To remove side mouldings or not ?
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 503
Likes: 0
From: Manchester , UK
To remove side mouldings or not ? im getting the car repainted in the next few days , after 12 years the white could use a new touch..
i've been looking at pics but i cant seem to make up my mind on removing side mouldings . while it looks cleaner , for some reason it looks kinda empty to me.. opinions and pictures welcomed guys !
i've been looking at pics but i cant seem to make up my mind on removing side mouldings . while it looks cleaner , for some reason it looks kinda empty to me.. opinions and pictures welcomed guys !
TECH Regular
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 446
Likes: 1
From: Kansas City, MO
I don't have any pictures but i removed them on my LT1. I originally removed them due to them being discolored from the sun. It kind of depends on if you like the sleek look. After i removed them, i loved the difference.
without a doubt, it looks way cleaner without it. it looks really out of place, and serves no purpose, it's not going to actually protect from dings, and it adds nothing to the looks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la-rue/5053024265/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la-rue/5130429561/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la-rue/5053024265/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la-rue/5130429561/
also, you're really going to want to remove them to get the car painted, whether you keep them off or not, thats a different question. If you paint the car with them still attached, like many do, you're forever stuck with them, since it will be a different color underneath.
So remove them, have them painted separately, and if you like the car without them, leave them off, if you want them back on, then reapply them once everything's all painted
So remove them, have them painted separately, and if you like the car without them, leave them off, if you want them back on, then reapply them once everything's all painted
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 503
Likes: 0
From: Manchester , UK
thanks for the quick replies guys , and great looking bird man , really makes me think i should do this. i think im gonna take them off and get them painted like you said , if i dont like it i'll put them back on , though i doubt i will 
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how is removing the side moldings? easy or hard? is it painted underneath? i thought about doing this too but dont wanna eff anything up. i got no idea what im dealing with when it comes to those so sorry if this is a dumb question..
just get it hot and start peeling.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,551
Likes: 2
From: Rutherford, North Carolina
^ That really. When I got my car the molding had already been took off mine so I don't know if the previous owners took it off or if the car's body had been worked on. None of the paperwork I got with the car says that it was in an accident unless they didn't go through insurance. But I actually did this to my fiancee's car today. Isn't bad at all IMHO.
Launching!
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 267
Likes: 1
From: Fishers, IN
Just as twitch stated, get it nice and warm or do it in direct sun. You can use fishing line to help with the adhesive. The cars are painted underneath, however, some cars get discolored depending on the environment and other variables so it could have a slight color change underneath. Most of the time, though, there is no color difference.
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: NJ
Another vote to remove them. I did and it looks so much cleaner. As it's been mentioned, they don't protect against anything because they're not on the furthest-sticking out point of the door. I have no idea what purpose they serve (aerodynamics maybe?)
-probably the easiest is an adhesive remover wheel (google it), never used one, but the people who have swear by it, and when i looked into them they definitely seem to be the way to go. I'll use one when i remove the molding from my camaro.
-i just used a hair dryer (heat gun would be better, i dont have one) to heat it up and then used my fingers to push/pull an edge up enough to get a grip on it, then you just pull slowly, straight back towards the car , like a sharp u-turn, which will help keep it in one piece, as opposed to it just breaking apart, which it will do if you try to pull at a 90 degree angle away from the car. it helps if while you're pulling, you slightly push up on it with your other hand, in the place where its coming off the car. (hopefully you understand that, its hard to put in words). it'll also help to spray the adhesive down with wd40 or some goof off to help loosen up the adhesive as you work.
Last edited by crimson_bird; Nov 6, 2010 at 03:45 AM.