2dogsjohn

i have been stripping my 82 S down to prepare it for a full respray(weinrot metalic); my question is do i have to remove the side mouldings in order to paint behind them or is it better to leave them on and paint everything at once; i have painted several cars before but i am not a pro, so would like to know what you guys thinks. thanks

KenRudd

Unless you are in love with the moldings, now may be a good time to remove them permanently, patch the holes and then paint. Many, myself included, prefer the cleaner lines of the car without side moldings.

Dave928S

Remove and replace. You will have no hope of getting a decent finish without significant disassembly.

Same colour as mine ... which had a total respray.

Edit: If I did it again I'd remove them as Ken suggests.

NC928S4

+1 Remove and replace.

You will need a set of new plastics clips for re-fastening the rub strips because the originals are going to shatter during removal. Roger has them.

Be ultra careful to not bend the newly painted strips to prevent the paint from flex cracking.

hacker-pschorr

Another vote for removing and filling in the holes.

All three of mine are without rub strips from the factory.

z driver 88t

If you're going to keep them, remove for repainting. The PO on my car left them on and it was an OK 5 foot paint job. When I had it redone, I pulled them off along with the rear quarter glass, had them painted separately and reinstalled. I agree with everyone, it looks cleaner without the rub strip. But I also have two six year old daughters. That rub strip has already saved me (and them) some grief.

2dogsjohn

thanks for the replies ,sounds like whatever happens they have to come off.
if i bin the mouldings do the holes have to be welded or can they be done with fibre glass and filler?

Mrmerlin

to remove the side moldings I would suggest to follow this procedure it will result in the least amount of damage to the door paint and the least amount of bending to the moldings.

NOTE.... WARNING once you pull the molding far enough to crack the surface ,
then it must be taken down to the bare,
and new base coatings applied before any top coat is applied,
or the cracks will show up after 6 months or less..

So you need blue tape,
1 can of PB blaster,
some 50 lb test fishing line,
1 paint stick
a thin putty knife,
and a heat gun.

Put the blue tape next to the upside and the downside edge of the molding,
spray a generous amount of PB blaster on the edges of the strip.
wipe up any drips so it wont leave oil in the surrounding painted areas.

Park the car in the sun and let it heat the side your working on, hotter is better.
NOTE the fender and the rear quarter moldings are pressed fit into a grommet with a pin at either end of the strip.

NOTE for the door strip, the front end of the strip is a pressed fit into a plastic grommet like the smaller strips are.

The rear end of the strip is bolted onto the door ,
SO you need to remove the door seal from the area so you can access the 6MM nut that holds this.

Use PB blaster on this nut and dont be in a rush to get it loose ,
as you can damage the molding,

this could take a few cycles of PB and a small wire brush to get the nut and washer off the stud.

OK once the PB has soaked into the molding edge for more than 30 mins,
take the putty knife and gently work the tip of one of the small moldings,
work over a broader area as opposed to one small area.

NOTE Use the heat gun if necessary to heat the metal more than the molding

NOTE what your trying to avoid is moving the molding enough to crack the paint.

The ends will pop out once enough of the molding has been loosened.

NOW with one end loose take the fishing line and put it under the end that you loosened,
tie a piece of paint stick to each end of a 15 inch piece of string,
use the string to gently slide it down the molding this will pull the molding off the panel with the least amount of bending.
Work slowly and if necessary get a helper to assist in holding the molding close to the panel as you work the string.
NOTE PB blaster will make the string slide easily.

Once you have moldings off the panels put them on a towel with the glue facing up then coat them with PB blaster and let sit in the sun for an hour or so this will loosen the adhesive of the 3M Tape.

NOTE It will take about 45 mins to remove the adhesive from each door molding.
Work slowly so you dont bend the molding or crack the paint.

NOTE use the Factory 3M molding tape,
it isnt the same as the stuff you buy in the store,
the factory tape is a bit thicker, you have been warned.

When your ready to install the tape to the moldings after they have been painted ,

wipe the surface with acetone a few times and let them sit in the sun before applying the fresh tape.

Wipe the fresh door paint with alcohol and let the door sit in the sun also run a line of blue tape front to back to use as a guide for the level of the moldings


If you choose to fill the holes in the fenders and doors and quarters,
then filling them with metal is the best solution ,
so an experienced welder should be sought out,
and make sure to put anti corrosive spray on the back side of every weld
The chassis is metal the doors and fenders are aluminum