1996 Fountain Touch Up Paint (3 OEM Colors)

The 1996 Fountain Vibe

Nineteen ninety-six was the year of "extreme" everything, and the Fountain lineup was no exception. Whether you were rocking a Fever or a Lightning, you weren't just moving fast-you were doing it in high-contrast style. While other manufacturers were playing it safe with beige, we've focused on the survivors of this era: Grape, Teal, and Silver Metallic. These weren't just colors; they were a statement that you had arrived, likely at high velocity and with a soundtrack of Eurodance pumping through the speakers.

Paint Health Check

We're firmly in the Peeling Era here. By '96, the industry had gone all-in on two-stage basecoat/clearcoat systems. It looked deep and glossy on the showroom floor, but the clear coats from this period are notorious for a "messy divorce" from the color underneath. If your Fountain has been sitting in the sun, you're likely seeing delamination-where the clear coat starts to flake off like a bad sunburn. Once that top layer lifts and the basecoat is exposed to the elements, it's a ticking clock before the whole panel looks like a topographical map of regret.

Restoration Tip

The secret to keeping a '96 finish alive is aggressive chip management. Because this era's clear coat is prone to lifting once air and moisture get under the edge, you have to seal chips immediately. Don't wait for a weekend project; if you see a nick in that Silver Metallic or Grape, get some pigment on it and seal it down. If the clear has already started to cloud or bubble at the edges, you're beyond a simple wax-you need to carefully sand back the failing clear until you hit a stable edge before touching it up, or the "peel" will just keep marching across your hull.