1970 Convertible Body Trim

[C Sickness]

I want to re paint my car. I was thinking of removing a lot of the chrome, stainless, and aluminum trim myself, with care, rather than having the kid at the paint shop tear it all off. They're probably familiar with new cars, but not one this old.

Has anyone done this "prep" before, and how big of a job is it?

 

[Samplingman]

You can do it, but be careful. There are all kind of different clips that break easily on the rocker moldings. Lots of little screws on the wheel lips, the rear wheels should come off to get to a few of those. One strip I haven't figured out yet is along the back of the hood by the windshield. Then there are the moldings along the door tops and around the edge of the dutch panel. Don't forget all of the marker lights, door handles and bumpers should come off, unless the paint shop is good at taping off chrome. What color are you going with? Can you post some pictures of the car? I'd love to see it......

 

[C Sickness]

You can do it, but be careful. There are all kind of different clips that break easily on the rocker moldings. Lots of little screws on the wheel lips, the rear wheels should come off to get to a few of those. One strip I haven't figured out yet is along the back of the hood by the windshield. Then there are the moldings along the door tops and around the edge of the dutch panel. Don't forget all of the marker lights, door handles and bumpers should come off, unless the paint shop is good at taping off chrome. What color are you going with? Can you post some pictures of the car? I'd love to see it......

I just got it. Was 30 years in a garage. Last ran 20 years ago. Factory color is DR8, also called R8. (Burgundy)

Black accent stripes.

 

[C Sickness]

You can do it, but be careful. There are all kind of different clips that break easily on the rocker moldings. Lots of little screws on the wheel lips, the rear wheels should come off to get to a few of those. One strip I haven't figured out yet is along the back of the hood by the windshield. Then there are the moldings along the door tops and around the edge of the dutch panel. Don't forget all of the marker lights, door handles and bumpers should come off, unless the paint shop is good at taping off chrome. What color are you going with? Can you post some pictures of the car? I'd love to see it......

PM sent-

 

[david hill]

When I painted my 69 300 convertible 3 years ago I ran into some of the problems you have. First invest in some trim removal tools from Harbor Freight. To remove the stainless steel trim across the hood get a 3" wide steel paint scraper and a dead blow hammer. Slip the scraper blade under the trim on the underside of the hood 4" from the end of the hood and tap firmly. It should come off. Do the same to the LF & RT front top trim as well. Bag and tag all fasteners to the trim removed. Easier to find later. Door Handle, out side mirrors and lock cyl removal will give you a better finished look too. Leaving the trim on and masking makes a good paint job look cheap. The stainless trim along the top of the fenders and door pop off with your trim tools and a few light taps w/ a small hammer. Turn sicnals are held in w/ a screw. The trim around the convertible top is made of pot metal so be very careful in its removal. If you have any questions PM me.