1957 Buick Touch Up Paint (20 OEM Colors)

The 1957 Buick Vibe

Welcome to 1957, the year Buick decided that if a little chrome was good, an entire shipyard's worth was better. Whether you were piloting a Roadmaster, a Century, or a Special, you weren't just driving; you were captaining a localized weather system of style. With 20 different colors in our database for this year alone, Buick was leading the charge in "Spring Colors"-a marketing masterstroke designed to get folks back into showrooms once the snow melted. We're talking about high-impact pastels like Dusk Rose and Artic Blue, alongside heavy-hitting metallics like Garnet Red Metallic. It was a time of two-tone liveries and "Nailhead" V8s, where your car's paint was as much a status symbol as the fins on its rear quarters.

Paint Health Check

We are firmly in the Single Stage Era here. Back in '57, GM was transitioning from nitrocellulose to acrylic lacquers, meaning the color and the gloss are all mixed into one thick, pigment-rich layer. But here's the rub: this paint "breathes," and over sixty-plus years, that breathing turns into a death rattle called Oxidation. If your Belmont Green or Seminole Red looks like it's been dusted with chalkboard chalk, that's the binder breaking down and the pigment migrating to the surface. Worse yet, the aluminum flakes in those gorgeous "Spring Color" metallics like Mariner Blue or Sylvan Gray are often exposed to the air. Once they oxidize, they turn black or gray, and no amount of wishing will bring that 1950s sparkle back without some serious elbow grease.

Restoration Tip

If you're working with original 1957 paint, remember the Salty Painter's creed: It needs wax or it dies. Because there's no modern clear coat to act as a sacrificial shield, the pigment is the frontline soldier against the sun. Before you go reaching for a heavy-duty compound, try a "dead paint" removal first. Use a non-abrasive cleaner to lift that chalky oxidation layer. Don't be spooked if your buffing pad turns the exact shade of Jade Green Metallic-that's just the top layer of dead pigment coming off to reveal the survivors underneath. Once you've found the shine, seal it immediately with a high-quality carnauba or polymer sealant. If you leave single-stage paint "naked" after a polish, the oxidation will return faster than a Buick Dynaflow shifts gears.