Turkey question: glueing the trim ?

[deschodt]

Ok, I know this is a question only a turkey would ask, but I have this nasty old trunk full of rust and this expensive new Mobile tradition $800 replacement piece... I'm about to paint it, and was going to drill the holes first - hopefully at the right spot... Looks "not fun", thick metal, plenty of room to slip or drill in the wrong spots !

I kinda don't want to drill it for the trim if I can avoid it... Seems to me the original started to rot right at the drill holes !

I'm wondering if it wouldn't be less risky long term to simply bond the trim to the edge of the trunk. There has to be a modern adhesive tape of some kind that could work? Or am I the first turkey to think of that ?

PS: bubble in my front trunk, same story, trim hole ! I'm seeing a pattern !

[kbken62]

If you are not a purest, then remove the trim. I am because that is were the water gets into the seam of the boot and hood and then starts rusting inside the seam, which you can never seem to completely stop. The holes where ever they are in the car is where the rust starts.

Again, if not a purest, you can paint a nice strip where the molding used to be.

As for me, I ditched my metal trunk and hood for carbon fiber. Light is good and carbon fiber does not rust..

[deschodt]

Yeah, for me it's not a matter of being a purist, I like the look of the trim, but I can trace almost every rust issue in my car to the trim holes. So it bugs me to drill a brand new and expensive trunk. Like you said, the fold at the edge ins simply not repairable, and I'm looking at another $800 for the engine lid soon !

Anybody know of a good double sided adhesive that might work for this or am I fooling myself?

[BillWilliams]

Almost all trim on new cars are glued or taped on. When we got a new Toyota truck a few years back, we drove it home and the boyz took dental floss and removed all the emblems and trim.

A google search turned up this. I know nothing about the vendor, but I have used the 3M tape. Be sure to use the auto body kind,

http://www.autobodysupply.net/3M-06383-7-8-x-20-yds-double-coated-acrylic-foam-p/3-m06383.htm

[Mike Self]

1. If you want to glue the trim on, you'll have to find something to fill the hollow back sides of the trim pieces. Also, you'll find that they won't lay flat on the trunk sides--especially the curved pieces. And trying to bend 'em to lay flat is frought with possible expensive disasters, like kinking the new trim. I suspect that the trim's springiness is stronger than the adhesive you might use to glue it on.

2. The way to keep the trim holes from rusting may be easier. After you drill the holes, touch up each hole with some rust-preventing paint (like Rustoelum red primer) and let it dry throroughly. BMW trim clips are designed so they can be slipped into their holes without chipping the paint. That's why they have those little pins in the center to snug the clip into its hole. The other trick is to get a can of rustproofing spray (waxy gunk like Bilstein 2000, Waxoyl or RUSFRE) and spray into the cavity around the perimeter of the trunk and hood (on the underside) that's formed by the inner stiffening frame meeting with the outer skin. That will seal the seam where the skin is crimped over the inner frame and prevent those trim clip holes from rusting. I did my '69 as above back in 1984, and when I stripped the car to paint in 2000 there wasn't a speck of rust around any of the trim holes...

cheers

mike

[scoyote]

Hot a bad idea to glue the belt line trim---mine are plugged and i toyed with the adhesive idea because i do like the look. I was thinking of the doublesided foam tape that it used when they replace fixed light units in aluminum windows--it's very adherent and comes in varying thicknesses--i was thinking it could work fine--scoyote

[esty]

a very good and inexpensive way to maintain the beltline trim look and not have to drill holes is use something like the pic i attached....i used some for beltline trim on my e21...it's available in a size and profile that's almost identical to the original 2002 beltline trim...bought mine at autozone

[deschodt]

Esty, that's genius ;-)

Assuming it looks OK, that is, but I like the idea, if it's about the same size...

[esty]

Esty, that's genius ;-)

Assuming it looks OK, that is, but I like the idea, if it's about the same size...

it's available in sizes ranging from 1/8 inch to 1 1/2 inch...notice the wider chrome strip on the rear bumper of my e21...

i found some for a couple of pic...this is the size most close like the beltline trim on the 02's

[danjrusdug]

a very good and inexpensive way to maintain the beltline trim look and not have to drill holes is use something like the pic i attached....i used some for beltline trim on my e21...it's available in a size and profile that's almost identical to the original 2002 beltline trim...bought mine at autozone

Esty,

Did you fill in the holes or just press this stuff right over it? I think I'm going to buy a small amount and see what it looks like. It has got to be SO MUCH cheaper than the real deal on our cars.

Doug

'73 tii Atlantik