(NOTE - In this procedure, I'll be covering how to refinish side molding trim, as well as how to shadowline the chrome strips in the molding of 84-87 cars. If you simply want to refinish your 88-91 moldings, skip the steps on masking and self-etching primer)
If your car hasn't been repainted, or if you haven't looked at your side moldings in a long time, it's a good bet that they're probably looking pretty bad by now. 20 year old hard rubber doesn't exactly stand up well to the elements and keep it's color. When I undertook the project of swapping my car to plastic bumpers, I noticed that when I had all fresh painted bumper trim, my faded, grey side moldings were not going to look very good against the newly painted trim.
I'm sure that some of you out there have tried products like Back to Black and other rubber trim products that claim to bring the black back to bumper and side trim, but it doesn't work. It looks good until about the next time you wash the car. What you need to do is actually prep and repaint the moldings using specially formulated trim paint.
Here's what you're going to need:
- Bucket of warm, soapy water with scrub brush
- Acetone and a clean rag
- One can of SEM Trim Black or Duplicolor Bumper Trim paint (your choice)
For shadowlining of 84-87 chrome strip molding:
- The supplies listed above
- One can of SEM Self Etching Primer
- One sheet of 3M 80 grit sandpaper
- Masking tape
The first thing you want to do is remove the side moldings from your car. On 84-87 models the section of trim in front of the rear wheel, and the door moldings are bolted to the car at the end of the trim with 8mm plastic nuts. The door molding bolt is inside the door, in the jamb. Remove these first. Once the nuts are removed, take a clean towel and flathead screwdriver, and with the towel under the screwdriver (so as not to damage the paint), VERY carefully lift up the end of the trim that you just unbolted. The rest of the trim is held on with plastic clips, you just have to pull the trim firmly and carefully, and they will snap free. You're bound to break a few of them, so check RealOEM.com for the part numbers, and order accordingly. For 88-91 cars, I do not believe the trim is bolted anywhere, but I could be wrong. Best way to know is to look.
Once you have all the trim off of the car, wash it thoroughly with warm, soapy water, and let air dry in the sun. Paint doesn't stick very well to dirt. After you've washed the parts, take a clean rag and wipe them down with acetone to remove and stray dirt or grime left behind. If you don't have acetone, this step is optional. Just wash it very well.
(For shadowlining 84-87 trim)
Take each piece of trim individually, and mask off the entire piece, leaving the chrome strip exposed. Be sure to get the masking tape right up against the edge of the chrome strip, as you're going to be sanding this with 80 grit sandpaper and using self-etching primer on it. You don't want either of those hitting the actual molding.
After you've finished masking, cut a small piece of 80 grit sandpaper, and start sanding on the chrome strip. Be sure you get all the way to the edges, and really get it sanded up well. The better you sand it, the better the primer and paint will stick.
Once you're satisfied with your sanding on the chrome strips, spray the strips with 2 even coats of SEM Self Etching Primer. This primer has an acid ingredient that actually burns into the metal, causing the primer to bond to the metal itself. You only need 2 coats max, only enough to hide what is being primered is required.
After the primer has had time to dry (about 20 minutes), remove all of the masking tape from the molding pieces. You can now paint the entire section of molding, chrome strip and all with even coats of SEM Trim Black or paint of your choice. I stick with SEM because I've always gotten stellar results, but others like Duplicolor or other brands, so whatever you prefer. SEM flash dries in about 5-10 minutes, so you can do several coats in a short amount of time. I applied about 5 coats to be sure I have a thick, even coat on the trim.
Give everything about 24 hours to fully dry, and then reinstall onto the car. Installation is pretty much the opposite of removal, but some of the clips can be tricky. Take your time, and when you're done, your side moldings will look as good as the day your E30 showed up in the showroom 20 years ago.
If your car hasn't been repainted, or if you haven't looked at your side moldings in a long time, it's a good bet that they're probably looking pretty bad by now. 20 year old hard rubber doesn't exactly stand up well to the elements and keep it's color. When I undertook the project of swapping my car to plastic bumpers, I noticed that when I had all fresh painted bumper trim, my faded, grey side moldings were not going to look very good against the newly painted trim.
I'm sure that some of you out there have tried products like Back to Black and other rubber trim products that claim to bring the black back to bumper and side trim, but it doesn't work. It looks good until about the next time you wash the car. What you need to do is actually prep and repaint the moldings using specially formulated trim paint.
Here's what you're going to need:
- Bucket of warm, soapy water with scrub brush
- Acetone and a clean rag
- One can of SEM Trim Black or Duplicolor Bumper Trim paint (your choice)
For shadowlining of 84-87 chrome strip molding:
- The supplies listed above
- One can of SEM Self Etching Primer
- One sheet of 3M 80 grit sandpaper
- Masking tape
The first thing you want to do is remove the side moldings from your car. On 84-87 models the section of trim in front of the rear wheel, and the door moldings are bolted to the car at the end of the trim with 8mm plastic nuts. The door molding bolt is inside the door, in the jamb. Remove these first. Once the nuts are removed, take a clean towel and flathead screwdriver, and with the towel under the screwdriver (so as not to damage the paint), VERY carefully lift up the end of the trim that you just unbolted. The rest of the trim is held on with plastic clips, you just have to pull the trim firmly and carefully, and they will snap free. You're bound to break a few of them, so check RealOEM.com for the part numbers, and order accordingly. For 88-91 cars, I do not believe the trim is bolted anywhere, but I could be wrong. Best way to know is to look.
Once you have all the trim off of the car, wash it thoroughly with warm, soapy water, and let air dry in the sun. Paint doesn't stick very well to dirt. After you've washed the parts, take a clean rag and wipe them down with acetone to remove and stray dirt or grime left behind. If you don't have acetone, this step is optional. Just wash it very well.
(For shadowlining 84-87 trim)
Take each piece of trim individually, and mask off the entire piece, leaving the chrome strip exposed. Be sure to get the masking tape right up against the edge of the chrome strip, as you're going to be sanding this with 80 grit sandpaper and using self-etching primer on it. You don't want either of those hitting the actual molding.
After you've finished masking, cut a small piece of 80 grit sandpaper, and start sanding on the chrome strip. Be sure you get all the way to the edges, and really get it sanded up well. The better you sand it, the better the primer and paint will stick.
Once you're satisfied with your sanding on the chrome strips, spray the strips with 2 even coats of SEM Self Etching Primer. This primer has an acid ingredient that actually burns into the metal, causing the primer to bond to the metal itself. You only need 2 coats max, only enough to hide what is being primered is required.
After the primer has had time to dry (about 20 minutes), remove all of the masking tape from the molding pieces. You can now paint the entire section of molding, chrome strip and all with even coats of SEM Trim Black or paint of your choice. I stick with SEM because I've always gotten stellar results, but others like Duplicolor or other brands, so whatever you prefer. SEM flash dries in about 5-10 minutes, so you can do several coats in a short amount of time. I applied about 5 coats to be sure I have a thick, even coat on the trim.
Give everything about 24 hours to fully dry, and then reinstall onto the car. Installation is pretty much the opposite of removal, but some of the clips can be tricky. Take your time, and when you're done, your side moldings will look as good as the day your E30 showed up in the showroom 20 years ago.
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