Dealer side trim question

[clint w]

How are dealer option side trim installed? Wondering if removing them and saving the paint is an option? Not a fan of the side trim and if I found a car to potentially buy that had it if there was a way to remove it.

[Leghome]

Most of what I have seen are pop riveted on but the are some that are attached with two sided tape. If the vinyl strip in Tyne center of the molding comes out then probably pop riveted but if not good chance taped on. Just looked closer at you photo and it looked like taped on but I was wrong once I think lol

[Rob Peters]

to what Larry said.  No  matter how it is attached, if it has been on since the trim was installed back in the 70's I would assume the paint will be damaged in some way.  Back than many people would go to K-Mart, Hills or an auto parts store to buy the double sided ones and install it themselves, just like some opted to do pin striping.   If those have been on since the K-Mart and Hills days more than likely the paint is damaged.  Now, are you even old enough to remember K-Mart and Hills stores?? if yes you will understand why I would suspect it has damaged the paint.

rob

[clint w]

38 minutes ago, Rob Peters said:

to what Larry said.  No  matter how it is attached, if it has been on since the trim was installed back in the 70's I would assume the paint will be damaged in some way.  Back than many people would go to K-Mart, Hills or an auto parts store to buy the double sided ones and install it themselves, just like some opted to do pin striping.   If those have been on since the K-Mart and Hills days more than likely the paint is damaged.  Now, are you even old enough to remember K-Mart and Hills stores?? if yes you will understand why I would suspect it has damaged the paint.

rob

I remember lol

[cny first gen 71]

Usually dealer installed,  the ones that were on mine was held on by screws. Some dealers used the stick on ones too.

[willie]

Hey Clint i also am not a fan of the side trim. However i would not, NOT buy a car just because the side trim is on it. Especially if the car is what i want and all the boxes are checked!!

[Marks71]

Just guessing here, but if that molding is riveted or screwed on, I could see 3.5-4k to make that stuff disappear like it was never there. 

[Scott S.]

If it's dealer installed, I'd think it's taped on. 

My '86 T-Type had a similar strip, and it came off fairly easily with a heat gun. The paint polished out nicely, but then again, it was only five years old at the time. 

[Tonka Man]

That is a really nice looking color combo with the cream colored vinyl.

If you look in the trunk at the back you may be able to tell if it is screwed in or not.  There should be at least one screw at the very back that you could see the screw from the inside of the trunk.  If not screw(s), then it probably is the taped option.

[Scott S.]

8 minutes ago, Tonka Man said:

That is a really nice looking color combo with the cream colored vinyl.

If you look in the trunk at the back you may be able to tell if it is screwed in or not.  There should be at least one screw at the very back that you could see the screw from the inside of the trunk.  If not screw(s), then it probably is the taped option.

Looking inside the vent in the door jam should tell you the same thing.   

[DragCat]

If it's taped on......you can use fishing line to remove ......and then something like spray 9 or goo gone for the residue. BUT, if it was installed by the dealer, back then, and its original paint, then there will probably some obvious color change for fading over the years. I'd leave it alone, and I'm not a fan either.

[Rob Peters]

2 hours ago, willie said:

Hey Clint i also am not a fan of the side trim. However i would not, NOT buy a car just because the side trim is on it. Especially if the car is what i want and all the boxes are checked!!

I agree with Willie 100%.

rob

[Glen]

Willie speaks the gospel…

Buy the car if it ticks all the right boxes for you.  Removal of that God ugly trim can be done at a later date when time/finances allow. 

In the meantime you can tell people at car shows that it’s an extremely rare RPO that only very few people ordered.   Turn those lemons into lemonade. 

[kpcsgasp]

On 2/16/2025 at 9:19 AM, clint w said:

How are dealer option side trim installed? Wondering if removing them and saving the paint is an option? Not a fan of the side trim and if I found a car to potentially buy that had it if there was a way to remove it.

I think the dealer installed were taped and the factory was riveted/screwed. That's my guess and I'm never wrong. (However, I was mistaken once.)

[MCfan]

If that is original paint on the car, I would guess it has been stored indoors most of its life, minimizing paint fading. And, if that abominable trim is taped on, I would remove it in however many heartbeats it takes.  If done carefully, it's entirely possible that there will be no paint damage and little, if any, visible paint shading. 

I'd far rather have a barely visible line of paint shading than have that disgusting side trim ruining the gorgeous body lines of my first gen Monte Carlo!    JMO, of course! 😁  

If that trim is screwed on, well ... 

[Whons]

I agree, if it's taped on I would very carefully remove it.

[Rob Peters]

If it is on with double sided tape or some other adhesive product a goal good professional detailing shop may have something they can use to remove it without damaging the paint.

rob

[DragCat]

As I mentioned in the other thread, if its taped on you can use fishing line to remove (I did that with the Cougar emblem on my trunk) As Rob said, a good detailer can make most things invisibel with a cut and buff and work. I had a scratch on my trunk ( long story) that was quite visible, after I had it detailed I had to look for it and I knew where it was.

I think in the other thread you mentioned "rust". That scares me on any car