I am removing the side trim on a 79 for some body work; the trim is the XLTstyle with the black rubber insert throught the middle of the chrome strip.
What is the best way to remove it without destroying the trim or the body underneath?
None of my manuals show trim removal...
Thanks in advance!

 

On the belt line (big piece) the will be a stud at each in with a nut behind the panel. At the rear remove the tail light to access it. If you have the smaller pieces along the bottom they will have more studs. The rest are simple plastic clips.

 

Getting the big trim off (and on) can be a real B. I know of body shops that take several extra steps so they don't have to mess with it. Good luck.

 

First of all a very small ratcheting tool of some type will be best. A regular 1/4" drive ratchet is the largest I could get to work, but some of the smaller versions with short stubby handles work best.

There are some studs in the middle of the bed side trim pieces, but none on the end closest to the cab. If in doubt just look in under the bed sides. You do need to remove the tail light assemblies to get all of the nuts off to get the bed side pieces off. The trim on the front fenders have the end studs/nuts too. They are hard to get to on the ends near the cab doors. Just open the doors and look into the cavity where the fender and cab overlap inside of the door jamb. To get to the nuts at the front you need to remove the marker/signal light assemblies. These are hard to see and easy to loose if they fall inside after you get them loose. Cab door trim has the end studs and nuts. Just open the doors and look where the ends of the trim are and you will see the nuts on the inside. Look very closely at the ends for small screws that may be holding the ends on if someone has made changes to your truck.

The trim that just makes up the gap on the corner of the cab is held on with a small screw and a clip that is spring loaded.

After getting all of these studs and screws out you can get the trim off by working it up and down to break the grip of the plastic clips. DO NOT JUST PULL STRAIGHT OUT. You will have to use the up and down force with a very mild outward force. Just take your time and you will get the idea of how this works.