Harley-Davidson 1978 Touch Up Paint

1978 Harley-Davidson Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

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For small chips & scratches

Customized Color Paint Pen

Repair tiny chips and scratches with precision. Perfect for small nicks from rocks or door dings, the fine tip applicator makes it easy for beginners to achieve a clean, factory-quality finish.

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For Medium-sized Chips & Scratches

Customized Color Paint Bottle

Tackle medium-sized scratches and chips with our Customized Color Paint Bottle. The built-in applicator brush provides smooth, controlled coverage, while the included basecoat delivers a perfect factory match in your custom paint color.

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For larger areas & panel resprays

Customized Color Spray Can

Cover larger areas with a smooth, professional finish using ourcustomized color Spray Can. Designed for hoods, fenders, and larger scratches, this product provides consistent spray coverage and factory-matched color accuracy.

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For large repairs & total resprays

Customized Color Professional Size Paint

When your repair job calls for more than a touch-up, step up to our professional-size automotive paints. Available in Pint, Quart, or Gallon sizes, these paints are ready-to-spray using an airless spray gun.

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For small chips & scratches

Customized Color Tricoat Paint Pens

Repair tiny chips and scratches with precision. Perfect for small nicks from rocks or door dings, the fine tip applicator makes it easy for beginners to achieve a clean, factory-quality finish. Each order includes a basecoat and a midcoat pen.

Shop Now

For Medium-sized Chips & Scratches

Customized Color Tricoat Paint Bottles

Tackle medium-sized scratches and chips with our Customized Color Paint Bottles. The built-in applicator brush provides smooth, controlled coverage, while the basecoat & midcoat deliver a perfect factory match in your custom paint color.

Shop Now

For larger areas & panel resprays

Customized Color Tricoat Spray Cans

Cover larger areas with a smooth, professional finish using our customized color basecoat & midcoat Spray Cans. Designed for hoods, fenders, and larger scratches, this product provides consistent spray coverage and factory-matched color accuracy.

Shop Now

For large repairs & total resprays

Customized Color Tricoat Professional Size Paint

When your repair job calls for more than a touch-up, step up to our professional-size automotive paints. Available in Pint, Quart, or Gallon sizes, these paints are ready-to-spray using an airless spray gun. Each order includes a basecoat & a midcoat paint.

Shop Now
Where to find Harley-Davidson color code

How to Find Your 1978 Harley-Davidson's Color Code

A color code is unlikely to appear on a Harley Davidson; often only the color name is listed. The code can be determined by Harley-Davidson. If there is no color code, the relevant reference is the PPG or Dupont (Axalta) paint formula number. Finding a code on the bike is uncommon, so identification typically relies on Harley-Davidson or, failing a code, the PPG or Dupont (Axalta) formula.

More about Harley-Davidson color codes

1978 Harley-Davidson Background Info

The 1978 Harley-Davidson Vibe

Welcome to 1978-the peak of the AMF era, where the Shovelhead was king and quality control was occasionally "optional." This was the year of the Super Glide and the Ironhead Sportster, machines built for the open road and vibration-induced hardware checks. While the factory in York was pumping out bikes as fast as they could, the real showstoppers were the "Sparkling" series. We've focused our efforts on the survivors that truly defined the decade, specifically that Sparkling Turquoise Tricoat. It's a color that screams disco-era custom, designed to catch the sun (and every eye in the parking lot) while you're waiting for your riding buddies to tighten their primary chains.

Paint Health Check

If your '78 is still wearing its original factory skin, you aren't dealing with the peeling plastic "clear coat" mess of the 90s. No, you're in the Single Stage Era. Back then, we mixed the gloss right into the pigment. It was tough, it was thick, and it looked deep enough to swim in-but it had a weakness: the sun. Without a modern UV-resistant clear layer on top, these enamels suffer from "The Chalky Fade." If your tank looks like it's been dusted with flour, that's oxidation. The paint isn't dead yet, but it's starving for oils. If you don't keep a layer of wax between that Sparkling Turquoise and the atmosphere, the color will literally dry out and turn into a matte memory.

Restoration Tip

Before you even think about touching up a chip, you've got to "wake up" the surrounding paint. On a 1978 single-stage finish, that white, chalky haze on the surface will make any new paint look like a total mismatch. Use a light polishing compound (not a heavy-duty rubbing grit) to cut through the oxidation and reveal the true turquoise hidden underneath. Once you see the original depth come back, that's your real color. And remember the golden rule for this era: It needs wax or it dies. A high-quality carnauba wax is the only thing keeping that 40-year-old enamel from turning back into dust.

Harley-Davidson Models Released in 1978

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