Body / Glass: Can Stainless drip rail be removed for painting

[mmagic]

Can Stainless drip rail be removed for painting without destroying it?

What technique should be used?


(Speedster)

[swvalcon]

It can be removed but a real bear. Hard for a good body guy to remove and reinstall and not mess it up somewhere.

[Lark Parker]

Go here for previous discussion:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?73587-Drip-Rail-Mouldings&highlight=drip+rail

[mmagic]

I accept the warnings.. unless the roof rusts off there, I'll leave them alone.

[Jeff_H]

Yes it can. You must have a LOT of patience and steady hands.

The stuff is very thin and dents and bends/kinks VERY easily.

The trim hooks over the top edge of the roof rail and is "snapped" onto a rib stamped into the underside of the roof rail.

To remove it, first find the 1" long caps that cover up the joints and using a pliers wrapped in tape, carefully remove those. You want to use a upward rocking motion of the pliers to pull the bottom of the cap off first.

The trim can then be removed very slowly with the same pliers by hooking the taped up jaw on the top and rocking upwards to pull the lower edge away from the car. Only pull it partway and move down the trim a inch or so and work there. You need to gradually peel it off with a working area probably at least several inches. It gets a lot more interesting in places like the rear qtr window area of a C/K due to the sharper curve. May take considerable time to get each piece off so don't be in a hurry.

After its off, you need to store it and that is as much a problem as removal and installation. A hard stare in anger will kink it so try to stay mellow at all times when around it.

Putting it back on can be done by hand. Hook over the top and push on the bottom. Work slowly and over a wide area starting at one end and working across to the other. Resist temptation to smack it with anything if it is reluctant to snap on. Your thumbs can dent it even.

[thunderations]

Make sure, if you take the drip rail off, that you do not add a lot of primer and paint to the rail the trim snaps back onto. Clean the mounting rail and give it a coat of epoxy primer and then mask it off for the rest of the process. Only paint what is going to be visible. The less you add to the rail, the easier it will be to re-install. Don't ask me how I know this, just heed my warning.

[55coupe]

The 55 is in the shop now getting ready for primer the body man who is about 64 or so said he could remove drip rail off with out any damage. So he did after useing his own home made tool and takeing his time it looks just fine. The trim is still in the same shape as was on the car much to my happyness. I wouldn't do it on a bet.

[mmagic]

I'm not taking the risk or time. I'll work the gutter around it with gutter in place, flood the gutter with MS sealing the back side and seal the underside as well, then mask and lay down the epoxy primer.

[JoeHall]

It is also extremely hard to find, if you mess it up.