simple tech: removing 50s gm beltline trim

I posted a while back about taking the beltine trim off of my 50 pontiac to sand the doors and kill the minor rust that those moisture traps caused, and was a bit intimidated to do this, as i know too well how easy it is to destroy trim when removing it. well, it came off today VERY easily, i guess i stumbled onto a good way to do it, rather than just prying along each piece. at least i don't remember anyone suggesting this method directly.

my clips were all in good shape, so none were ruined, and only one slightly broken. the trim was also not damaged at all. first off is a picture of what we are up against: the clips. the picture is slightly blurry, but you should be able to make out two prongs, or tabs, that are visible from the inside of the door. lower door trim also had these clips in places on the pontiac as well as simpler nut and stud type clips. each tab has two ears coming off of it, like horns, or what have you, that catch inside the door's trim hole and hold the piece on. pretty simple, and would be easy to remove if you could get a set of pliers up there. for me, there wasn't any room for that.

 

OK, so how to deal with these. rather than pry them, which alot of times can bend the hell out of the curled lip under the trim, or damage the trim itself, i tried hitting the clips themselves with a screwdriver. to start, you have to work a screwdriver along the trim from underneath and on each end to start to loosen the piece and give you room to work. then, slide a thin screwdriver up from underneath right at the clip, trying to hit its center. it may be necessary to pry the first clip to some extent to get this started. when you have made contact, tap the screwdriver with a small hammer. if done gently, the result will be the screwdriver pressing one tab in while lifting the trim.

this action worked pretty well, and i had the whole piece off in no time. the second screwdriver's handle worked well as a stopper to hold the trim off the door, and the clips out of their holes, as i went. the clips might get a little bent, and as i said, one side of one of mine cracked, but i bent them back into shape, and should have no trouble reusing them. not rocket science, but to young guys out there that don't want to fuck up their priceless stainless, this was really simple and fast. i'll try it on the continuation of this trim around the back of the car too. it might make it unnecessary to climb in the trunk to get it off, which would be cool.