1966 Chevrolet Touch Up Paint (42 OEM Colors)

The 1966 Chevrolet Vibe

1966 was the year Chevrolet decided more was actually more. With a massive 42 colors in our database, it's clear the boys in Detroit weren't shy with the spray gun. Whether you were rolling in a Sting Ray finished in Nassau Blue Metallic or hauling lumber in a C10 Truck, you had options. This was the peak of the "Metallic Era"-shades like Aztec Bronze Metallic and Artesian Turquoise weren't just colors; they were statements. If you're looking at one of these survivors today, you're looking at the golden age of American depth and shine.

Paint Health Check

Back in '66, we weren't playing around with thin modern coatings. These cars came from the factory in the Single Stage Era. For the passenger cars and Corvettes, that meant Acrylic Lacquer-a paint that looks a mile deep but is as temperamental as a carbureted engine on a cold morning. Because there's no clear coat protecting the pigment, your biggest enemy is Oxidation. If your Marina Blue looks more like a dusty chalkboard than a tropical ocean, that's the paint "chalking" as it dies from UV exposure. You might also see "lacquer checking"-those tiny spider-web cracks that happen when the thick paint loses its flexibility over fifty-plus years.

Restoration Tip

Since this is single-stage paint, you have a unique advantage: you can actually "feed" it. If the paint is just dull and chalky, don't rush to sand it off. A heavy dose of high-quality oils and a slow machine buff can often bring that Madeira Maroon back from the dead by leveled the oxidized top layer. However, once you get it shining, you have to be religious about protection. **It needs wax or it dies.** Without a modern clear coat to hide behind, that fresh pigment is defenseless against the sun. For touch-ups, build your layers slowly; lacquer likes to shrink as the solvents gass off, so patience is your best tool in the booth.