1988 International Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 1988 International Vibe

1988 was the year of the International S-Series and the newly minted 4000 series-the square-jawed workhorses of the late eighties. While the rest of the automotive world was busy chasing neon trends and wedge shapes, International was out there building the backbone of the interstate. Our database for this year focuses on the ultimate survivor: that classic, grit-hiding Beige. It wasn't designed to win a beauty pageant; it was designed to look professional while hauling thirty tons of gravel through a thunderstorm. It's the color of a truck that's actually been to work.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the heart of "The Peeling Era." By 1988, manufacturers were fully committed to the early experiments of basecoat-clearcoat systems. These Internationals are legendary for their iron-clad reliability, but the clear coat on the roof and hood is likely a different story. If your rig spent its life under the sun, you're probably seeing "Delamination"-that heart-breaking moment where the clear coat loses its grip on the base and starts flaking off like a bad sunburn. The legend is bulletproof, but the early clear coat technology was often the first part of the truck to surrender to the elements.

Restoration Tip

If you've still got original paint on that S-Series, you need to play defense. On an '88, the bond between the color and the clear is the weak link. My advice: seal every rock chip immediately before the clear coat has a chance to lift. If moisture gets under that edge, the wind will catch it at highway speeds and peel your finish back like a sardine can. Use a high-quality touch-up to lock those edges down and keep the "Peeling Era" from claiming another victim.