Body / Glass: Installing trim on 59 Lark wagon

[007]

Moldings are back from the polisher and I have new clips and herein lies a problem. The moldings don't fit tight against the body and move around a lot. I assume that the pad of the clip is on the outside and not installed after the clip is pushed through the holes?
My arm is too large to get up inside the doors to tweak the clip.
What am I doing wrong?
Regards,
007

[jackb]

Usually after painting, there is too tight a clearance for the clip to seat.... Maybe your clips are missing the rubber seal or that they are old and brittle and relieving there grip ?

[jclary]

Take a picture of a piece of the molding with a clip you have installed on the backside of the molding. Post it here and perhaps someone here, after seeing the pic, will have a solution.

[doofus]

If the clip's fit tightly in the moulding, the pad is holding the clip out from the sweet spot. where the clip legs cross should be just inside the body keeping tension on ths moulding. IF this is the problem, loosen the pad on the clip and try fit. a dab of sealer will help pad. Luck Doofus

[007]

I received an email from S.I. to advise that the new clips were made improperly and there is no replacement at the moment.
Regards,
007

[George H Young]

Hi 007,
I had the same problem with the stainless trim moulding fasteners on my 1959 Lark. I found a very helpful resource on the raylinrestoration.com technical pages. They have info on Studebaker replacement clips and fasteners, with illustrations. The factory-style fasteners that I got from Studebaker International were easy to snap into place but left the stainless trim loose. I found good replacement clips similar to what raylin recommended at a local automotive body/paint supplier. Specifically, a "Wee Pak" of 50 (W & E Sales Co.) 99-156 moulding fasteners 10-24 X 5/8" for GM, Chrysler, Ford, and Rambler. These fasteners can be tightened from behind the panel with a nut, so you can move the stainless into good alignment and tighten it into place. I was able to do all the stainless on my Lark this way except for the two fasteners above the headlights where it was too tight to get behind the body panel. I am pleased with how it turned out.
Good Luck,
George