Fender Moldings - Can They Be Stuck On?

boostfrk · Oct 1, 2012

I'm working on stripping my car down for paint in the next couple weeks and was starting to remove the fender moldings; starting with the molding rear of the rear quarter panel. When I tried to remove the first nut it just fell off. These moldings have a plastic mounting stud over which a nut then threads onto from inside the trunk. Years and years of dirt, etc. have essentially erroded these plastic tabs and siezed the nut to the plastic tabs and I suspect nearly every single one of them will break when I try to remove the nut.

If all of these break off, can I stick the molding back on with the 3M super adhesive tape similar to how the door molding are stuck on? I'd REALLY like to avoid spending $300 on a new molding kit.

7991LXnSHO · Oct 2, 2012

Yes. I had a Cougar repainted that they did that to without asking. Unless they are warped, the right sticky-as-you-can-get 3-M tape is OK. CLEAN AND DEGREASE FIRST.

Gearbanger 101 · Oct 2, 2012

You can stick them on with some 3M, but if they're in bad enough shape that they're starting to fall apart, you might be better off just replacing them. I got a new one for my rear quarter panel moulding from CJ Pony Parts for peanuts.

ratio411 · Oct 2, 2012

I would imagine that tape would hold them.
I have taken off side mouldings from other, new cars, that all that held them was 2 sided tape, and they were a BEAR to get off!
I think most aftermarket ground effects are only held by tape as well. I'd have no problem with it.

tca7291 · Oct 2, 2012

Yeah, I would go with tape also. The PO of my late '91 had this problem when he replaced the driver side fender. He use some substance that looked to be liquid nails or something of the sort (not much of a car guy) and it ruined that piece of molding. Warped and wavy and looked like poop.

boostfrk · Oct 2, 2012

Thanks guys. I was able to pull off all (4) moldings (rear of rear wheels and front of rear wheels) without breaking too many of the plastic studs. The rear right one was the worst; I only have 1 stud left.

I will have to get the 3M adhesive tape and use that to double up and make sure they don't fall off.

7991LXnSHO · Oct 4, 2012

Gearbanger 101 said:
You can stick them on with some 3M, but if they're in bad enough shape that they're starting to fall apart, you might be better off just replacing them. I got a new one for my rear quarter panel moulding from CJ Pony Parts for peanuts.

I agree new is a good way to go. But this sounds like a budget issue to me, so I answered the question the OP asked. CLEAN surfaces should stick quite well. Did for me. Bent, warped trim might not work so well.

boostfrk · Oct 4, 2012

See my other thread...http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...metal-backing-strip-before-re-install.862219/

I got the moldings off without bending them. Now the question is about whether to remove the metal strips from the back.

Noobz347 · Oct 4, 2012

boostfrk said:
See my other thread...http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...metal-backing-strip-before-re-install.862219/

I got the moldings off without bending them. Now the question is about whether to remove the metal strips from the back.

Would probably screw up the meaning of your threads so I won't merge them now but in the future (since they're similar subjects), put these kinds of things into one thread. The materials used to reattach these things are near identical.

boostfrk · Oct 4, 2012

I agree. The first thread was made to solve one problem (plastic studs on fender molding was breaking) and the second thread was created to address removing the metal strip on the back of the molding.

I see your point though. Hindsight is 20/20 and would have made sense to wait and then combine into one thread.

Gearbanger 101 · Oct 4, 2012

boostfrk said:
Now the question is about whether to remove the metal strips from the back.

The answer is yes. They'll never stick right again after removal. Remove the strips, clean the area with some solvent, lay a couple of rows of some 1" 3M tape in their place and stick them back on. You'll want to draw a line or something on the door with an erasable marker of some kind, as they won't be retain their straightness as they were when you re-install them after removing the aluminum strip from the back of them.

Mine held on for 6-years. They were still holding as well as the day I put them on 6-years-later when I sold the car.

boostfrk · Oct 4, 2012

Thanks for the input Brian.

I hate conflicting opinions

Noobz347 · Oct 4, 2012

boostfrk said:
Thanks for the input Brian.

I hate conflicting opinions

LOL... told ya that you'd get both sides of this.

boostfrk · Oct 4, 2012

Noobz347 said:
LOL... told ya that you'd get both sides of this.

No joke. So far I have 2 saying not to remove the metal strip and 1 saying remove it.

Gearbanger 101 · Oct 4, 2012

boostfrk said:
No joke. So far I have 2 saying not to remove the metal strip and 1 saying remove it.

Ok...I guess I should clarify. If you can remove the moldings without stretching, or distorting the strips and they're still in excellent condition, then go ahead and try to re-used them.

The problem is that usually if they're peeling up on the edges, they're exposed to the elements. The aluminum corrodes and rots and becomes brittle. When you pull them off like a piece of tape, the aluminum stretches. That's why they never seem to sit flat after they're removed. I personally found it easier to just remove them and add 3M tape to the mix. I did however paint them separately, then lay them down flat in the sun before I put them back on. That allowed me to pull them taught as I re installed them to keep from coming up short on the ends.

boostfrk · Oct 4, 2012

I thought about doing this, or at least using a hair dryer to heat up the molding before installing. That would help make them pliable and allow me to pull them taught before sticking them on.

I feel like I need to make a decision about removing the metal strips before I get them painted. I don't want to have them painted, then jack up the paint by wrestling around with them trying to remove the metal strip when I can't get them to stick on well.

Noobz347 · Oct 4, 2012

Thread locked at OP request. See other molding thread this forum.

Fender Moldings - Can They Be Stuck On?

boostfrk

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

Gearbanger 101

Straight Outta Locash

ratio411

tca7291

I can see your wieners.

boostfrk

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

boostfrk

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

boostfrk

Gearbanger 101

Straight Outta Locash

boostfrk

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

boostfrk

Gearbanger 101

Straight Outta Locash

boostfrk

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

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