1988 Ford Touch Up Paint (82 OEM Colors)

The 1988 Ford Vibe

It's 1988. You're either hauling the neighborhood in a space-age Aerostar or feeling the boost in a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Ford was feeling itself this year, throwing a massive 82 colors at the wall to see what stuck. We're talking about the height of the "Metallic Era"-if it didn't shimmer, it didn't sell. From the sophisticated Rose Quartz Pearl Metallic to the rugged Dark Shadow Blue Metallic found on the Bronco II and Ranger, Ford was trying to prove they could do "premium" just as well as they did "workhorse." It was a time of transition, where the trucks still felt like steel, but the paint was starting to act like high-fashion.

Paint Health Check

Now, here's the reality: 1988 puts you right at the front gates of The Peeling Era. Ford was aggressively moving toward the basecoat/clearcoat system, but they were still ironing out the chemistry. If you've got a survivor in Alpine Green Metallic or one of the many Regatta Blues, you're likely fighting delamination. Back then, they experimented with skipping certain primer steps to speed up the line at the Kentucky Truck plant and beyond. The result? The sun's UV rays hit that clear coat, it gets brittle, and eventually, it decides it doesn't want to be married to the base color anymore. If your roof or hood looks like it's sunburned and flaking, you're looking at classic clear coat failure.

Restoration Tip

In this era, a rock chip isn't just a cosmetic eyesore; it's an invitation for the clear coat to start lifting in sheets. Therefore, you need to seal every chip the moment you see it. Don't wait for the weekend. If you see a break in the finish, get some solvent-based touch-up paint on there immediately to "glue" the edge of the clear coat down. Once air and moisture get under that top layer, the delamination will spread like a wildfire. If you're dealing with a metallic or pearl like Cinnabar Pearl Metallic, make sure you're using a dedicated clear top layer over your touch-up to mimic that factory depth and lock out the elements.