. NAPA and some of the better auto parts 
stores also carry automotive body supplies and paint. (Some NAPA's do and 
some don't).
If you need to just do a quick touch up - most of the same parts and paint 
suppliers carry what looks like nail polish bottles of paint in any color. 
They can also supply tiny spray cans (1/2 the size, twice the price of the 
large cans of normal general purpose paint) of any color.
Beware - if you paint is old, you might have a hard time matching the 
colors. A paint store can sometimes modify their recipe to allow for aged 
paint.
Shop around. Find a supplier  that can (and will) answer questions. For me 
that was more important than budget prices. I lucked out and our little 
town (25K people) has 3 stores to choose from.
Ask about the different types of paints - lacquer (don't do it), acrylic 
enamel (what I used), 2 part paints (base+clear => nice! this is what the 
new cars come with), etc.
With the acrylic enamel (plus hardener) you can spray it on, you can brush 
it on, and you can use a fine nap foam roller. I used a roller on 
automotive paints when I worked for a sign shop with excellent results. It 
would be a good alternative for a basic scratch or scrape cover up. And yes 
I did signs when they were hanging AND when they were laying horizontal. It 
really works.
(Roll the paint on - unthinned - normally. Go drink something or goof off 
for a while, ~20 minutes. After the paint is really tacky and setting up, 
go back over the paint lightly with the same roller, no new paint. You 
might have to do it again touching it REALLY lightly.)
You can also check around and see what your local body shops would charge 
for a panel re-spray.
A couple of years ago - exactly a week after we bought our first new car - 
some kid keyed the side of our Honda at the university where we work. I had 
thoughts of murder on my mind. Took it to our insurance agency who 
recommended a shop locally. They re-sprayed the right side 2 doors and 
reassembled it (I made them pull the molding off, etc.)  for a couple 
hundred dollars. Excellent job. Quality matched rest of the car. (Never 
park a car in an area where people walk between the cars going somewhere 
else. Park it against the wall or whatever.
Anyhow might be cheaper to go that route.

It might be...
Ciao!

Chris M. <Busbodger>
Cookeville, Tennessee

ICQ# 5944649
scm9985@xxxxxxxxxx

'78 VW Westfalia (67 HP -> that is...67 Hamster Power)
'65 Beetle - Type IV powered
'99 CR-V station wagon
'81 CB900 Custom moto-chickle
2.5 Corvair engines for my Trans-vair Conversion

FOR SALE: 	Early model Corvair engine - needs bell housing, otherwise 
complete (make offer)