recommendations for auto touch up paint

[George]

I have painted a few cars in my time - from minor touch up to ground up
restorations. Herewith a few thoughts. 

The standard rattle can from the auto supply store is marginal if you are
getting serious about sanding down and spraying the front edge of the hood,
an entire panel, etc.  I have found a far better way to go is to order a
supply kit from one of the online stores  -
http://www.repaintsupply.com/cat_aerosols.cfm - and get the benefit of
superior paint, a really serious spray nozzle, and well matched chemistry,
from sanding primers, color coats to urethane top coats. These rattle cans
cost around $14 to $ 18 each, but the results can be top quality.  The spray
nozzle lays down a pattern that you simply can't get from a cheap spray can
and the quality of the paint is way superior. 

Of course it is all in the prep. If you haven't painted a car before then I
suggest you go online and read up on the process. You definitely want a
sanding primer to start. If you are coming off a mixed surface - old color,
some bare metal, old primer, then an epoxy primer is a great start, followed
by a sanding primer. Then with a good sanding, taken out through 600 grit
wet or dry, you can lay on the color, starting with light mist coats and
building with double color coats. After a good cure some sanding may be in
order; I usually start with 400 and work my way up to 1200.  Then, the
urethane top coat is the final pass.  Wait a month then buff out and
polish.......

I recently restored the front of the hood, the under-bumper front dam, the
front edge of the roof, and a series of minor dings, etc. on my '91 200
Avant, acquired over 19 years and 312,000 miles, and the car looks like it
is new. And, you can't tell the new paint from the original. 

George Sidman