1996 International Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 1996 International Vibe

1996 was the year of the Macarena, the Chicago Bulls' dominance, and the relentless hum of the International Truck on every highway. While the world was busy transitioning to the digital age, these trucks were the backbone of the physical one. When it comes to the palette, we've focused on the ultimate survivor of the decade: Beige. It wasn't just a color choice; it was a badge of the long-haul workhorse. This neutral tone was designed to hide road grime and look just as professional at a dusty job site as it did under the depot lights.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the heart of "The Peeling Era." By 1996, the industry had fully committed to the basecoat/clearcoat system, but the chemistry hadn't quite caught up to the ambition. Your International likely suffers from what we call "delamination"-that's a fancy word for the clear coat deciding it's had enough and peeling off like a bad sunburn. The bond between the beige base and the protective clear layer is the weak point here. If you see white, flaky edges or areas where the paint looks dull and "chalky" next to shiny patches, your clear coat is in full retreat. Once that seal is broken, the elements start attacking the pigment directly, and that's a fight you'll eventually lose.

Restoration Tip

In this era of paint, a tiny rock chip is more than a cosmetic blemish-it's an invitation for the clear coat to start lifting. My advice? Seal your chips immediately. The second you see a break in the surface, clean it and touch it up. If you let moisture and air get under the edge of that clear coat, it will start to "creep," and before you know it, a dime-sized chip becomes a dinner-plate-sized peel. Keeping those edges sealed is the only way to keep that factory beige looking solid for another few hundred thousand miles.