1976 International Touch Up Paint (4 OEM Colors)

The 1976 International Vibe

1976 wasn't just about the Bicentennial and bell-bottoms; it was the year International Harvester was busy building the trucks that actually kept the country moving. Whether you were piloting a Loadstar through a job site or taking a Scout II into the brush, these machines were built for the dirt, not the showroom floor. Our database focuses on the ultimate survivor of the era: Beige. It wasn't about being flashy-it was about picking a color that looked exactly like the dust you were kicking up on the back forty, ensuring your truck looked "clean" even when it was working overtime.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Single Stage Era. Back in '76, IHC was laying it on thick with acrylic enamel, long before clear coats became the industry standard. The good news? This paint is tough as a farm hand and has a depth that modern "thin" finishes can't touch. The bad news? It's a living finish. Without a protective shell of wax, the sun turns that beige pigment into a chalky, oxidized mess. If your truck looks like it was dusted with flour, that's "chalking"-the paint literally sacrificing itself to the UV rays. Furthermore, 1970s steel was notoriously hungry for oxygen; if you see a bubble, there's a rust party happening underneath that you weren't invited to.

Restoration Tip

If you're patching up that 48-year-old finish, do not just spray over the haze. You need to "cut" through that white oxidation first using a medium-cut rubbing compound. You aren't just cleaning the surface; you're uncovering the actual color buried underneath the dead layers. Once you hit fresh pigment, apply your touch-up, let it cure, and then-for the love of all that is holy-keep it sealed. On a single-stage truck like this, it needs wax or it dies. Regular buffing and a heavy coat of wax are the only things standing between your International and a one-way trip to the scrap heap.