41 Plymouth Coupe

Solved. I notice now that after the clips were installed at the factory, a one inch wide strip of undercoating was sprayed on to seal them from leaking, and it kind of cemented them in place. I sanded around them, lightly squeezed them with vice grips to break the bond, added penetrating oil then used a mallet. It takes a pretty decent hit to free them. Some with less access I used a 1/2 drift punch. I tried to pry a few from the outside with a plastic pry bar, to see if it would work for the doors, it looks like the clips are rusty enough now it can be pryed off without damaging the trim, then remove them from the door. Thanks for all your help.

Thanks for the reply, this helps confirm the previous reply that they are a press fit, and should slide out with some persuasion. I’ll give it a try.

Thanks for the reply. I think this is the correct answer as they appear to be a press fit, rather than expanding after being pushed in. Maybe ones in the door, with limited access, can be done from the outside. It’s helpful and I’ll try it this weekend.

Here’s a couple of photos. The hood has wet primer on it. The fender is kirker “perfect prime” and the artillery wheels have kirker hot rod black, matte finish. That is the paint I plan to use for the car.

I cleaned one off with a wire brush, put on my glasses and shined a bright light on it. I don’t see any tabs like that to squeeze for removal. The end clips have nuts on them that are surprisingly easy to remove. I’ve been using compressed air to blast behind the trim as the body is currently sanded down to bare metal.

Hey Guys, thanks for the advice. I think they are a pop rivet of some sort. I tried to remove one and it won’t come off. I also tried as recommended above to push the molding down but it won’t budge either way. I think cutting them off with a dremel is the way, but impossible up inside the doors. Im currently preparing the car for black primer, and as I haven’t even driven the car yet, I’m just going to leave the moldings in place for now, get a couple coats of primer on it, reassemble it and drive for a while. I’ll post a couple of photos after I shrink the file size. Thanks, Steve

Hey guys, I want to remove the belt line stainless trim to straighten and polish it. As shown in the photo, it has the round clips holding it on. I’m not sure how they fasten or how to remove them. I thought I would ask before I damage something. What is the best method to remove them? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. The o-rings I removed have a wall thickness of about 5/16”, I’ve checked numerous sources and found nothing. Those would be ideal as they are easy to install and are effective. I did a quick search for the referenced tool and didn’t find one, but I did find the attached post where smaller thickness o-rings were used. Seems like the smaller ones will probably work, I’ll try it.

Hello, I bought a control arm seal kit for my 41 Plymouth and was not able to get the upper outer seals to fit in, too tight. So I trimmed the width and little and ended up tearing one while installing. The old seals were just fat o-rings and much easier to install, (shown in the photo). I’ve been searching for matching replacement o-rings and have been unable to find any. Does anyone have a source for these? Thanks