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Installing Peel-And-Stick Auto Body Side Molding
INSTALLATION:
Materials: Body Side Molding kit, Sharp Cutting tool, Rubbing alcohol, Clean
white rag, Masking tape, Grease pencil (whose marks will easily rub off). A warm
garage or a sunny day makes the whole job a lot easier.
Moldings with 3M tape are best installed at temperatures warmer than 65 degrees.
Plastic moldings are more flexible, easier to manipulate and cut when warmer
than 70 degrees. Smaller moldings can be easily cut with heavy sharp kitchen
shears or tin snips. For larger moldings, more than 1 inch wide or 3/16 thick, a
clean straight cut is somewhat more difficult. A clean sharp anvil pruner will
make it easier to get a straight cut on all sizes. A carpenter's utility knife
with razor blade inserts also works well, but not one with the break-off blades.
The picture at left shows the professional tool used by our installers to cut molding,
with 3.75 inch long replaceable razor blade. The Center picture shows
Husky Multi-cut tool available in hardware stores for about $20. The picture at right shows an anvil pruner from a local
hardware or garden store, it will do the same job if it is sharp and clean.
Prepare the vehicle bonding surface by cleaning it thoroughly with alcohol and a clean white cotton rag. This removes wax residues so the 3M Peel-and-stick adhesive can bond to it securely. Avoid using colored cloth for this purpose, as the dyes in the fabric may leave colored residue behind.
If you do not have a ridge or line to follow on the car,
Apply a strip of masking tape to be a guide to help position the Body
Side Moulding to be perfectly straight. You may want to measure up from the
ground at each end to get a parallel line. Stick the masking tape at one end,
and hold it a few inches away from the car while pulling tape off the roll to
the other end, eyeball your line, then stick it down lightly. Step back and look
to see the lines are right, change if necessary. It is easy to change the tape
at this point. Once the body molding is installed and the glue sets for a few
days, it does not come off!
Once the straight line of masking tape is in place to provide a guide, use
pieces of masking tape to temporarily "dry-fit" the entire length of body
molding in place on the vehicle.
Determine where you'll need to cut the body molding for the doors and seams for
a precise and accurate installation. Use pieces of tape or a grease pencil to
mark the exact locations on the molding where you'll need to make the cuts. At
the door-openings, and where the molding terminates at the edge of wheel-wells,
you may need to cut angles to match the vehicle lines. Allow 1/8" minimum gap
for door clearance. At the hinge side of the door you may need to bevel the end
of the molding so that there is enough clearance when the door is opened.
Once you've marked all the locations, carefully cut the molding. The molding is
made from a relatively soft plastic. Cutting isn't difficult, but it is easier
when the molding is warmer than when it is colder. Always cut chrome moldings
with the blade entering the chrome side, cutting down through to the tape side.
Work with one section at a time, peel about a foot of the backing from the
adhesive strips and press the molding into place. Then pull on the loose end of
the backing and move along the molding, pressing it into place. After it is
applied to the vehicle surface, rub the section of molding firmly with a soft
clean cloth to help ensure that it is seated securely. You may want to come back
a few hours later, or the next day, to give it another pressure rub to ensure
the best adhesion.
Open and close the doors slowly, watching to ensure that the side molding is not
touched or rubbed as the door moves.
Allow the molding adhesive to set up for at least 24 hours before
washing your vehicle. Maximum adhesion is reached after 3-5 days in
temperatures above 70 degrees, longer if it is cooler.
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