1997 Dodge Touch Up Paint (57 OEM Colors)

The 1997 Dodge Vibe

1997 was a strange, glorious time for Dodge. It was the year of the "Cloud Cars"-the Stratus and Intrepid-cutting through the wind with that signature aerodynamic "cab-forward" design. Meanwhile, the Caravan was basically the official chariot of every suburban cul-de-sac. Our vault holds 9 essential shades from this era, and frankly, they're the ones that mattered. We've got the heavy hitters like Flame Red and Stone White that defined the Dakota and the Pick-up, along with the high-octane royalty of GTS Blue Pearl and Viper Red. If you were driving a Dodge in '97, you were either hauling the whole soccer team or trying to break the sound barrier.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the heart of "The Peeling Era." By 1997, Dodge was fully committed to the basecoat/clearcoat system, but the chemistry hadn't quite caught up to the sun's attitude. This era is notorious for "delamination"-that's a fancy word for your clear coat deciding it doesn't want to be friends with the color underneath anymore. If you look at the roof of an old Avenger or the hood of a 1997 Van-Wagon, you'll likely see the "Chrysler Peel," where the clear coat flakes off in sheets, leaving the base color exposed and chalky. Once that clear lifts, the countdown to rust begins.

Restoration Tip

If you've still got original gloss on that Dakota or Stratus, guard it like your life depends on it. The secret is to seal chips immediately before the clear lifts. If you spot a stone chip, don't wait. Once air and moisture get under the edge of the clear coat, they'll start prying it up like a bad sticker. Use a fine-grit sandpaper to very lightly "feather" the edge of any peeling clear before applying your touch-up. If you just paint over a lifting edge, you're essentially just putting a band-aid on a balloon that's already popping. Seal the perimeter, lock it down, and you might just keep that factory shine for another decade.