Yay for no side moldings!

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:00 pm

So I finally did it. Class was cancelled today so I took the opportunity to remove my side moldings. I was a little scared at first, with all these people saying the paint bubbles and ghosts, but I decided to take the plunge. I used some 'tar and bug remover' and an old high school ID.

Keep in mind my car is a 2001 so I was expecting the worst.

First one off. This one was the hardest.

Paint isn't as shiny under there but nothing a good detailing can't fix.

First side off! Slick!

Second side done!

I'd say for a 2001 with 108,000 miles that has never been garaged it came out pretty good. Only tiny tiny bubbles that even I could barely see.

I didn't get a chance to give her a good detailing yet because our water hose is still frozen under the snow. So for now, I just mopped her down for a good shine. And yes, I left the Dodge badge on there for now because I can't tell if I like it on there our not.

You like?

Mat00ES · Post by **Mat00ES** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:11 pm

Luckly mine are a mess under there, which is why they are still on. I'd say take the badge off, it looks like it doesn't belong now, or you c ould move it so its not just floating there.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:25 pm

Yeah I think I might have to take it off after looking at it in the driveway.

02goldse · Post by **02goldse** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:39 pm

you got lucky when i wrecked my neon the body shop put my mouldings back on with some tough shit and the did a shit job on painting my doors so there are parts that are chunked out...ewww but o well im getting painted in the summer. and its not what the outside looks like its what you got hiding in the bay..

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:41 pm

sweet

Some people just freak out when they see what is under there. Just clean it up and its really not bad..

02goldse wrote:you got lucky when i wrecked my neon the body shop put my mouldings back on with some tough shit and the did a shit job on painting my doors so there are parts that are chunked out...ewww but o well im getting painted in the summer. and its not what the outside looks like its what you got hiding in the bay..

I would of told them to leave em off..

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:55 pm

Alright, Dodge badges are now off. It does look pretty clean this way.

Aaaaand I just realized I still have the SE logo on there buuuut I'm too lazy to go pull it off right now. I wanna go make some Ramen.

03sxt · Post by **03sxt** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:55 pm

Um. Ur bucket r broke.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:02 pm

03sxt wrote:Um. Ur bucket r broke.

Es et feexed nao?

Chris04sxt · Post by **Chris04sxt** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:54 pm

I've been wanting to take mine off since I bought the car last June but I wasn't sure how they were attached. I was thinking maybe they used clips of some sort, but now that I see they are just kinda double sided sticky taped on, I'll probably remove them real soon, like tomorrow.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:01 pm

Chris04sxt wrote:I've been wanting to take mine off since I bought the car last June but I wasn't sure how they were attached. I was thinking maybe they used clips of some sort, but now that I see they are just kinda double sided sticky taped on, I'll probably remove them real soon, like tomorrow.

You should. It's so easy and it looks great in the end.

02goldse · Post by **02goldse** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:13 pm

i had no rule i wasnt around

Mopar_Korean · Post by **Mopar_Korean** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:57 pm

I took mine off and it took the paint with it! Yeah mine are going back on.

Tam · Post by **Tam** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:29 pm

Wow, I have the exact same car...2001 Steel Blue SE and yours came out nicer and cleaner than mines.

And the passenger side front door was also the hardest one to do for me!

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:38 pm

yeah I have no clue why it was hard...maybe it was because it was the first one i did. but it just seemed a lot harder.

Mopar_Korean wrote:I took mine off and it took the paint with it! Yeah mine are going back on.

That sucks. I was nervous about stripping the paint at first until I got the first molding off and it looked good.

Tam · Post by **Tam** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:42 pm

That front pass side was my last door to do, haha. And It was so tough, I almost gave up on it....plus it took off a little paint chip to where I can see the primer underneath it. But I'm not too worried about it.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:45 pm

Mat666 wrote:That front pass side was my last door to do, haha. And It was so tough, I almost gave up on it....plus it took off a little paint chip to where I can see the primer underneath it. But I'm not too worried about it.

Yeah I kinda took a tiny pin prick of paint off on the pass side down to the primer also, but you can't even see it unless your face is attached to the car.

Nutmeg · Post by **Nutmeg** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:14 am

Looks all right. Easier to do it in warmer weather though.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:17 am

Nutmeg wrote:Looks all right. Easier to do it in warmer weather though.

Warm weather never happens in northern Vermont. I'm just glad the driveway finally thawed out.

jetas · Post by **jetas** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:30 am

get that streak of stickiness off. thats the only thing bugging me. Neons look better without the moldings so good yob

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:34 am

jetas wrote:get that streak of stickiness off. thats the only thing bugging me. Neons look better without the moldings so good yob

That's not stickiness anymore. It's just where the paint it a little mismatched from being under the molding. It'll dissapear once I get it detailed and let it sit in the sun for a while.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:33 am

JeffM wrote:
jetas wrote:get that streak of stickiness off. thats the only thing bugging me. Neons look better without the moldings so good yob
That's not stickiness anymore. It's just where the paint it a little mismatched from being under the molding. It'll dissapear once I get it detailed and let it sit in the sun for a while.

Exactly. Give it a month or so in the summer time...
Best time to remove the moldings as Nutmeg said is on a hot day during the summer time. If its cool out use a heat gun and heat all the damn glue up then go at it with a credit card or fishing line!

hybrid-Srt2001 · Post by **hybrid-Srt2001** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:42 am

sweet, dodge emblem looks kinda strange now though.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:43 am

hybrid-Srt2001 wrote:sweet, dodge emblem looks kinda strange now though.

Yeah that was fixed check like 5 posts down from the top.

jetas · Post by **jetas** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:15 am

JeffM wrote:
jetas wrote:get that streak of stickiness off. thats the only thing bugging me. Neons look better without the moldings so good yob
That's not stickiness anymore. It's just where the paint it a little mismatched from being under the molding. It'll dissapear once I get it detailed and let it sit in the sun for a while.

aahhh i see it now. I thought it was residue from the glue.

Xtian · Post by **Xtian** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:14 am

I will be doing this tomorrow as well, but don't know what the consequences will be though, because my car used to be black back then. So as far as I know the paint under the moldings would be black? I will post up pictures tomorrow.

03sxt · Post by **03sxt** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:16 am

JeffM wrote:
03sxt wrote:Um. Ur bucket r broke.

Es et feexed nao?

Mouch betterz.

Car looks much nicer now!

hybrid-Srt2001 · Post by **hybrid-Srt2001** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:25 am

ops missed that the dodge is off now

color matched mirrors would be sexy.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:55 am

03sxt wrote:Car looks much nicer now!

Thanks

xtian wrote:I will be doing this tomorrow as well, but don't know what the consequences will be though, because my car used to be black back then. So as far as I know the paint under the moldings would be black? I will post up pictures tomorrow.

I would guess it would be black seeing as how they paint both the doors and the moldings the same color from the factory. Unless your moldings were off when you got it re-painted, I bet it's still black under there.

hybrid-Srt2001 wrote:color matched mirrors would be sexy

That's on my to do list with painting my 02 front and my hood. I'm not sure whether I should paint the whole mirror or just the folding part.

Tam · Post by **Tam** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:24 am

JeffM wrote: That's on my to do list with painting my 02 front and my hood. I'm not sure whether I should paint the whole mirror or just the folding part.

Same here, I'm not really sure if i should paint the whole thing or just the folding part. Been deciding for forever. lol

DOSneons · Post by **DOSneons** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:08 pm

do the whole mirror i think its a cleaner look, and the car looks great without molding