1997 Forest-River Touch Up Paint (2 OEM Colors)

The 1997 Forest-River Vibe

Welcome to 1997, the peak of the "rolling hotel" boom. If you were piloting a Forest-River motorhome back then, you weren't just camping; you were making a statement in Gold Metallic. That champagne-tinted palette was the height of late-90s luxury, designed to look expensive while hiding a thousand miles of highway dust. We've focused our efforts on the survivors of this era, keeping the essentials like that iconic Gold and the necessary Gloss Trim Black ready for the shelf. It was a time of massive fiberglass panels and a dream of endless summers, usually accompanied by a cassette tape of the year's top hits.

Paint Health Check

Since we're dealing with the "Peeling Era" (1985-2005), we need to talk about delamination. By '97, the industry had mostly moved to basecoat-clearcoat systems, but these giant rigs were a trial by fire. These long vertical walls spend all day baking in the sun, and the clear coat is usually the first thing to give up the ghost. You'll likely see "checking"-those tiny spiderweb cracks in the darker areas like the Gloss Trim Black-where the heat has literally cooked the finish. Once that clear coat starts flaking off like a bad sunburn, moisture gets under the edges and the whole panel is at risk.

Restoration Tip

The secret to saving a '97 Forest-River is edge control. If you spot a chip or a section where the clear is just starting to lift, you have to seal it immediately. If air and road grime get under that clear layer, it'll pull away from the base color like a cheap sticker. Clean the area thoroughly, and use our touch-up to bridge the gap between the failing clear and the solid paint. For the Gold Metallic, light layers are your best friend-don't try to fill a canyon in one go. Build the color slowly to match the depth of the original factory finish and lock out the elements before the "peel" takes over the whole rig.