1985 AMC Touch Up Paint (18 OEM Colors)

The 1985 AMC Vibe

1985 was a strange, beautiful crossroads for American Motors. On one side of the lot, you had the Eagle-the original 4x4 crossover that didn't know it was thirty years ahead of its time. On the other, you had the Alliance and Encore, those fuel-sipping Franco-American experiments that tried to bring a little Parisian flair to Kenosha, Wisconsin. With 18 colors in our database, it's clear AMC wasn't playing it safe. Whether your ride is wearing the rugged Autumn Brown Metallic or the surprisingly flashy Sebring Red, these cars were built for a world of neon signs and cassette tapes. It's a palette that balances those lingering 70s earth tones with the high-tech silvers and "Pearl" metallics that defined the mid-80s.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to The Peeling Era. By 1985, the industry was knee-deep in the transition to basecoat/clearcoat systems. The goal was deeper gloss and better protection, but the early execution was... let's call it "experimental." If your AMC has spent any significant time in the sun, you're likely dealing with Delamination. This isn't just a little chalky fading; it's the clear coat literally losing its grip on the color underneath and flaking off like a bad sunburn. Once that clear layer lifts, the base coat underneath (especially on those "Pearl" and metallic finishes like Adriatic Blue) is defenseless against the elements and will disappear faster than an AMC dealership in 1988.

Restoration Tip

The secret to keeping an '85 AMC looking respectable is aggressive triage: seal every chip immediately. Because these early clear coats have adhesion issues, a single rock chip is more than a cosmetic flaw-it's an entry point for moisture and air to get under the clear. Once that happens, the clear coat will start to "lift" around the edges of the chip, and before you know it, a tiny speck has turned into a dinner-plate-sized patch of peeling paint. Use a high-quality solvent-based touch-up to bridge that gap and lock the clear coat down to the base. If you catch the chips early, you can stop the delamination before it spreads across the entire hood.