Door molding

[kaha]

Hope this isn't gonna get my azz flamed, I diligently searched the forum and couldn't find an answer.
Got my old van sold, so now I can go up to Helena and pick up the drivers side door to replace the one that the punks across the street backed into.

Yeah, been driving it around like that since February.

The replacement is $150 and not a ding, but it's a base model off a '95. I figure I can swap out the base molding with my LSC molding (which has a tiny bit of wow to it from the collision, but no crimps or dings), but have no idea how it comes off the door or re-attaches. Help?

On a side note, I found and ordered a '96 Mark VIII Ford shop manual today, and suspect that it's gonna become my primary reading material over the next coupla months.

 

[DieselDan]

Heat gun and a putty knife. The trim is VERY fragile in some cases and may crack. However if you are patient and slightly warm the moulding, it will come off in one peice. The suckiest part IMO is getting the double sided tape off the trim when you are done. Also Mac tools makes http://www.mactools.com/product/tabid/120/p-318137-3m8978.aspx they have narrower ones too. Have fun!

I was looking on the Mac site and didn't find the correct attachment I linked above. The one I have seen is rubber and mounted on an air chisel bit. If you look around you may find it, but best solution, IMO.

 

[kaha]

Heat gun and a putty knife. The trim is VERY fragile in some cases and may crack.

Cool, I can do that. Got a heat gun and a very thin putty knife that I use to cut out thermopanes from inside vinyl windows to change them (I'm a glass guy by trade).
And what's recommended to re-adhere them?

Thanks for the quick answer.

 

[NoLimit95]

That double sided tape does suck trying to get it off. I used a pinstripe remover wheel lol. It worked but it still took time.

As for taking the molding off, like said above, take your time and have patience because it is easy to bust it up. Test your skills on the door with chrome molding first. If you can get one of them off in one piece, you're good.

 

[k9t8m]

DO NOT use a putty knife or any air tools unless you have used them before. You will end up scratching the door if you are not careful. I would recommend a heat gun and a bondo spreader, or any other plastic type tool to get it off, then you run no risk of damaging the door further, or more importantly damaging the molding. Also be aware of the 2 locating pins on either end of the molding when your taking it off.

 

[NoLimit95]

DO NOT use a putty knife or any air tools unless you have used them before. You will end up scratching the door if you are not careful. I would recommend a heat gun and a bondo spreader, or any other plastic type tool to get it off, then you run no risk of damaging the door further, or more importantly damaging the molding. Also be aware of the 2 locating pins on either end of the molding when your taking it off.

I think the door he is taking it off of doesn't matter if it gets damaged any further. Kinda has a dent in it now but the molding is going on a good door.

 

[k9t8m]

I think the door he is taking it off of doesn't matter if it gets damaged any further. Kinda has a dent in it now but the molding is going on a good door.

its still not worth running the risk of damaging the molding.

 

[Lownslowlsc]

Cringe. Thats why i park away from everyone in lots and position my car in areas where no cars can come into contact accidently with it..It's even worse since you don't know exactly who is responsible. I would be fumeing for months if that happened to me.

 

[DieselDan]

That's a good point on the putty knife scratching the paint... I used a good bluepoint putty knife, they are thick and don't have sharp edges, but I could see how the cheapy ones from like the hardware store could scratch it...

 

[kaha]

Cringe. Thats why i park away from everyone in lots and position my car in areas where no cars can come into contact accidently with it..It's even worse since you don't know exactly who is responsible. I would be fumeing for months if that happened to me.

Believe it. I'd had the car for a whole 2 weeks, single owner, clearcoat shot but not a single ding. Went out in the morning to put my new plates on it and found it like that. Mirror was smashed too (remote, self-dimming, bought one on Ebay for 59 bucks, was even black), and the remains were hangin there by a cable like an eyeball.

Believe me, I was ready to head across the street with a baseball bat and start busting kneecaps til I got some answers. Maggots.

Needless to say, now I park off-street.

 

[kaha]

Thanks for the tips, all! I'll be super careful and not in a rush, use a plastic spreader, and thanks for telling me about the location pegs (woulda nerfed those for sure if I didn't know they were there!).

But I still don't know what is recommended to glue em on with, once they're removed and cleaned up. Just thin double-sided tape?

 

[NoLimit95]

On my 94 I used 3M double sided tape from O'Reilly's. They sell it in the back, next to the sand paper and bondo. It's made for what you're wanting to do. It's about $6 something a roll and I would double strip the top side and bottom side. Depends on the width they have.

 

[kaha]

Sweet, thanks.

I'll be sure to get an "after" pic when I get her done, and post it. Poor lil Mark...