Paint and Body Best strategy to restore body mouldings? First stang!

WindsorPenchant

Active Member
Dec 28, 2020
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Ingurland
Hey all,

From the UK here and in the process of tidying up a few things on a great car I managed to grab!

I've got all the body moulding all around in good condition, other than the small issue of cleaning out some algae around the sides, each opposite of the moulding is starting to almost curl and has lifted away from the body. I'm unsure what my best strategy is to restore these and I thought best to find out from the folks who know the finicky nature of these plastics etc in age! I am wary of heat gunning anything so close to the paint. Maybe a hairdryer would heat it enough to regain pliability and I can push / clamp somehow with some new adhesive under the curled ends?

I don't think I'll be best served by ripping any of it off the car so any in-situ strategies would be really awesome to hear!

Thanks guys
:hail::cheers:
 
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The best way is to remove them and take the metal strip out of them. Then clean any tape residue off the car with rubber wheel on a drill. 3m tape works great and heat will help lay them flat on the car. In the summer members here have set them out in the sun with metal removed and had good results. No good way to fix them without removal.
 
Ahh I wasn't aware they were constructed in that kind of manner! Thank you for the information, helpful stuff!

It isn't all so bad as I've perhaps made them sound but certainly they are very much curling slightly at the ends on a few so I think it'd take some super rugged trim adhesive for my in-situ plan to not just be an extra mess to clean up! I will make a meagre attempt at an in-situ attempt as it doesn't take too much force to hold it back in place by the fingertips (20lbs maybe?)

Thanks for your post and with the info I might put this further down the workload until the better weather if my quick remedy is a no go when I'll be removing the door cards along with restoring those plus any attention the door innards might need! Will make sense to do it in efficient batches :D

All the best and thanks for the insights :nice:
 
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