Projects Making your own body trim clips

I had a 1940 Plymouth that I had repainted. When I got the car back I had all the body trim but I didn't have any clips to use to put the trim on. I ended up getting washers that fit inside the molding and put a screw through the washer and slid it into the channel of the trim. I slid the screws to line up with the holes in the body and put a lock washer and nut on the screw after I put the screw though the hole. Has anyone done this or something like this? Looking for some ideas for my next project that may be better or easier. Thanks

 

As far as I know, you can buy trim clips for about anything out there. Bresco seems to cater to the classic car market. https://www.bresco.com/index.html

 

I didn't want the wire type trim clips to chip the paint around the stainless trim holes on my '39 convertible--and cause rust to start. I made 14 gauge strips of sheet metal the width of the wire clip and then cut pieces off about 5/8" long. Drilled a 3/16" hole in the center and welded a 10-32 screw thru the hold. I then slid the pieces along the trim and pushed the screws thur the trim holes in the car. Small flat washer and nylocks on the inside. With this method the trim fits very snuggly to the body with no gaps. Yeah, I know--anal.

 

A lot of stainless trim is tapered, I started making my clips out of mild steel screws welded to a mild steel sheetmetal square or whatever shape I needed then I began using little stainless bolts on stainless squares. I curve the squares so that tightening the bolts pulls the stainless tighter to the body. Similar to dak rat

 

Auveco has been making trim clips for 50+ years, so check with them first: https://www.auveco.com/auveco

 

Fill the trim with body putty or urethane and use double stick trim tape or urethane to hold it on.

 

I answered your question on the Ford Barn, but I'll answer here also. Restoration Specialties & Supply has just about any moulding clip you can need. In fact they have several listed for 1940 Plymouth. They also have a great catalog.

 

Yes, I do the same. Sheet metal cut to fit in the trim then small machines screws to fit the trim holes. Works great and allows good adjustment. Old timer showed me the trick.

 

In the car factory on certain cars we had rubber like washers that went on the trim clip stud. Sealed an cushioned the clip.

 

Their catalog runs like 900 pages. The downside is that you have to go through a distributor, they don't sell direct to the public, unless something has changed lately. BUT.. they will tell you who sells an item. We needed some for an OT Japanese car my buddy owns, the seller was local.

 

This is one of several that I have made. Yes, I'm an Old Timer! 

 

I have the exact same problem. '40 Plymouths have 3 sizes of clips. I've tried the Restoration Specialties tiny nose trim clips. Look exact to originals but I can't force them into the channel. Tried Aveco but they have so many similar ones, impossible to guess right. I am currently trying various nylon ones off ebaY. Will let you know how they work

 

Restoration Specialties in PA have a lot various trim fasteners. As to chipping paint when it goes in, 1st thing is put a little snort of white grease on the "knees" of frog leg style clips. 2nd, you want a small blob non-hardening strip caulk to prevent water getting in there. The nasty lil bastard in my head wants to talk about another reason for not coating the whole car in mud and keeping mil thickness of finish as low as possible. I told him to shut up...

 

More clips. I braze the galvanised sheet metal to shaft. Then I can chuck it in my 100 year old lathe and clean up the excessive brass and drill and tap. I don’t think you can purchase any clips of this nature. The first pic I had to make the clip longer due to the lip destruction on removal. Someone had to drill out most of the screws holding the trim on the car. Where they couldn’t drill, it was tore off. Enjoy making them.

 

Got it! Found these nylon trim clips on ebaY. They fit both the wider body and door trim as well as the narrower grille trim pieces. Pop tightly into the factory 1/8" holes. Waiting on another style to arrive that should(?) fit the tiny nose strips. Great thing about the nylon clips is they don't damage paint and don't rust.

I thought about getting a few stud and nut type for the ends of trim but can't use them all along the trim but can't reach much of the length from inside. Can't even reach the ends of several trim pieces. Stuck with snap in type which the nylon ones do perfectly.

 

I used to make flat spring prototypes, as my day job.

 

1940 Plymouth update: I found trim clips (see above) that work for large side trim, and medium grille trim. Mounting holes for both those are 1/8". They are too big for the smallest nose trim strips and they also have smaller 3/16" holes. More searching on ebaY found these clips. They fit the trim with a little grinding to thin them and they snap firmly into the holes. Now I have corrosion proof modern trim clips for the whole car!