1998 Freightliner Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 1998 Freightliner Vibe

In 1998, the highway belonged to the FLD 120 and the high-tech Century Class. It was an era of transition-Freightliner was moving away from the boxy shapes of the past and leaning hard into "Aero" styling. Inside the cab, you had the first real taste of onboard telematics, but on the outside, it was all about that late-90s metallic sheen. While the fleet world was a sea of basic whites, the trucks that really turned heads at the diesel island were the ones sporting that high-end Platinum finish. We've kept our database focused on the survivor of that era: that specific, high-flake Platinum that made a Century Class look like a spaceship before it clocked its first million miles.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the heart of The Peeling Era. By 1998, the industry had fully committed to basecoat/clearcoat systems, but "separation anxiety" was a very real thing. On these Freightliners, the bond between the primer and the topcoat-especially on those massive fiberglass hoods-was often more of a suggestion than a rule. If your 1998 rig has been out in the sun, you're likely dealing with delamination. It starts as a small white bubble, and before you know it, the clear coat is flaking off in sheets like a bad sunburn. Once that clear lifts, the metallic base underneath is defenseless against the elements and will turn dull and chalky faster than you can find a parking spot at a Flying J.

Restoration Tip

If you catch a chip or a small patch of peeling clear, you have to act before the wind at 70 mph turns that dime-sized spot into a foot-long problem. Use a fine-grit sandpaper to feather the edges of the peeling clear coat until you hit "solid" paint-if the clear is still lifting as you sand, keep going. Since our Platinum comes in a catalyzed spray can, you're getting a true two-component chemical cure. This is crucial for 1998 rigs because you need that chemical "bite" to seal the edges of the old clear and prevent the "Freightliner Peel" from spreading further down the panel. Seal those edges immediately, or you'll be watching your paint job disappear in the rearview mirror.