Rocker panel trim --reinstall ---long post

[50 Dodge Lug Nut]

Hello All-

 

I'm in need of your collective wisdom reinstalling the stainless rocker panel molding/trim on my '50 Dodge.

 

I've searched the Forum, and having read all the previous posts I could find, my question remains unanswered............

 

Please know: I have all the original rocker panel body clips (6 for each side) as well as the "nose" (front) and "tail" (rear) clips for each side of the car.

 

The stainless trim had recently been repaired/reworked/polished, etc.,, by a chrome/stainless steel repair & restoration shop. What I brought them was --on a scale of 1 to 10, were two pieces with a -2 to a +3  condition before restoration. Now they are a +10 and absolutely magnificent.

 

My problem is I can't manage to reinstall them on the car without risking damage to the trim or scratching the new paint job.

 

It seems I'm getting confused or reading conflicting advice from the posts & replies, on how to attach the trim pieces to the body clips.

Some entries state to hook the trim piece onto the top of the clip and push inward and downward, while another posting states to hook to bottom of the trim piece and "roll-it-upward" onto the clip.

 

Having tried both approaches, neither has been successful. Even using what seems to be a great amount of force of pressure to "snap" the trim onto the clip.

 

No doubt, the trim pieces have been modified to some degree from their original shape to repair the previous damage to them while at the restoration company. Yet I think there should be enough slack or play in them to anchor them properly onto the trim clips.

 

My second question, and this might answer the first, or solve the install problem is -- the correct location of the small legs on the body clip to the lip or edge of the trim piece. See picture below. It would be logical that the "legs" would go inside the lip of the trim piece. But.................

 

So, what's the collective opinion or answers? Is position A or position B correct for placement of the trim onto the clip? And any new ideas as to how to install the molding onto the clips?

 

Many thanks.

 

Frank

 

 

[Ulu]

On my car the clips fit entirely inside the trim. Only the two fingers that go in the rectangular hole project from the stainless.

 

In the photo your clips appear bent so perhaps they're different than the Plymouth clips I have.

[Plymouthy Adams]

A -------and this end gets set first and the molding snaps over the rounded retaining section at the top...if you look at B position you will see there would be no way to snap the trim in place...

[Seaside Pete]

I agree with Plymouthy. I have just fitted mine. A and It clips over the bottom first and then snaps on at the top.

 

It looks like you have new clips, if you don't mind can you tell me where you got them as I need some new ones and I have searched without success to find any.

 

Pete

[JerseyHarold]

FWIW, I'd use blue 'painter's tape' on the body surfaces near where the molding goes to prevent scratching the paint.   I learned this the hard way when reinstalling the rocker trim on one of my Plymouths.  It would also be a good idea to have a helper handy to keep the trim from hitting the car while you're trying to get the molding attached.

[Ulu]

I agree with Plymouthy. I have just fitted mine. A and It clips over the bottom first and then snaps on at the top.

 

It looks like you have new clips, if you don't mind can you tell me where you got them as I need some new ones and I have searched without success to find any.

 

Pete

 

I need new ones too, and I was considering just making my own. I never did like the rocker clip arrangement on these cars, and people used to hit that trim with a foot getting out of the car and displace it slightly. I think it deserves a sturdier arrangement than it had.

 

Mine only had a few stock clips left anyhow. Some of the rocker clips on it looked like the ones from the trunk trim of my '66 Ford. (the rhomboid-shaped ones with the little spring wire & a stud on the back. I have no idea if they were stock.

 

Actually, my car was built up from parts of other cars in the '70s, by the previous owner. There were lots of non-stock parts on it. Certainly there are real missing P-15 parts that I've never laid eyes on.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Ulu

[50 Dodge Lug Nut]

Hello Everyone --

 

Apologies for not responding to you all sooner.

 

Thanks for a sense of direction and for sharing your collective wisdom & experiences.

 

Again, following your directions, my  concern with trying to roll or snap the trim onto the clips is that the trim pieces radii or contour or geometry had to have been modified from their original shape to while undergoing repairs at the restoration company.

 

Seaside Pete -- the clips are NOT new, they are the originals, believe it or not. I wires-wheeled them to remove the rust/corrosion then and painted with Rustoleum Gloss Black paint. YES, I was fortunate all 6 of those style clips were on the car.

 

Jersey Harold -- Using your suggestion of applying painter's tape to protect the rocker panels on the body is a good possibility. My main concern is getting all the tape off afterward and not leaving any residue on the paint.  In the past I have stuck pieces of painter's tape onto my shirt or jeans before applying it to a surface I was covering to give me "less bond" and easy removal. Might go that route again. AND yes, I've got some help. This is too cautious a job to handle by one's self.

 

I will post the final results when "the deed is done."

 

Regards,

 

Frank

 

 

 

[Ulu]

Rather than put tape on the new paint, I will always tend top put the tape on the trim pieces. The adhesives can't hurt the stainless. They can hurt the paint.

 

Now I'm not sure if that blue tape (or the green tape I bought) have a safer adhesive, but I say avoid putting tape on new paint at all costs.

[RobertKB]

A is absolutely correct. I had this same issue on my car a couple of years back after a repaint..Took me a while to figure out but B is wrong. Go with A and as Plymouthy Adams states, put the stainless over the bottom first and then some slight pressure upwards will make the trim go over the top. Very little pressure actually is needed. I did not rely totally on the folding tabs to keep the clips in place. I drilled through them and the body and put one sheet metal screw in each. This is a good idea especially if the ciips are used. Not nice to drill though a new paint job but I touched it up before final installation. No one will ever see the this unless they redo the car decades down the road! They will silently thank you.