63 FOUR DOOR SIDE TRIM

[Jim Sullivan]

Well, my 63 4 door didn't have any side trim on it when I got it a few years ago. I found an old beat up set in the garage from another car we stripped years ago. So I got the itch to clean the trim up and install it on the 4 door.

I stripped the anodizing with oven cleaner, tapped out a few of the bigger dents and welded up a bad crack. I then wet sanded the trim with 320 then 600 grit paper and started buffing. Once I get the final polish, I will paint the white in the center of the trim and re-attach the letters with epoxy.

I forgot to take a before picture of the trim so I took a picture of the semi finished four door trim next to an old piece of trim that is in similar condition to the 4 door trim before I started. This will be good practice for when I strip and polish the side trim for my '63 SS. The trim is far from being nice but will still look good on my driver. I love the lines of '63s, but this is just too plain without the side trim.

 

[bobs409]

Better you than me. I love the fact that these cars have about 27 pieces of chrome trim but not when it comes time to polish or pay for new ones.

 

[1961BelAir427]

It looks great. I'll be trying to do my own I guess as I don't really want it to be show quality so I just can't see spending $2000 on a set of restored moldings just to have someone bang a door into it at work or wal mart. I'm not so sure I will be any good at the straightening part, but I can at least remove the anodizing and polish it up.

 

[boxerdog]

Easier said than done, I know that for a fact! It's amazing what people used to do to these trim pieces in parking lots. The "rough" set that is on my car now I had stripped and powder coated because I am lazy. I did do some straightening and body hammer work, but I don't have a lot of skills or patience.

 

[blkblk63ss]

Actually, if that were my car i would get some of that prizmatic tape and trim and taper down width as original on all section's of panel's ,rather then drill all those hole's. It would be a smoother look.I actually thought about that idea on my 63 ,but being the hole's were there already i decided not too,just to keep it original. The molding's will always need to be polished with no anodized coating.I would get the silver tape Oh, i like the 63.

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Actually, if that were my car i would get some of that prizmatic tape and trim and taper down width as original on all section's of panel's ,rather then drill all those hole's. It would be a smoother look.I actually thought about that idea on my 63 ,but being the hole's were there already i decided not too,just to keep it original. The molding's will always need to be polished with no anodized coating.I would get the silver tape Oh, i like the 63.View attachment 36590

I had thought about the tape and also painting the body line silver. But the previous owner had some pretty bad body work done on the car. The holes were just filled with plastic filler, so they were easy to find and drill out.

 

[Tri5man]

The chrome is not usually the problem. The aluminum body side moulding have been beat on in parking lots the last 50 something years. To bad GM didn't use stainless instead of aluminum. Thinking of air brushing the side moldings rather then trying to fix whats there.

 

[bobs409]

It really is a shame that stainless wasn't used more on Chevy's. The other GM's like Buick, Olds, Cadillac, etc used a lot more stainless pieces. Was it that much more in cost?

 

[1961BelAir427]

I've often thought of making molds of the '61 Bel Air trim that isn't reproduced and maybe making it out of fiberglass. Since the aluminum "brite-dip" isn't that bright and shiny to begin with maybe it wouldn't look too bad if it were painted or coated with the right silver. I don't have any fiberglass work skills, but was thinking maybe since they are small/straight parts then it wouldn't be too hard to do. Actually more thinking of outsourcing it than doing it myself.

On the one hand I think most wouldn't consider using them, but on the other there aren't many choices out there since the parts are rare. Maybe it would open some doors for a lot of driver type cars. I see tons of Bel Airs with either the side molding deleted or with Impala moldings installed because the original trim was lost or damaged.

I know it wouldn't bother me too much since I will have painted fiberglass bumpers before long so it'll match.

 

[IMBVSUR?]

I think that people who open doors into other people's cars in parking lots should be made to fix or pay for the damage to others cars and lose their license for years. People just don't respect other people's property. I do really like the rims and tires on your 63 though. Sorry for the rant.

 

[boxerdog]

I've often thought of making molds of the '61 Bel Air trim that isn't reproduced and maybe making it out of fiberglass. Since the aluminum "brite-dip" isn't that bright and shiny to begin with maybe it wouldn't look too bad if it were painted or coated with the right silver. I don't have any fiberglass work skills, but was thinking maybe since they are small/straight parts then it wouldn't be too hard to do. Actually more thinking of outsourcing it than doing it myself.

On the one hand I think most wouldn't consider using them, but on the other there aren't many choices out there since the parts are rare. Maybe it would open some doors for a lot of driver type cars. I see tons of Bel Airs with either the side molding deleted or with Impala moldings installed because the original trim was lost or damaged.

I know it wouldn't bother me too much since I will have painted fiberglass bumpers before long so it'll match.

The clips can be as problematic as the trim. Fiberglass might work, but I couldn't make myself fill all of those holes and turn it into a biscayne either.

 

[skipxt4]

I picked my wife up at work, one day, and there were a few things, we needed at the store. One of the rare times, our Chevy ventured out in 4:00 o'clock traffic. Always scary, since I swear, this car has a Bulls Eye on it. People stare at it, and then, almost run into it. WTH. When we got to the store, I did my usual, paranoid, park out in center field, where no one else would go. Now my wife decided, she wants to come in the store with me. Wh-a-a-tShe says, no one, is gonna park way out here, and hit your Baby. (sarcasticly) I couldn't convince her, to take the money , and the shopping list, and go in alone, and I'll stay out here. Finally, she had enough of my bickering, and got that Roseanne look on her face. Knowing, that she just got finished working, I STHU. I opened the trunk lid, set the alarm, and put the car cover on and in the store we go. Took maybe 20-25 minutes, and the whole time, I was worried. Walking back to the car, it didn't take long, to notice, some ASShole, parked right next to us.

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Well, the trim has been stripped polished, painted and reinstalled. Even with all of the dents and dings, it doesn't look too bad. I did bead blast and paint the letters with silver wheel paint and some high temp clear I had sitting on shelf in the garage. I then baked them in the oven at 200* for about 20 minutes to help gloss the clear since I painted them on an extremely humid day. I am just hoping for the rain to hold off Saturday so I can take it out to a show at Tunkhannock's Founders Day event. I'm looking forward to seeing a good friend and his 33' Ford Truck he has been working on restoring.

 

[skipxt4]

WOW! Turned out nice.

 

[blkblk63ss]

Did you take letter's off or just tape around them ???? { a lot of fine taping} The last quarter molding i did i just removed letter's and then painted molding and put new letter's on . Once you remove old letter's you can't reinstall on account of rivet's.The end result does look good!!!!!!

 

[Jim Sullivan]

I did remove the letters, painted and baked them. I popped the letters back in place and used epoxy on the back side to hold them in place just like the rivets did. They seem to be attached very nicely. Time will tell.

 

[1961BelAir427]

Those look great Jim!

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Thanks. They look better in the pictures than up close and in person. I am happy with the way they turned out even with the dents and dings as the 4 door is just a driver and temporary holder of my 409 until the SS or BelAir is finished.

 

[62bubble]

Hey Jim, the car no longer looks like a beater. Looking better all the time. All it needs now is a set of skirts !!!!!!!!! Have to get over and check it out. Mike

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Skirts? I don't think so!