1959 AMC Touch Up Paint (2 OEM Colors)

The 1959 AMC Vibe

1959 was the year George Romney declared war on the "gas-guzzling dinosaurs" of Detroit. While the Big Three were busy slapping six-foot tailfins on everything that moved, AMC was winning hearts with the sensible Rambler, the upscale Ambassador, and the plucky Rambler American. It was a time of "compact" logic and two-tone dreams. Because we value quality over a cluttered catalog, we've focused on the true survivors of the era-the colors that define the late fifties, like the vibrant Mardi Gras Red and the cooling Caribbean Blue.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Single Stage Era. Back then, AMC used a "Double-coat baked enamel" process that they claimed would last for years. And it did-but it's a single-layer beast. This paint doesn't fail by peeling off in sheets like a cheap sunburn; it fails by "chalking." If your 1959 classic looks like it was dusted in powdered sugar, that's oxidation. The binders in the paint have dried out from sixty years of sun, leaving the pigment sitting on the surface with nothing to hold it down. It's thick, it's tough, but it's thirsty.

Restoration Tip

If you're touching up an original finish, remember the golden rule of single-stage: it needs wax or it dies. Before you even think about applying fresh paint, you have to cut through that chalky oxidation with a quality rubbing compound. You'll know you're doing it right when your buffing pad turns the color of the car-that's just the "dead" paint coming off to reveal the fresh layer underneath. Once you've got your shine back and your touch-up is cured, seal the deal with a heavy carnauba wax. Without a clear coat to protect it, that wax is the only thing standing between your paint and the graveyard.