1971 Ford Touch Up Paint (54 OEM Colors)

The 1971 Ford Vibe

Welcome to 1971, where Ford was busy making everything bigger-including the Mustang's nose and the F-Series' appetite for leaded fuel. Our database is tracking 54 different colors for this year, and let me tell you, the variety was as loud as a wide-open 429 Cobra Jet. You had the "High Impact" leftovers like Grabber Lime and Grabber Blue fighting for space next to emerging earth tones like Baja Beige and Mallard Green. And if you're one of the lucky few rocking a 1971 in Playmate Pink, you're essentially driving a unicorn with a heavy-duty suspension. Whether it was the F-100 hauling hay or the "All Other Models" fleet cruising the strip, Ford didn't skimp on the spectrum.

Paint Health Check

Since we're dealing with the Single Stage Era, your 1971 Ford came from the factory wearing a thick skin of acrylic enamel. There's no clear coat here to peel or delaminate like a bad sunburn. Instead, you're dealing with the "Chalky Fade." Over the last five decades, UV rays have been chewing on those pigments, turning your deep Candyapple Red or Grabber Yellow into a dull, pastel imitation of its former self. This is oxidation, plain and simple. If you rub your hand across the hood and it comes away looking like you just high-fived a chalkboard, your paint is literally starving for oil.

Restoration Tip

The beauty of 1971 single-stage paint is that the color goes all the way through. You can usually "save" a dead-looking finish with a heavy cut and polish because you're just shaving off the dead skin to find the fresh pigment underneath. But here is the Salty Painter's golden rule: It needs wax or it dies. Once you buff that surface to a shine, the "pores" of the paint are wide open. If you don't seal it with a high-quality wax immediately, it will oxidize again faster than you can find a gas station that still sells leaded premium. Treat it like a cast-iron skillet-keep it seasoned, or the environment will take it back.