Driprail Dilemma

[vegiguy]

I carefully pried the drip rail moldings off of my '73 RR project a long time ago to paint it so I could make sure to get paint underneath where they overlap the sail panels, and in so doing they developed an upward bow to them that makes them impossible for me to snap back on. I sent them to a trim guy, John at D&R Stainless in Florida, who claimed he could "make them look like new again" and when I got them back this week sure enough they still had the bow in them. This still keeps them from staying on the driprails as you try to snap them back on: when you do this the bottom edge wants to pop back off the drip rail.

The way I see it the bottom edges of the driprail moldings got stretched when I pried them off which is what's causing the upward bow in them now. Is there a way to either 1) install the driprail moldings even though they have the bow in them, or 2) remove the bow so you aren't constantly working against this when you try to install them? The only thing I can think of to do is to heat up the very bottom edges of the moldings so that when they cool maybe they will shrink the stretched metal back to it's original shape, but this seems tricky to me since it would be hard to control how much they shrink (if they shrink at all). Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

 

[idrivemopar]

Interesting, The twist is caused by the underside being deformed from prying it up during removal, and when i pulled mine off they had a twist to them. If you are talking about the chrome part that goes along the roof rail, then i may be able to help you.

I started with the front, got about the first 6 inches started, i used a piece of wood that was 1/4" thick and about 2 inches wide with a 1/8" notch across the entire width, and 6" long so you can use a light hammer to tap it down. They are stainless steel so they can take some force, but dont go crazy. So, start with putting the molding on the front of the roof rail, and walk the wood piece down as you lightly tap the underside of the molding until it seats. As you go, the rest of the molding should lay down on to the roof rail. You may need someone to help with holding it in place as you work down the length of the rail. Once you get it put back on, go back the entire length and tap the wood block to smooth out any ripples on the molding so its secure on the rail

Hope this helps.

 

[vegiguy]

Interesting, The twist is caused by the underside being deformed from prying it up during removal, and when i pulled mine off they had a twist to them. If you are talking about the chrome part that goes along the roof rail, then i may be able to help you.

I started with the front, got about the first 6 inches started, i used a piece of wood that was 1/4" thick and about 2 inches wide with a 1/8" notch across the entire width, and 6" long so you can use a light hammer to tap it down. They are stainless steel so they can take some force, but dont go crazy. So, start with putting the molding on the front of the roof rail, and walk the wood piece down as you lightly tap the underside of the molding until it seats. As you go, the rest of the molding should lay down on to the roof rail. You may need someone to help with holding it in place as you work down the length of the rail. Once you get it put back on, go back the entire length and tap the wood block to smooth out any ripples on the molding so its secure on the rail

Hope this helps.

Thanks.

 

[4406bbl]

I carefully pried the drip rail moldings off of my '73 RR project a long time ago to paint it so I could make sure to get paint underneath where they overlap the sail panels, and in so doing they developed an upward bow to them that makes them impossible for me to snap back on. I sent them to a trim guy, John at D&R Stainless in Florida, who claimed he could "make them look like new again" and when I got them back this week sure enough they still had the bow in them. This still keeps them from staying on the driprails as you try to snap them back on: when you do this the bottom edge wants to pop back off the drip rail.

The way I see it the bottom edges of the driprail moldings got stretched when I pried them off which is what's causing the upward bow in them now. Is there a way to either 1) install the driprail moldings even though they have the bow in them, or 2) remove the bow so you aren't constantly working against this when you try to install them? The only thing I can think of to do is to heat up the very bottom edges of the moldings so that when they cool maybe they will shrink the stretched metal back to it's original shape, but this seems tricky to me since it would be hard to control how much they shrink (if they shrink at all). Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

I would send them back to him and tell him to fix them.
Was it a vinyl top car to begin with? Vinyl moldings are wider than non vinyl, and will not hook tightly. I tried to take a set off of a non vinyl 73 decades ago, new were not available so I stopped and painted around them, they are tight on those cars. You may have to slice the bottom of them a little with a dremel wheel, and fit them to the car. If you heat it it will discolor and you must repolish. If you can live with a few slices you should be able to get them on the car. You can tig weld the slices when done, sand and repolish. Sorry no easy answers, but that trim guy should have straightened them or called you, there is a trim guy here that can fix anything....but you will not like the price.

 

[vegiguy]

I would send them back to him and tell him to fix them.
Was it a vinyl top car to begin with? Vinyl moldings are wider than non vinyl, and will not hook tightly. I tried to take a set off of a non vinyl 73 decades ago, new were not available so I stopped and painted around them, they are tight on those cars. You may have to slice the bottom of them a little with a dremel wheel, and fit them to the car. If you heat it it will discolor and you must repolish. If you can live with a few slices you should be able to get them on the car. You can tig weld the slices when done, sand and repolish. Sorry no easy answers, but that trim guy should have straightened them or called you, there is a trim guy here that can fix anything....but you will not like the price.

No, it's not a vinyl top car.

This trim guy was horrible on the price, too. To add insult to injury he somehow managed to make the molding wider than they were originally, and he took away the little lip they have on the bottom of them that snaps over the driprails of the car. There's no way on earth these are going to work any more, and I don't know if they can be saved at this point. He got them polished up really well, but on the underside of them there are tool marks all along the length of the moldings, so I suspect he also did a lot of sanding to get rid of the tool marks on the right side of the molding before he polished them making them significantly thinner than they were originally. He ripped me off on the return shipping as well, and sent it USPS Parcel Post which caused it to take six weeks to get it back (thanks to Louis Dejoy screwing up the Postal Service).

I found out about him in Hemming Motor News where he has been advertising for a long time, so I felt he wasn't running some fly-by-night outfit. When I first called him and talked to him he told me he had done a lot of these moldings and other Mopar trim, which now I think must have been a lie. I don't like to do this, but I suggest that anyone reading this avoid him like the plague if you need trim redone, or know someone else who does. His name is John and I believe he calls his business D & R Stainless (or something like that). He is located in Florida and he is very hard to understand when you speak to him on the phone because he has a thick foreign accent of some sort. He made no effort to try to make it right with me when I contacted him about not getting the trim right, and he hung up on me as I was stating my case. What a HUGE waste of money!

 

[4406bbl]

Sounds like you will need to find new mouldings, you really only get one shot at straightening/sanding thwm, then they get thin. Getting them off another car with minimal damage is going to be the hardest part. Those are tough ones.

 

[4406bbl]

No, it's not a vinyl top car.

This trim guy was horrible on the price, too. To add insult to injury he somehow managed to make the molding wider than they were originally, and he took away the little lip they have on the bottom of them that snaps over the driprails of the car. There's no way on earth these are going to work any more, and I don't know if they can be saved at this point. He got them polished up really well, but on the underside of them there are tool marks all along the length of the moldings, so I suspect he also did a lot of sanding to get rid of the tool marks on the right side of the molding before he polished them making them significantly thinner than they were originally. He ripped me off on the return shipping as well, and sent it USPS Parcel Post which caused it to take six weeks to get it back (thanks to Louis Dejoy screwing up the Postal Service).

I found out about him in Hemming Motor News where he has been advertising for a long time, so I felt he wasn't running some fly-by-night outfit. When I first called him and talked to him he told me he had done a lot of these moldings and other Mopar trim, which now I think must have been a lie. I don't like to do this, but I suggest that anyone reading this avoid him like the plague if you need trim redone, or know someone else who does. His name is John and I believe he calls his business D & R Stainless (or something like that). He is located in Florida and he is very hard to understand when you speak to him on the phone because he has a thick foreign accent of some sort. He made no effort to try to make it right with me when I contacted him about not getting the trim right, and he hung up on me as I was stating my case. What a HUGE waste of money!

I feel for you, I have been in the same boat and am lucky now to have the plater and polishers local that do perfect work, or call you and say no dice. I see there is a nice set of polished 73 vinyl top drip rails on the bay, you could panel bond a piece of .050-.060 wire to the top or bottom of the rails, whatever looks best for fit, then sand or grind the wire until they fit perfect. Snap on with your fingers type of fit, no beating or mallet action is what I shoot for. I have learned drip rail do not go to polish until I know they will go on the car. It is an expensive lesson for sure, but you will overcome. I alway hang the fkd up stuff people have done for me on the wall of shame....so I never forget them. I feel he took advantage of you if those mouldings still are bent, he knows damn well they would never fit, just the way I see it. A pro knows.

 

[RussT Plymouths]

I have a couple sets of these in my stash, if you want to compare them to the set you have, you're welcome to. You'll just need to make the trip to Hutch. And yes, both are for sale. Shoot me a PM if you want to discuss further. I have an inside space at the swap meet in May at the Fairgrounds if that works better for you.