1981 Dodge Touch Up Paint (39 OEM Colors)

The 1981 Dodge Vibe

Welcome to 1981, where the air was thick with the smell of leaded gasoline and the Dodge showroom was undergoing a bit of an identity crisis. You had the Japanese-bred Colt and Arrow sitting right next to the heavy-duty Pickups and Vans that were the backbone of the American job site. Our database clocks in at a whopping 44 colors for this year-Dodge clearly wasn't ready to give up on the rainbow just because the economy was acting up. We're talking about a palette that ranged from the boardroom-ready Formal Black and Baron Red to the unapologetic Graphic Yellow and Impact Orange. Whether you were hauling drywall in a D-Series or trying to look fast in a Challenger, there was a metallic or high-impact shade waiting to be sprayed.

Paint Health Check

If you're looking at an original 1981 survivor, you're looking at the peak of the Single Stage Era. This stuff wasn't buried under a protective clear coat; it was a "one-and-done" acrylic enamel that put the pigment and the gloss in the same bucket. The problem? This paint is alive, and not in a good way. It's porous. Without a clear shield, colors like Morocco Red or Nightwatch Blue start to "chalk" the second the sun hits them. That white, powdery film you see on the hood isn't dust-it's the paint literally oxidizing and dying. If it looks like a chalkboard, the resins have dried out completely, leaving the pigment exposed to the elements.

Restoration Tip

Since this is single-stage paint, you can actually "bring it back from the dead" in a way modern cars can't. If you've got heavy oxidation on your Import Truck or Van, don't reach for the sandpaper first. Use a heavy rubbing compound to shear off that dead, chalky top layer and reveal the fresh pigment underneath. But here is the salty truth: It needs wax or it dies. Because this paint has no clear coat, once you polish it, the "pores" are wide open. If you don't seal it with a high-quality carnuba or polymer wax immediately, it'll be back to looking like a weathered barn within a month. Treat it like skin-keep it moisturized and protected, or the sun will eat it alive.