Side Cove and Door Molding Question?
01-29-2019, 08:10 AM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Side Cove and Door Molding Question?
Some C5’s have it, some don’t. I kind of like the cleaner look of those without it, but am finding most of the used C5’s on the market have it. Has anyone tried removing those trim pieces? I assume they are held in place by some sort of 3M double sided adhesive tape. Don’t want to damage anything by doing so, although I’d have concerns about paint mismatch due to fading. Should that be a concern?
01-29-2019, 08:31 AM
#2
Burning Brakes
Plenty of people remove the mounding. I did! The typical method is use a heat gun on low setting to soften the adhesive and dental floss to break the bond. Start at one end of the mounding and work your way to the other end.. Once removed, you’ll have to spend quite a bit of time working the adhesive off. I spent $40 at Advance Auto for a special drill attachment designed for removing decals and pin stripes.. It works wonders and makes a 2-3 hour job a 15-30 minute job. Aside from the labor of removal and cleanup, it’s a very straight forward process. There is some risk of exposing paint fade. My car has been garage kept since new so mine showed no paint fade at all. So is it a concern? Yes, but more of a judgement call since you know your vehicles paint condition better then anyone else. I say go for it! It definitely cleans up the car quite a bit, in my opinion.
01-29-2019, 08:57 AM
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Thanks! Kind of what I thought, just wanted some conformation. My biggest concern would be an outline of those strips left on the paint finish due to fading over the years. Since we are talking about a used vehicle with quite a few years under its belt, it may be hard to determine how much time it spent outside in the elements. But nice to know that removal would be a relatively easy option.
Last edited by Vetteman Jack; 01-29-2019 at 10:13 AM.
01-29-2019, 09:06 AM
#4
Pro
I removed mine to find that the door had a respray at some time without taking the moldings off.
That was a huge pain in the *** as I had to go and get 3M tape to reattach.
I would have prefered the look without tham but to me it wasn't worth the cost of respraying the door without them.
That was a huge pain in the *** as I had to go and get 3M tape to reattach.
I would have prefered the look without tham but to me it wasn't worth the cost of respraying the door without them.
01-29-2019, 09:35 AM
#5
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If you choose to remove them, I suggest starting with the small sections near the front fender vents to check to see if there is any paint fade or repaint. That way, if you change your mind, you only have to re-install the small BSM.
01-29-2019, 10:15 AM
#6
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All good advice above. Seems the BSMs (Body Side Moldjngs) are a love it or hate it option on the car. Do a search on BSM removal and you should find plenty of threads on this topic.
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01-29-2019, 10:46 AM
#8
Drifting
The BSMs were a cost option (someone correct me but I want to say they were a bit pricey for what they are), so if you're a purist with them installed then they're likely going to stay there. My car wasn't optioned with them so I don't have to deal with them. Personally if I had bought a C5 with them I wouldn't attempt to remove them. I know plenty attempt and have done so but as you've realized you don't know the true storage history of a car as old as a C5. Plus even stored the paint underneath it all was not treated over it's life like the exposed paint.
If I absolutely had to do it I'd for sure follow words of Vetteman_Jack.
If I absolutely had to do it I'd for sure follow words of Vetteman_Jack.
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01-29-2019, 02:20 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
The BSMs were a cost option (someone correct me but I want to say they were a bit pricey for what they are), so if you're a purist with them installed then they're likely going to stay there. My car wasn't optioned with them so I don't have to deal with them. Personally if I had bought a C5 with them I wouldn't attempt to remove them. I know plenty attempt and have done so but as you've realized you don't know the true storage history of a car as old as a C5. Plus even stored the paint underneath it all was not treated over it's life like the exposed paint.
If I absolutely had to do it I'd for sure follow words of Vetteman_Jack.
If I absolutely had to do it I'd for sure follow words of Vetteman_Jack.
01-29-2019, 09:36 PM
#10
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Here's my old how-to thread in case you pick up a C5 with BSMs and you want to take them off
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...them-pics.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...them-pics.html
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