Door Moldings

[Fri Guy]

I need some replacement door moldings for my 1990 GT. Any of you have any experience with the aftermarket ones available from NPD, LMR or Blue Oval Industries?

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[91TwighlightGT]

My experience with them is that they are very stiff and had some waves to them. They were acceptable enough for me to put on my car, but I prefer the OEM ones.

 

[Fri Guy]

Where did you purchase them from? Trying to determine if they are all the same quality and build or one store sells a better one than the other.

The ones American Muscle sell seem to have good reviews. I've read that some of the LMR ones are shorter than the OEM ones which is something I want to avoid.

 

[91TwighlightGT]

Mine were bought from LMR a quite a while back. I never really took super close up pictures of them, but you can somewhat see in this picture what I mean. I don't think they are "shorter" really, it is just that they are kind of wavy/uneven compared to the OEM ones, they were definitely stiffer and didn't conform as well.

For my project I had actually bought two doors from a 1987 GT and figured I could use them, but he stripe caused me a lot of issues and I ended up junking those moldings which is why I bought the aftermarket ones. I had really good luck with my blue GT taking the metal strips out and then painting them and attaching them - although you have to be extremely careful with not cracking the paint upon reinstall. I thought the metal strips could be bought now, but that was 20 years ago!

Anyway, here is the best picture I have of the LMR moldings which I bought in ~2015 I think.

 

[BlakeusMaximus]

Replaced mine with LMR moldings a few years back. No issues.

 

[Fri Guy]

Well I ended up ordering some from American Muscle. Will report back when they come in and let you guys know how they look and fit.

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[Kid wita 5oh]

I used the lmr ones last year. If you have access, (or are having a body shop paint them) put them flat in a paint booth and bake them for 45min/1hr and put them on warm. It will take any waves out and make application a lot easier

 

[Fri Guy]

Well they arrived in two different boxes. One box was longer than the other which resulted in a straight molding. The shorter box resulted in a curved molding. Already contacted customer service and will be sending back for a replacement.

 

[John Birone]

I need to replace a few of mine. What is the best way to remove the old ones and install new? My driver door is already peeling back at the front. The fender trim in front of that pulled right off. Seems like heating with a heat gun might be good for those without a paint booth?

 

[General karthief]

Mine peeled off fairly easy, heat would help too.
Have not put it back on yet, still suffering from 'scope creep'.

 

[AeroCoupe]

Monofilament fishing string (can break), braided fishing string, wire fishing leader, windshield removal kit (Harbor Freight or the like), PVC pipe cable saw (home depot or lowes), or a long thin knife like a filet knife or razor knife.

The knife option is self explanitory in that you will make a couple passes but you have to be very careful not to knick the paint or molding. I think I would pass on this option as it would be just my luck.

Wire cutting option. The monofilament and braided line is probably going to be your most forgiving but will take the most time. The wire fishing leader will be more aggressive so caution will be needed. the windshield removal kit and the pvc pipe cable saw are going to be very aggressive so they will be fast but again lots of caution not to damage paint and trim.

Once you have the trim off then you will need to wash the area where the trim was and then dry it. The fastest and best way to remove any remaining foam tape is with a 3M stripe off wheel that you can get from Amazon, paint supply houses, and most auto parts stores. It is not cheap but when properly used will not damage the paint.

Amazon product ASIN B00063VT0G
Once you have the tape removed then wipe down with denatured alcohol and have a beer or beverage of your choice. At this point you are read to prep the moldings which means getting all the tape off of them and then wiping that surface down with denatured alcohol. Now you will need 3M adhesive promoter and 3M tape to reinstall.

Amazon product ASIN B000P18N76
Amazon product ASIN B00B3I1JR6
Prep the moldings by applying the adhesive promoter where the tape will be installed then install the tape. Next prep the paint on the car where the tape will attach and then install the moldings.

LMR has a couple of videos how to align, remove the tape and install the molding so watch these videos in order: