Removing side trim fasteners
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 387
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From: Calgary
Removing side trim fasteners
I am repainting the bottom half of the side of my '72 Sport Custom. I have the side trim off the box and I want to take the nylon fasteners off that hold the trim on. They each have, what looks like, a pop rivet in the middle but when I try to drill them out they just spin.
Does anyone have an idea how to take these off? I could just break them off but then I don't know how hard it would be to find replacements. They really must come off if I want to properly sand those areas.
Also, the next piece to come off is the small curved piece that wraps around the cab corner. Any tips on how to get this off without damaging it?
Thanks
Does anyone have an idea how to take these off? I could just break them off but then I don't know how hard it would be to find replacements. They really must come off if I want to properly sand those areas.
Also, the next piece to come off is the small curved piece that wraps around the cab corner. Any tips on how to get this off without damaging it?
Thanks
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,893
Likes: 12
From: Ohio
Yup, those rivets will have a tendency to SPIN just about the time you get the head drilled off and then it won't finish and just spin. Maybe a Dremel with a small cut off wheel and grind??
Most repro catalogs list the clips, so they are available if something does happen to them.
As for corner molding, check inside cab for bolts. Been a few years since I had mine off, but I think it has nuts on the inside of cab. Those cheap sheetmetal type nuts.
Most repro catalogs list the clips, so they are available if something does happen to them.
As for corner molding, check inside cab for bolts. Been a few years since I had mine off, but I think it has nuts on the inside of cab. Those cheap sheetmetal type nuts.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 534
Likes: 1
From: manson
On a similar note.....my truck has the 390 badges on both lower front fenders. They are NOT held on with bolts, but instead the badge has 4 little prongs that slip into rivets of some sort on the fender. When I removed the badges, one of the rivets in the fender was mising..and I managed breaking one of the prongs on one of the badges....any thoughts on how to put these back on?
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: nevada
yrs back when I painted quite a few cars in my garage, a lot of emblems were just hooked on with double sided tape. I would clean them up, and run strips of double tape on the back, and then carefully trim the excess with a razorblade. One upside to this, is you dont have any holes to rust out. Couldnt stand looking at a car that someone had painted and just painted over the emblems. Freightrain is right about replacement clips, I have also seen them in some of the auto parts stores in the Help sections.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,047
Likes: 22
From: Lacey, WA
Well when I removed mine and they spun like your talking about, I removed the inner door cover and took a pair of vise-grips and clamped them onto the rivet. Then I was able ot drill them out without spinning.
your milage may vary,
Lee
your milage may vary,
Lee
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 429
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I have removed them in both the way Lee and BigBloo suggested. Both ways seem to work fine in my opinion. BigBloo's warning about them being hot when they fly off is correct, too! (BigBloo, as an Orange-blooded, "Rocky Top" singing, even my underwear is Orange UT fan, do you have any idea how hard that was on me to have to agree with you???? LOL) GO TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS!!!!
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Junior User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Kentucky--GO CATS!!!
Originally Posted by Loan Ranger
I have removed them in both the way Lee and BigBloo suggested. Both ways seem to work fine in my opinion. BigBloo's warning about them being hot when they fly off is correct, too! (BigBloo, as an Orange-blooded, "Rocky Top" singing, even my underwear is Orange UT fan, do you have any idea how hard that was on me to have to agree with you???? LOL) GO TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS!!!!
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: charlotte, nc
Fordxxx, I tried drilling mine out and the rivets burned through the plastic, the clips came out leaving the rivets behind. I then took a pair off dikes and cut the head of the rivets off.
For the cab corner trim (below the back glass, right?), I had to twist/lift the long trim under the glass up a little, that let me pull the corner pieces off. There's probably a better way to do it though.
For the cab corner trim (below the back glass, right?), I had to twist/lift the long trim under the glass up a little, that let me pull the corner pieces off. There's probably a better way to do it though.
New User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 16
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I removed the plastic clips, they were brittle and snapped off without any problem. I tried to cut the heads off with dikes but didnt have much luck. I used a small pair of wire cutters to hold the rivet head while i drilled out the head. Too hard to get to the backside of most of them to hold them there. Some needed a little persuasion with a center punch to be driven back through the hole after the head was drilled out.
Some of the trim is held on with speed nuts from the backside, others just push in. Carefull even pressure with a small screwdriver or putty knife popped them off for me. The cab corner trim on my 69 was held on with speed nuts from the inside of the cab.
Some of the trim is held on with speed nuts from the backside, others just push in. Carefull even pressure with a small screwdriver or putty knife popped them off for me. The cab corner trim on my 69 was held on with speed nuts from the inside of the cab.
New User
Joined: Nov 2003
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Forgot to mention the trim clips are not that hard to get. My local dealership had a few of the emblem clips that i needed. I have seen the side trim clips availible in kits or individually from lmc truck and dennis carpenter, though I'm not sure of the quality because I havent put my trim back on yet. I kinda like the unfinnished look.
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