trim removal

[joe1949black]

Hi everyone,
Anybody out there have experience removing the side and stainless window trim off of a 4 door '65 futura wagon ?

[redfalken]

I've never done it before but I've heard it can be tricky to get it removed without crimping the metal. If I recall, somebody mentioned using a "church key" or can/bottle opener to carefully get under the trim and work it off.

I was trying to do a search for "stainless window trim" on www.tffn.net but the site may be having problems because it just kept working at it and never showed the search results. You might try that later if nobody here has done it.

[63vert]

Hi-
I have to replace my windshield as it is badly cracked and chipped...so I too need to remove the trim. I am hoping to remove everything before the car is painted and then have Smart Glass install a new windshield and re-install the trim.

Did you find a magic trick to removing the trim without crimping it? If you, or others, have any advice please pass it along.

Thanks

[pbrown]

Hi-
I have to replace my windshield as it is badly cracked and chipped...so I too need to remove the trim. I am hoping to remove everything before the car is painted and then have Smart Glass install a new windshield and re-install the trim.

Did you find a magic trick to removing the trim without crimping it? If you, or others, have any advice please pass it along.

Thanks

The side glass trim and windshield trim work very differently. The windshield trim is done as part of the glass installation. Do NOT try to remove the trim without removing the glass first.

Call Alderwood Glass and they can take care of you. This is one of the last glass shops that wil work on old Fords. In fact, the guy there drives a Fairlane.

[63vert]

Hi-
I think you may have just saved me a bundle.

I know my dad removed the windshield in a ’65 Mustang prior to having it painted, then we installed an original tinted one from a ’66 (The ’66 was in our family from day one. My parents actually picked it up at the factory and drove it to Seattle. Unfortunately it was totaled one fourth of July when someone who had been celebrating too much failed to negotiate a curve.)

Anyway, perhaps Alderwood Glass could be added to the list of local resources as well?

[Luva65wagon]

Lawrence,

If you suspect you'll need to do some cleaning and prepping the area before the new glass gets put in, then you can pop it out yourself since you don't plan on saving the glass. From the inside take a nice sharp razor knife and cut the inside lip of the rubber gasket off (you should always use new rubber anyway, and it's affordable). This is the only real thing holding the glass in. Be careful not to cut the headliner away where it tucks under the rubber. It actually goes under the rubber and then wraps around the metal lip that hold the rubber in. There are a couple of screws on the outside in the corners to remove as well. When you have the inner rubber lip and screws removed, sit on the front seat and place your feet firmly at the top of the windshield with your feet about 3-feet apart and GENTLY start pushing outward (if you've got a friend who can help spot you, that will keep you catapulting the glass over the hood). When the seal pulls away you can stop, go outside and lift it out in one piece. Now you can clean all the grooves on the car body and touchup any paint/rust, polish the stainless and have it cleaned and ready for the glass guy to slap in the new one. You won't be getting him to do much more than remove and install, so do the removal yourself so you can get a top-notch finished product knowing what's under it all is sound. Make sure they can get the new rubber as well, or have it on hand when they come. You can buy it at any of the Falcon vendors.

Hope this helps!

[63vert]

Wow- Roger...you make it all sound so simple.

Thanks a lot for the step by step instructions and the tip about replacing the rubber. I remember seeing the outside screws you mention, but will have to take a closer look at the interior.

Thanks again.

[Luva65wagon]

Wow- Roger...you make it all sound so simple.

Thanks a lot for the step by step instructions and the tip about replacing the rubber. I remember seeing the outside screws you mention, but will have to take a closer look at the interior.

Thanks again.

Well, Lawrence, the fact is: THAT is the easy part. Well, maybe the cleaning up of all the old tar-based window sealer, the sanding/priming/painting the rusted areas and polishing stainless, isn't as easy, but getting the glass out is a piece of cake. And you'll be glad you did -- to give you ample time to get the area under the rubber seal a good thorough prepping.

You'll have to trim that rubber away only up to the edge that begins to move towards the glass to get it to not "hang up" on the metal body lip as you push it out. And you also don't need to remove it along the dash, since you'll only be pushing it out from the top. Once the glass and seal are freed from the body you'll be lifting it up off the bottom lip -- rubber lip intact.

Getting the new one in, with trim, and getting the trim and the rubber in the correct orientation and keeping it there while you push on the glass from the outside and pulling the rope from the inside at the same time to get the glass to seat -- while trying not to get black from head to foot with the new tar-based window sealer -- that's the hard part. Been there -- done that more times than I want to remember. But have at the removal. You'll see it's not that hard.

[redfalken]

Changing the rear window on my `62 was a good learning experience but as anyone who was there can vouch...it sure can get messy. Especially when you have to take it back out to straighten the seal.

But yea...take it out yourself and take your time to make sure it has a good, clean, rust free lip for the new seal to be installed. If there's a good place around like Alderwood Glass that is able to do these older style windshields, I would let them do the installation for sure. There's a lot of things going on when you install and anyone with experience will be much more likely to get it right. They'll have to make sure to get the stainless trim in place, be sure the seal is aligned around the window properly, have the right amount of sealant in place, get the rope in place, etc..., etc...

[dhbfaster]

HI Everyone...Since this thread is out there...I'll keep it going.

RE: the stainless rain gutter trim over the doors...I'm a bit worried about these. :WHATTHE:
a) I've never done or seen these removed before..
b) There doesn't seem to be much out there in terms of potential replacements if I screw it up.
c) on my drivers side, lots of small dents to remove...
d) Ideally I get them off here before I send the car over for body and paint...in a few weeks

Phil (body and paint) say's he is comfortable with doing it, but it's about an hour per side to get them off and I was hoping to get east and back all in the same day to save cost.

Anyone out there feel comfortable mentoring me through this or know of an article on it?

Anyone know someone out there that is somewhat expert in this?

Assuming it get them off ok: How difficult will it be to take care of all those dents myself....I am considering bringing the one on the drivers side to someone who does that stuff for part of a living...

Thanks as always...

[PhilC]

Removing the trim isn't hard to do, but requires patience and skill. I have special set of tools I use, in particular, a special pair of can openers. Note both can openers are taped on the ends, very important.

With these, a few other tools, time, skill, and patience I can remove trim without damage and have done so many times. ;)

[Luva65wagon]

Ditto what Phil said. Excuse my childish drawing, but it shows a cross-section of the roof, drip rail, and the stainless. Notice the shape of the stainless. It hooks over the top edge of the drip rail and the bottom has a built-in ramp to allow it to snap over easily - as well as being removed easily.

This stuff bends really easy, so I use a very small pry bar. It wider than the tools Phil mentions (can opener style) and the broad surface tend to transfer the prying motion over a wider area - minimizing the single-point force, which can create a dimple at that location. As it comes loose - use some masking tape to hold up the part you've removed so it doesn't sag, and possibly bend from its own weight. Once the entire length has the bottom-side "unhooked" you can lift the trim off and begin the restoration process.

I have and use a very small anvil and trim hammer. Being stainless you can pound out the dents, flip it over and file/sand/polish to get it smooth again.

Keep in mind that it probably has 50 years of rain and other things that has seeped into and behind it. Rust even. So patience is a must. It may take a while to remove, but nowhere near the amount of time it would take to straighten - if you get too anxious.

Also, when painting the drip rail, be careful not of over-paint this. It it grows in thickness due to too much paint, you'll have a hard time getting the stainless on.

[dhbfaster]

You guys are AWESOME!
Phil, I had no doubt you could do it...I just really prefer to save some time waiting on the transport day...and the big man in the sky knows I need to save all the money I can...I started to get the idea formed in my head from your description.

Roger, I read your comments earlier but didn't get a chance too look at your diagram until about 30 min ago...and that diagram did it. Totally clear once I understood the geometry of the lip on the bottom side (which is hard to see on the car itself.)

I ran right down, grabbed the tools in the pictures, and had it off with no damage in about 20 minutes. (I'll save the other side for later.) The combination of your diagram and advice and in Phil's voice in my head telling me "It takes a lot of patience Don..." That did it. [yay]:BEER:[BOW]

Now my biggest challenge after the car is gone is to figure out where to put it (and then restore it) without stepping on it! :NERVOUS:

[Luva65wagon]

Now my biggest challenge after the car is gone is to figure out where to put it (and then restore it) without stepping on it! :NERVOUS:

First - two or three nails up high on the wall somewhere to get it off the floor. Then you can get this kit from Eastwood for $30 to hammer out the dents.

4372

http://www.eastwood.com/trim-hammer-and-anvil-kit.html

[BadBird]

They sell a kit of tools at Harbor Freight for removing trim and other parts that I bought for around $6.00. It worked great for taking off those parts although I did add some tape to keep it from scratching the trim.
I used several different small punches and a small hammer to remove hundreds of small dents from the trim, grill, and other parts. Just take your time and they will all come out.

[PhilC]

Good job Don and great way to multi-task your door handle/regulator spring clip remover! :cool:

[dhbfaster]

That tool worked quite well! I used the "back" obviously, and I put the ruler against the door, with the plastic (bondo spreader I'll call it) on top of it and used the angle against the car to lever it so I could pry the molding off with the back end. The only problem was in the "corners" or tighter curves. There I used the slightly angled edge of the other side of the tool to slightly slip under the molding lip. It was almost like it was made for it. :BEER: