creative ways to attatch side molding trim without clips?

Can someone tell me where to get windshield trim clips for a 53 desoto? I've looked and looked and no one carries em.

 

a few thoughts.

I've bought lots of trim clips off of eBay from a guy called Florida Auto Fastner. The size you need for your '58 (which I am familiar with) are fairly cheap from him, you should be able to get all you'll need for the job for about $30

If you're REALLY on a budget, consider making a trip to the junkyard and salvaging trim clips from a different car. They don't need to be off of another '58 Ford, they just need to be from a car or truck that the trim is the same width as your Ford trim. Even shit in the 70's still had regular trim clips. I think if you scrounged up a big bag of them the junkyard wouldn't charge you more than 10 bucks for them.

A wanted ad in the classifieds for a pile of good used trim clips would probably net you some cheaper than new also.

Even at $30, that's cheaper than buying double stick tape for $1 a foot or a box of silicone or liquid nails and it'll turn out much better.

If you end up having a few tricky clips that you can't find, you can make them. Cut out a piece of sheetmetal the right width to slide into the back of the trim and weld a stud onto it. Helps to drill the sheetmetal out, stick the stud in flush, and just weld it with a few tacks from the backside. I've made all sorts of trim clips.

 

The sticky shit idea, tape,etc...... is fine if you're attaching a FLAT SURFACE to a FLAT SURFACE.
Your stainless is hollow, not flat on the back. All that glued on shit on riceburners is flat, plastic surfaces.

 

For some of the trim on our cars, where the clips were missing and whatever, we used a flat washer and small bolt.

Find a washer that fits securely in the trim channel, and a bolt with a small enough head, put the bolt through the washer, slide the washer onto the clip, put a washer and nut on the bolt where it passes through the hole in the body, tighten, but not overtighten.

NOT THE BEST WAY, BUT AN ALTERNATIVE AND TEMPORARY FIX.

As long as you remember which trim you bolted, and where the bolts are, it's easy to remove and as secure as any factory-type clips.

dv

 

some of you are saying 30 buck will get me all the clips i want. i didnt know that. in dearborn or some of those magazines, they got clips that are about 2.25 a pop, and like i said, over 70 holes? just didnt wanna spend all that cash on something like that.

reading over some of those suggestions you guys are right, ill do it the right way, just was courious though if anyone has tried anything ingenious that worked. thanks though guys

 

"Lag bolts"

 

No way !!! now it makes since, 'cause I see all these kids around town buying these junk tuner looking things and then the next week ,............no bumpers on ft or rear. someone paints em up puts on this junk ground effects and some poor sap falls in LUV ......talks parents into investing in this custom car, and broken hearts start flying around town. Now it wouldn't be so bad but 80 percent of these kids have come by my shop asking what we change to pimp rides. I try talking some since into them but doesn't work, so guess what the y go buy. now they want me to stick it back on !!!! after they have drug it or ran over it. this is kansas baby...we have dips, ditches, rain, mud and tall curbs. glue doesn't fix anything. do it right with clips or sell the thing to someone else/.

 

2-sided tape, clear silicone, etc. are all quick fixes. Unless there is absolutely no other way to attatch the trim in question, ITS WRONG!

Bodyshops use it nowadays because trim and emblems are plastic. Use the 3M stuff on a vertical panel with a decent piece of stainless and watch how quick it sags. I'd rather do it right than try to hammer and dollie a piece of stainless (mainly because it would take me forever) that fell off on the highway.

 

if you cant find the right clips, make some. get your tin snips out and cut some sheetmetal to fit in the channel, drill holes in the middle of em, an get a thin-headed screw and either weld it to the peice you just made, or use a thin nut..... its really,really,REALLY easy. YOU CAN DO IT!!!, dont use tape! promise me you wont use tape!

 

Why don't we just poke him in the eye with a real sharp stick and be done with it....LOL Fuck man, he just asked a dumb ass question, thats all. I think he got the point. Want to glue trim on,,,,buy a rice burner

 

When I put the '56 Coronet side trim on my '55 Dodge, I thought the same thing. When you buy reproduction clip sets from a restoration outfit, they're copies of the originals and cost way more. But the generic trim clips (the ones with a football shape on the end, a little spring tab and a stud) aren't nearly as expensive.

I part out a lot of cars and whenever I take the side trim off, I keep all the trim clips in a big box so I always have an assortment.

 

Get a big stapler.

 

That really wasn't that funny...

 

its really not a bad question-------ive always wondered if there was a better way to attach the stainless---- if you over tighten that clip by the slightest amount you will see the ''dent'' down the panel----and i would like a way to attach my bright work without the ''waves''

and yes silicone etc are just hackin ways to put it on--


but the double sided tape---with some kind of clip to attach to the stainless would be great--------



lets ask nasa--dont they have rooms full of guys just thinkin shit up?

 

Try these people. http://stores.ebay.com/Florida-Auto-Fastener

 

The 3m Double Sided tape is fabalous stuff. Now having said that it must be used correctly for the correct purpose, really simple when you get down to it which is surprising why so many things "come off". There really are 2 main rules, flat to flat (which you don't have) and make sure the area is clean. Many uses, just think of all those tinted foils on the leading edge of truck, car, and suv windows but I wouldnt use it for your trim

 

In certain conditions, Truss head machine screws.

 

If you can't buy the clips, just make them. I've made many over the years. Try it, you may impress yourself !!

VR&C.

 

Shit...even the new car manufacturers, using brand new panels, and brand new trim, can't get that double face tape to stick for long! You got to be kidding!
Silicone...rabid trucker's best friend.
Use the right stuff for God's sake!

I once painted a REALLY nice high end BMW, for my boss's boss at my day job. He bought ALL new side trim for it. My dopey partner, in my night time shop, figured he'd save some time, and put the trim on with windshield adhesive. I never knew about is, as I had also bought all brand new clips for it...he was too lazy to want to put the clips on, and screw the nuts on the backs..
Needless to say, they all started falling off in a couple months, and I was VERY embarrassed!

Billy (lownslow63)....your mailbox is full! Can't PM you!...Monk's on Sunday? Employee appreciation day!

 

Great idea. Some of my 41 Chevy's trim had clips and screws.

 

Hey PM i have about 30 clips for a 1958 Ford Fairlane you can have them

 

Faced with the problem of customizing a car using stainless trim from a different vehicle, I searched and found this old thread and was disappointed to see a lack of interest in trying new ideas.

When installing non-stock trim, you have no choice but be creative. Drilling holes where they were never designed to be isn't always the best choice either. I certainly wouldn't dismiss modern adhesives as a bad idea, since they are even being used to bond structural parts of cars and airplanes. Many older cars used thin double-sided "tape" to attach metal medalions and script, and I've replaced them with aftermarket adhesive equivalents, and when applied properly they don't come off.

The problem I see is how to use modern adhesives for custom car applications. I would like to see the generic style spring clips with an adhesive backing material similar to that used on those medalions, for use in places where it is impractical or impossible to use stud-mounted clips.

 

Anytime I come across an old thread I can't help but scan though it and find the "bumper". I marvel at the ones who respond as though it was just asked today. Hilarious.

This one, however, is a double bumper with the rare cognizant disregard but thinks it's still a valid point second bump. Annoying.

 

Let me get this straight...if I don't do a search for previously discussed subjects, I'm chastised for not looking in the past. Since I knew it was an old thread, and I so stated, I'm chastised for not accepting the finality of the smart-assed comments. If one thread resolves every question ever asked on this forum, there would only be a few dozen pages, not thousands. As for being annoyed, no one has the obligation to not annoy others. If you don't have the willpower to prevent your curiosity from demanding you waste your time reading an old, irrelevant, annoying thread, bumped by someone with a cognizant disregard for your brilliance, that's your problem, not mine.

 

A question for the ages; it transcends time. It is a traditional predicament many have confronted, and asked themselves, and others the same questions. My two cents: If you can't find the right clips (my first choice) fill the holes, repaint, and airbrush trompe l'oeil trim on --- not cheap, it makes as much sense as anything else; and will stay on as long as the paint.

 

I bought 50 62 ford side trim clips (repro) for my 62 galaxie.They dont work.I used spring clips with studs and screwed them in works great.There auveco I got them from restoration specialties in Winber ,PA.

 

If that was meant to be a joke, it was a good one and I'm laughing. If that was serious, I'm still laughing and that was the worst suggestion yet on this thread. There are few things you could do to an old car to make it look worse than airbrushing fake side trim on. It doesn't look real. Ever.

Just get the right friggin clips. Honestly, it can be a pain in the ass but in the grand scheme it's not that hard. Obviously, you need the clips for the trim, not for the car. The clip is designed to fit inside that particular trim, and then new holes would be drilled in the appropriate places for a custom application. There are plenty of places that manufacture all different kinds of trim clips and they're not that expensive. If all else fails, stainless trim can be welded with a TIG and a skilled operator at the helm.

Custom cars can be hard. Don't do it if you're going to take the easy way out.

 

I have used "xmas tree" fasteners for trim. You can cut the heads to fit into the trim and push it on just like you wouuld with the origional type moulding clips. They will never rust out and seal up the hole well. May or, may not work depending on the trim.

 

Kustom51s answer is close to mine. If the back of the trim hole is accessible, I would use small bolts and various sized washers. Since most trims have a inner lip to grab the original clip, you put a small bolt thru a washer and slide it into the trim. It works great cause you can slide the bolts to the trim holes. I did this on my 48 buick fender skirt trim. It didnt come with the factory skirts and trim, since they were so hard to find I had some fiberglass ones and chopped down 53/54 Plymouth trim and fixed it to the skirt using the nut and bolt method. Also didnt cost me too much
<a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj211/creepjohnny/1948%20buick/?action=view&current=IMG_3062.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

 

I reattached all the trim on our wagon with buttery fly clips (Don't know if this is the correct name) but they are available in different sizes and are a bunch cheaper than the original equipment type.



You can usually pick them up a auto body supply shops,where the guys buy paint,filler,tape and repair parts. HRP