1989 International Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 1989 International Vibe

1989 was a year of shoulder pads, hair metal, and the absolute dominance of the International S-Series on every job site from Anchorage to Atlanta. These trucks weren't just vehicles; they were the backbone of the economy, usually dressed in the most professional, no-nonsense shade known to man: Beige. While other manufacturers were busy experimenting with neon highlights, International stuck to what worked. We've focused our database on the true survivor of the era-that classic, desert-ready Beige that defined the fleet look. It's the color of a truck that's seen a million miles and is ready for a million more.

Paint Health Check

The late '80s were a wild time for paint tech, and 1989 sits right in the middle of "The Peeling Era." This was the dawn of the mass-market transition to basecoat/clearcoat systems, and let's just say the chemistry wasn't always on our side. Your International might have been born with a rugged single-stage finish, but many were moving toward those early clear coats that didn't quite know how to hang onto the base. If your roof or hood looks like it's suffering from a giant, flaky sunburn, you're looking at delamination. Once that clear coat starts to lift and separate, the UV rays eat the color underneath for breakfast, leaving you with a chalky, unprotected mess.

Restoration Tip

When you're dealing with a 1989 finish, your biggest enemy isn't just the sun-it's the "creep." Seal every stone chip immediately. On these early clear-coat systems, a single chip acts as an entry point for moisture and air to get under the clear layer. Once that happens, the clear coat will start to "tunnel" and lift in a radius around the chip until your fender looks like a topographical map. Keep a vial of solvent-based touch-up handy and dab those chips as soon as they appear. It's the only way to stop the peel before it turns into a full-blown respray job.