1963 Chrysler Touch Up Paint (21 OEM Colors)

The 1963 Chrysler Vibe

Welcome to the year of the "Slab-Side." In 1963, Chrysler ditched the last of the 1950s fins and went for a look that was angular, formal, and unapologetically massive. Whether you're steering a 300J, a New Yorker, or a Newport cruiser, you're moving a lot of metal. To cover all that real estate, Chrysler offered a staggering 21-color palette. From the deep, regal Claret Poly and Navy Blue Poly to the neon-adjacent Holiday Turquoise Poly and the crisp Pace Car Blue, 1963 was a buffet of pigment. If you're lucky enough to be holding a car with Mayan Gold Poly or Surf Green Poly, you're not just driving a car; you're driving a mid-century living room with a V8.

Paint Health Check

We are deep in the Single Stage Era, kid. Back then, Chrysler used their "Lustre-Bond" acrylic enamel. It's thick, it's durable, but it's got one major enemy: Oxidation. This paint doesn't peel off in sheets like the plastic-wrap clear coats of the 90s; instead, it "chalks." The sun bakes the oils right out of the surface, leaving a white, hazy film that makes your Teal Poly look like a dusty blackboard. If you have one of the metallic "Poly" colors-like Charcoal Poly or Madison Gray Poly-the problem is double. Those tiny aluminum flakes are actually suspended in the color; when the paint oxidizes, those flakes hit the air and tarnish, leaving the finish looking flat and lifeless.

Restoration Tip

The good news? This paint is a survivor. Because there's no clear coat to fail, that "chalky" layer is actually just dead paint sitting on top of perfectly good pigment. Therefore, it needs wax or it dies. To bring back the shine on a '63, you need to gently "exfoliate" the surface with a fine polishing compound to remove the oxidation. You'll see the color transfer onto your pad-don't panic, that's just the dead layer coming off. Once you hit fresh paint, seal it immediately with a high-quality carnauba wax or a solvent-based sealant. In this era, the wax is the only thing keeping the atmosphere from eating your Festival Red alive. Keep it fed, or it'll turn back into a pumpkin by next summer.