1973 Chevrolet Touch Up Paint (60 OEM Colors)

The 1973 Chevrolet Vibe

1973 was a year of identity crises and transition. Over at the Corvette plant, they were glueing on those new-fangled rubber front bumpers while the rear end still sported the classic chrome-a true "mullet" of automotive design. Meanwhile, the C10 Trucks and the rest of the Chevy lineup were leaning hard into the earth-tone revolution. Our database isn't exactly hurting for variety either; we're sitting on 60 different colors for this year alone. Whether you're rocking the iconic Mille Miglia Red, the deep Elkhart Green Poly, or the "look-at-me" Corvette Orange Poly, the factory was throwing every pigment in the shed at these bodies before the fuel crisis turned the whole world beige.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Single Stage Era. Back in '73, we weren't messing around with clear coats-what you see is what you get. The "Poly" and "Irid" (iridescent) colors in this list were loaded with metallic flakes suspended right in the color coat. The reality? This paint is a living thing. If it's been sitting out in the sun, it's likely suffering from "chalking." That's oxidation, where the binders break down and leave a dry, powdery film of dead pigment on the surface. Worse yet, if you're looking at an original Corvette finish, you might see "lacquer checking"-those tiny spiderweb cracks that happen when the paint shrinks and loses its flexibility after fifty years of heat cycles.

Restoration Tip

Here's the deal: single-stage paint needs wax or it dies. It's that simple. Without a clear coat to act as a UV shield, your color is the front line of defense. If you're touching up a metallic shade like Corvette Silver Mist Poly or Light Copper Poly, keep in mind that those flakes like to dive to the bottom of the bottle. Shake that paint until your arm aches, or the color won't match the weathered panel next to it. Once your repair is cured, keep the whole car sealed under a heavy coat of high-quality wax. You're not just making it shiny; you're literally feeding the finish to keep it from turning back into a chalkboard.