Removing Outside Door Trim

[starfire]

These bad boys:



The small front corner piece is easy, there is a nut on it. I cannot see how the other three pieces are attached. The Fisher Body manual is rather vague as to how it's done. For the lower one it appears that I have to take off the inner door panel and then with the window all the way down I can get to the screws that hold the window sweep in place, once those are out the molding just slides off? The top two it looks like they just slide off towards the rear? If so, I'm real concerned about getting the rear one off (or on), It has quite a curve to it.

Any help is appreciated.

[Monza Harry]

Hey Alan I believe the glass has to come out for the lower one. I was looking at my black car (nothing much more than a rust donor now for those who haven't seen it ) to remove the trim and polish and paint as per 2+2 trim level, as I want to just swap the finished ones onto the red one, and well it looked like a bit more involved than the time I had to a lot that day and no time since. I am not sure I have ever pulled that upper piece, so I am NO HELP there! Harry

[cjbiagi]

The glass does not have to come out, but there are 4 or 5 phillips screws that hold it on to the door. If you remove the rubber bump stop at the bottom of the door in the center it will allow you to lower the glass a little further down. It's hard to to get to the screws but it can be done. I use a little short stubby phillips driver ( like you would use in a drill for screws) along with a 1/4" wrench to help gain access to the screws. The top pieces slide down as there are clips that hold it to the door frame.

[starfire]

Then the top ones are more like the "B,C,K Style" rather than like the "H & X Style"? I'm expecting I'll need a plastic chisel and a rubber mallet to get them started (after unfolding the tab on the aft one).

[starfire]

OK, thanks to Clyde I now have the top pieces off. They were easy once I had the correct direction to move the trim (straight down). The bottom one is a bigger problem. I took the rubber window stop out, but it still doesn't let the window down far enough to get to three of the screws. So it looks like I am stuck with having to remove the window. Seems like a ridiculous thing to have to do just to remove a piece of trim. How much trouble am I in for trying to remove the window and then getting it back in correctly? Maybe I can just loosen it up and pull the top of it inboard while accessing the screws with an right angle screwdriver?

Thanks,

[cjbiagi]

Alan, I have had that trim off and never removed the window. Yes, it is tricky and it is not the best design. If you get one of those short stubby phillips drivers that you put into a drill to remove screws you can get the screws out. You may have to push the glass toward the inside of the door and it is a pain but it can be done. I am not sure how difficult it is to remove the glass, you may be able to loosen the channels that the glass glides in and get a little more clearance.
You could also sacrifice an old phillips screw driver and cut the tip off, then grind or file two flats on it so you can use a small wrench to turn the screwdriver tip. You want the tip to be as short as possible and still be able to get a wrench on it. If you buy one of those tips for the drill you can also grind it a little shorter if you have access to a grinder.

[Monza Harry]

The glass does not have to come out, but there are 4 or 5 phillips screws that hold it on to the door. If you remove the rubber bump stop at the bottom of the door in the center it will allow you to lower the glass a little further down. It's hard to to get to the screws but it can be done. I use a little short stubby phillips driver ( like you would use in a drill for screws) along with a 1/4" wrench to help gain access to the screws. The top pieces slide down as there are clips that hold it to the door frame.

That is a Great Idea Clyde I was thinking like the "Dinosaur" I am! I never thought about a Tip, bit (?) I will hit Princess Auto (Like Horror Freight only a Canuk version) and grab a couple of tips and two cheapy 1/4" wrenches shorten said tips and weld them into the cheap wrenches with care taken to watch indexing, as I see a Hissy $#!+ fit when I drop the tip the third time. I think I am going to also hit the dollar store for one of those giant rubber(ish) door stops to hold the glass out of my way. One has to know there shortcomings, and learn to work around them. It has only taken me 50+ years to figure out I have no patients for (well most things I guess) badly planned disasters. Thanx Again Harry Now to re-read those upper trim pieces!

[starfire]

I like the doorstop idea Harry.

I haven't played with it a lot, but it doesn't seem like the window wants to come inboard at all. seems like it is held tight against the outboard edge. I'll play around with raising and lowering it to see if I can get some inboard movement out of it. I'll let you know what I find out.

[OldsStarfire]

On other cars you can remove or adjust the rubber bumper that the window rests on at the very bottom of it's travel but I think it is welded in on our cars.

[starfire]

The rubber bumper is removable, but the stanchion it sits on appears to be welded in place. Taking the rubber stop out does not allow for anymore access. Only the two forward screws are accessible with or without the rubber stop removed. The middle screw and the two aft screws are not.

I have discovered that the window will not come inboard enough to get any of my shortest phillips tips in there. The reason it won't is the aft channel that the window runs in holds it too tight. I think the only thing that would work would be just the very tip of a phillips head driver welded on to something as thin as a metal cake frosting spatula. Even at that I'd be afraid of scratching the window, and I'm not sure how the screw would be put back in.

I think I am left with the only option of somehow removing the window.

I'm going to see if I can figure out how that would be accomplished. I will be consulting my Fisher Body manual. If anyone has any tips, please feel free to post them.

[Monza Harry]

Alan if you remove the glass run channels you will gain about 1/4" not much, but every bit helps. And no I have never done that. When scrapping them the doors came off whole or not at all usually. Harry

[OldsStarfire]

I just put the windows back in the Aqua Starfire. To remove them unbolt the two channels - the vertical one at the front of door and the horizontal one near the center and remove both. Then you can get the window out. You need to manuver the two rollers out of the channel then pull the window out. Good luck. Getting it out is easier then getting it back in.

[starfire]

Thanks, that's the same procedure that is called out in the Fisher manual. I took the driver's window out before work this morning. Well, not technically out as I wasn't able to get it completely out of the door, but I got it out of the way enough to get to the three aft screws and get them out and get the trim piece off. I am going to do the pass side tonight.

Yes, getting them hooked back up will probably send me to the looney bin. I'm not really looking forward to that...

[starfire]

Passenger window came out much easier. I actually could have lifted it out, but decided not to, easier to store it in the door until I am ready to put the trim back on. I'm taking the trim to the anodizer tomorrow to get a quote. I sure hope the windows go back in without giving me too much trouble.

[OldsStarfire]

To get them back in, get the two rollers in the window first, then bolt up the front front channel first, then the back channel.

Are you using the same anodizer I did - McNichols?