1987 Jeep Background Info
The 1987 Jeep Vibe
In 1987, Jeep was in the middle of a changing of the guard-Chrysler was moving in, but the spirit was still pure AMC. Whether you were rocking a Cherokee XJ in the suburbs or putting a Comanche to work, the color palette was all about that rugged, late-eighties confidence. With 16 colors in our database, Jeep wasn't shy about variety. You had everything from the "loud and proud" Sun Yellow and Colorado Red to those sophisticated, wood-panel-ready earth tones like Briarwood Metallic and Garnet Metallic. It was a time when a Wagoneer could look just as right at a trailhead as it did at the country club.
Paint Health Check
Welcome to the dawn of The Peeling Era. In '87, the industry was leaning hard into early basecoat/clearcoat systems, especially for those handsome metallics like Sterling or Champagne. While the iron-block engines were bulletproof, the clear coat on the roof and hood usually wasn't. If your Jeep has spent thirty-plus years under the sun, you're likely staring at delamination-where the clear layer starts to flake off like a bad sunburn, leaving the base color exposed and vulnerable. Once that clear lifts, the metallic flakes underneath start to oxidize and turn "chalky" faster than you can find a replacement 4.0L head gasket.
Restoration Tip
For an '87 survivor, the Golden Rule is simple: Seal the chips immediately. On these early clear coat jobs, a single rock chip is an invitation for moisture to get under the clear layer and start the peeling process. If you've already got a "map" of peeling clear on the hood, don't just spray over it. You need to sand those edges down with a fine grit (800 to 1000) to "feather" the transition between the failing clear and the good paint. Once it's smooth to the touch, hit it with our color-matched solvent-based formula to build back that protection before the rust finds the metal.