Now I might be smokin the wrong stuff, but has anyone tried/heard of holding your stainless trim in place by something other than clips?? Good 2 sided tape?? Or is there a supplier that has a complete set of clips for a particular model? Maybe having a seniors moment.
Just about any trim on new cars is held on with two sided tape. I can't see why it wouldn't work! I think one problem with the older trim would be that it isn't flat on the body side of the trim due to the space for the molding clips. I've used the two sided tape on motorcycle emblems for years and never had any problems.
I think a really big difference is that new car trim has a solid backing whereas most of the trim on the Ford's we're working on is molded so only a very thin outside rail of the trim actually touches the side of the car. That's why the special clips are needed - they catch within those trim rails.
Macs, T-Bird Products and Dennis Carpenter all carry the clips that you need. Most of them have online catalogs or free paper catalogs. I think 2 sided tape will work good on modern plastic moldings but not stainless.
Parklane and others. Have you tried going to one of your local body shops. The body shop I work at has a large bin of universal clips that work on older cars. Our nuts and bolt supplier carries a good ***ortment of these clips. A 's' type clip with push in legs or a 's' clip with pal nut will work for all the side stainless. There is also a universal flat bar type that can be cut down to any size with a pal nut to hold it on. I bought a box of 50 's' type with pal nut for my car for about 23.50 . Also at the swap meets there are venders that sell these clips. Concourse is a Ford parts supplier too. Forget the idea about using double sided tape. Newer cars with plasitc bodyside mldgs have a soilded back. (If you want to install with tape you might as well use bubble gum they will say on just as long)......... Charles
I could not find a clip for the beltline stainless that goes on the post between the doors. It is only about 1/2" wide. so I filled the back with bondo, to make it flat, and used the double sided tape to hold it on. It has been there for 15 years now. Don't think I would want to do that for all the stainless, but the odd little peice is ok
I have pictures of the best things I have come across yet to hold parts on a car . When I removed all the body molding that the last butchers that called themselves mechanic were Miller bottle beer drinkers . You ask how do I know this , well these dumb ***es didn't have any molding clips so they used bottle caps from the Miller bottles . They took a hammer and flattened the Miller bottle caps , punched a hole on the middle of the beer cap and stuck a small bolt in through the cap and then slid the beer cap in the trim and used that to mount the trim to the car ! I kept those little treasures that I found in the car ! They used about 5 or 6 bottle caps on the trim in different places . Then they also used alum about a 1/16" thick and cut them down in pieces to fit in to the trim then drilled a hole on the middle and used the small bolts again to mount the trim on the car . It held fine but was Hell to figure out which things they used to hold the damn trim on the car ! The joys of fixing someone Else's butchered work ! Jim
Thanks for the replies guys. The problem I have is that I don't have the old clips, and some of the trim on my 56 tapers in width. More ideas??
I didn't look at your trim - is it the Fairlane-type trim you're talking about - which moldings are you needing the clips for? I think John (streetdreams) put a list together for me, of some clips he used on my Vicky when he did it. I got many new ones since most of the old clips weren't reusable. I bought boxes of some so I might have extras stashed away in the pole-barn. If I remember correctly, the parts books only list "trim clip kit" and they don't identify some of them separately. Let me know which moldings you're needing the attachers for and I'll see what I have left. Ron
Hey jim when i pulled the gas tank from the fairlane i found they covered the sending hole with a Natural Light beer can cut into a circle and flattened..
Parklane, I see you are in Ontario. Do you get Old Autos paper? There are usually a couple of advertisers in there selling clips and they are in Ont. If you need I will have a look for you.
If you are able to get behind the trim when mounted you can use a piece of 1/16" alum and cut down , drill a hole in the middle , use a small not & bolt , it really works out good . Mine was like that and the parts they did like that turned out very well and they used that on the tapered trim in the odd size places . I have found that GM style trim clips work as well in some areas . I thin Macs or Obsolete carries all the trim clips you need but they are not cheap ! But then nothing is when you are restoring a car , right ? Jim
OK, thanks for all the replies guys. Let me start from the begining. Bought the 56 Parklane back in the late 90s. My wife went back to school in the good old USA, and so, I went with her. One day our son called, and asked if he should strip the car, as he had time, and since this was to be a father/son project, told him to go ahead. He striped it right down to bare metal, interior and all, and put on a coupla coats of epoxy primer. Then life got in the way. We already had Granada discs on the front, Cavalier R&P steering, 302/AOD combo, and so on. 2 1/2 years ago our son was killed by a drunk driver in a hit & run, and I've have decided to finish what we had started. I'm not telling this for sympathy, just the facts. Now, the body on this car is really nice, with just a couple of patches we put on. Going to do as much as possible myself, but it was Jason who was the body man part, and me the mechanical. When the car is painted, I need all the clips that hold the stainless on. Fortunately every peice of chrome/stainless was on the car, but, I have no idea what happened to the clips, as I can't find them. BTW, yes I'm familiar with Old Autos, and know about the clip suppliers, but they don't know what you need unless you have a sample etc. Thanks Guys
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