Fox Fairmont trim removal question

Hi, all! I have a 1979 Fairmont station wagon with fake wood paneling. There is raised aluminum trim around the wood grain decals. The trim originally had a wood grain decal applied to it which is long gone, exposing a beige primer. I would like to remove this trim a)to inspect for rust underneath and b)to paint it.

Does anyone here have any experience removing and reinstalling this kind of trim? The aluminum is very thin and prone to bending. Any tools, tips or techniques anyone can share? The mounting hardware is completely hidden; I am baffled as to how to begin.

eighty5fox said:

Do you have to access it from the inside of the car?

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The trim on the doors can be removed from inside the door, and I’ll be getting in there soon as I’m replacing my window felts (aka. fuzzies, whiskers, belt line weather stripping) next. But the trim on the lift gate and quarter panels is attached differently—little squares of plastic that fit up inside the raised panel of trim. As the plastic is 40 years old and has been exposed to the heat of the sun, the plastic squares are brittle and several are missing, causing the trim to warp away from the body panels.

As these little squares are probably not available anymore, I’m probably just looking for a way to remove the delicate trim without bending it and an alternative way of re-attaching it. I’d like to caulk it when putting it back on, to prevent debris from accumulating inside the space under the trim as it has been.