1960 GMC Touch Up Paint (21 OEM Colors)

The 1960 GMC Vibe

1960 was the year GMC decided a workhorse should have some soul. They rolled out the "torsion-spring" ride and a color palette that finally killed off the drab, post-war grays. We're talking about 21 heavy-hitting colors in our database for this year alone. Whether you were hauling cattle in a pickup or running the family in a Suburban, you had choices like Tartan Turquoise, Klondike Gold Metallic, and Marlin Blue. It was a time of bold two-tones and enough chrome to blind a traffic cop. If you weren't rocking a Cardinal Red or Omaha Orange hood, you were probably just blending into the gravel.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Single Stage Era. Back in '60, we didn't have "layers"-we had one thick, honest coat of enamel or lacquer that stood between the steel and the elements. The legend says this paint is bulletproof, but the reality is a bit more... chalky. Without a clear coat to hide behind, these 1960 finishes suffer from heavy oxidation. If your Brigade Blue looks like it was dusted with flour, that's the paint literally dying on the surface. It doesn't peel like a 90s clear coat; it just turns into a dull, white powder. This era of paint has a simple rule: It needs wax or it dies. If it's been sitting in the sun, that Grenadier Red has likely faded into a sad, powdery pink by now.

Restoration Tip

Before you go stripping it down to bare metal, try to find the "buried treasure." Because this is single-stage paint, the actual color pigment is often trapped under a layer of dead, oxidized material. Use a high-quality rubbing compound and a machine polisher to carefully shave off that white "chalk." You'll be amazed to see Neptune Green or Yukon Yellow wake up after sixty years of sleep. Once you find the shine, seal it immediately with a heavy paste wax. You're the clear coat now, so keep it protected or the sun will start eating those pigments all over again.