1985 Honda Touch Up Paint (24 OEM Colors)

### The 1985 Honda Vibe

Welcome to 1985, the year the Accord, Civic, and Prelude weren't just cars-they were the "sensible" icons of the Reagan era. Honda was feeling ambitious, offering a staggering 25 different shades to help you stand out in the mall parking lot. We're talking about a decade that moved away from the loud, psychedelic oranges of the '70s into a more sophisticated, "I have a 401k" palette. You had your pick of the litter with sophisticated metallics like Champagne Beige Metallic and Gothic Gray Metallic, or you could lean into the sporty side with Victoria Red. It was a time of pop-up headlights and the transition from rugged utility to refined Japanese engineering, all wrapped in a coat of paint that actually tried to look expensive.

Paint Health Check

But here's the rub: 1985 was the dawn of The Peeling Era. This was when the industry started moving away from the thick, "forgive everything" single-stage paints and toward basecoat/clearcoat systems, especially for those fancy metallics like Stratos Blue or Misty Beige. The problem? Those early clear coats were about as loyal as a fair-weather friend. If your 1985 survivor has spent its life outside, you're likely dealing with Delamination. It starts as a "milky" or chalky patch on the roof or hood where the clear coat decides it's tired of holding onto the color coat. Once that clear starts to lift and flake off in sheets, you're not just looking at a faded car; you're looking at a car that's losing its skin.

Restoration Tip

If you're lucky enough to still have the original clear coat intact, your mantra is "defensive maintenance." For a mid-80s Honda, you must seal chips immediately before the clear lifts. That tiny rock chip on your Graphite Gray Metallic hood is a gateway for moisture and air to get under the clear coat and start the peeling process. Once the bond is broken, the clear will "creep" and peel further away from the edges. When you're touching up these spots, don't just dab the color and walk away-make sure you're sealing the edges of the repair to keep that clear coat locked down. Treat it like a cracked windshield; if you don't stop the spread now, you'll be repainting the whole panel by next summer.