Side molding

[ishadow]

i removed the side molding from my 1985 325e and i need to replace them with something better, most of the pics on done up e30's don't seem to even have the side molding trim at all.
Once i removed mine there is a nice big gap. any idea were i can get plastic molding that flushes nicely or how to work around it so it looks cleaner

some of the pics from Rev limited show how the doors in the beginning had the trim but later, was all shaved off to a nice clean look without any molding????

any suggestions..............

[Jand3rson]

What is usually done is that gap is filled in with bondo or some other kind of filler by a body shop, and then painted over. As far as I know, no one makes a flush fitting side molding. If you want to do something about them for cheap, you can always paint them body color, but that looks kind of silly unless you do the bumper trim, too. If you want to have the gap for the side moldings filled in, it can be done, but it's not going to be cheap. And again, it won't look good unless the bumper trim is color coordinated also, because then you're left with a black line that goes around the front and rear of the car, but doesn't go around the sides.

[ishadow]

allright so i ttok the trim off. sand the gap to the bare metal and fill it with some sort of good body filler i hope it works

[Jordan]

allright so i ttok the trim off. sand the gap to the bare metal and fill it with some sort of good body filler i hope it works

Don't fill the whole channel in with body filler, and most certainly don't try to do it yourself. It will come out looking like shit.

Have a bodyshop do it properly. They aren't going to want to paint over your work anyways.

[Digitalwave]

allright so i ttok the trim off. sand the gap to the bare metal and fill it with some sort of good body filler i hope it works

You know you are going to have to have the whole sides of the car repainted then right?

[ishadow]

yeah the entire car is getting repainted over the next 2 months, i did a little bit to see what it looks like. and i think its gonna be sweet look...

[KenC]

Jordan,
Weren't your sides filled with a bead from a welder?

[Jordan]

Jordan,
Weren't your sides filled with a bead from a welder?

steel plate welded on, ground down and filler to smooth it out.

[BMW BMXER]

Jordan,
Weren't your sides filled with a bead from a welder?

steel plate welded on, ground down and filler to smooth it out.

This is the only way to properly do it.

Filler will crack. Trust me I hang out on minitruck boards a lot and people cheap out and use bondo and it fucks up.

Or trust Jordan, but I think if you do it right a shop will paint over it.

[ishadow]

i can see how bondo can mess up, what about fiber glass and then aditional body filler for smother surface should be not problem if you sand it down to bare metal so it shines

also any oen know a site where i can get universa plastic side molding this woud be an alternate solution, anything to get rid of the original 1985 chrom molding that sticks out

[808BMW]

Put black ones in instead of chrome maybe?

[jblack]

Put black ones in instead of chrome maybe?

Dude - side moldings, not window moldings..... I would like to see chrome side moldings - on second thought, no I woudn't....

[87 325iS]

Put black ones in instead of chrome maybe?

Dude - side moldings, not window moldings..... I would like to see chrome side moldings - on second thought, no I woudn't....

Early side moldings had chrome strips in them.

[ishadow]

exactly any idea where i can get plastc ones?

[87 325iS]

Buy a can of SEM.