BJ8 Door Moulding Installation

[shorn]

Finally received my car back from the painter and am ready to install the chrome door mouldings. They seem difficult to snap on the door with the outer rubber weather strip installed. Trying not to scratch the new paint. Is there an easy way?

 

[John Loftus]

Hi Skip,

Yes these can be a pain to get on correctly. Make sure you have the clips installed correctly (the clip opening that receives the door top is on the inside of the trim piece .. it's pretty obvious but I helped a guy at a show who had them on backwards). Sometimes it is necessary to spread the flanges on each end slightly to accommodate the increased paint thickness but you need to be careful not to crack the chrome. Electricians tape on sharp edges or on the paint will minimize the scratches. I get the front (thin end) started first and then angle down at the back making sure that each clip is liningup/getting started as I go. An extra set of hands wouldn't hurt to hold one end as you go. There is no way the clips are going on without scratching the paint in the clip area (because of the barbs) but that area is covered. You just need to be carefully at the front and rear but even there, the trim piece covers any scratching that occurs as the piece is pushed into the final position. Go slow and easy with trial fits to see if the trim needs to be tweaked slightly. Good luck!

Cheers,
John

 

[shorn]

Thanks John,
The key was spreading the clips just a bit and the moldings fit on fine. I didn't want to force them as I felt sure that I would scratch the paint somewhere where it would show, but I had no problems.

 

[John Loftus]

Skip,

Good to hear ... how's the assembly coming along? Do you have an ETC (Estimated Time to Cruise)?

 

[shorn]

Re: BJ8 Door Moulding Installed then disaster

John,
I got everything back on the Healey today, all the chrome,bumpers, lights, dash, door shut faces, furflex, everything. So I decided to dash over to a friends and show him the new paint job. It looks great, by the way. I will get some pictures posted soon.
So I got to my friends and there was no street parking. Decided to pull into his driveway. (You have probably guessed the rest by now). His driveway raises a few inches to the sidewalk level and then drops back down, but only a few inches. Of course, the back tires are still going up, but the fronts are coming down. And the exhaust system, well its now just sitting in his darn driveway. Actually, the two forward pipes pulled apart at the flex, and the two brackets behind the front muffler pulled loose. I was able to wire things up and drove it home. I am sure my neighbors thought I put a hemi in the healey. Guess I won't be driving this weekend, but will be replacing things. Oh well, this probably happens to most of us once.
skip

 

[SHG]

Re: BJ8 Door Moulding Installed then disaster

ouch. sorry to hear about the exhaust. hope it didn't get mangled in the process.

 

[John Loftus]

Re: BJ8 Door Moulding Installed then disaster

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I will get some pictures posted soon.


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Please do!

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Oh well, this probably happens to most of us once.


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Haven't lost my exhaust yet but scraped it many times. The worst episode was on some back roads near Santa Barbara. Was on a small side road and making an uphill right turn onto a slightly larger (main) road. The transition between the two roads was not good. The front of the car went up and over the transition crown and it felt like the muffler landed smack on the crown (talk about feeling it in the seat of the pants). Had enough momentum to scrape along, off the crown, otherwise I think I would have been stuck. The SS Muffler actually held up very well and was lucky the whole system did not pull off. Beautiful roads back there but you have to watch out!

Cheers,
John