- Joined
- Jul 21, 2012
- Messages
- 3,280
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- Location
- South Florida
- My Car
- '71 Mustang Mach 1 M-code "Soylent Green"
'68 Plymouth Satellite
I found myself tackling this task today, but could not find a decent tutorial for the trim removal procedure on '71-73 Sportsroof rear windows.
Given that original trim is prohibitively expensive, I have a hunch that a lot of the originals were damaged by folks completely unaware of the manner of mounting.
Though the concept is the same for many other years and models, it helps when you can see the actual vehicle you'll be working on:
This is the tool that you'll be doing the job with - a standard trim clip release tool. The one you see here is from Advance Auto, and is probably as crappy as they come (fair warning!). Both tips are mirror-imaged of each other. Right now, the tool is wedged between the trim and the rubber seal.
Now, the big problem with this tool for newcomers is that - regardless of how many tutorials you've read - you still don't know exactly what's going on under the rubber, or what you're blindly trying to grab at. Add some caked-up window gasket sealant, and feeling out the clips vs. 40 years of Unidentified Gunky Stuff becomes next to impossible on your first try.
For starters: "What the heck does that tool do under the trim?"
First off, this is what you're trying to do with it that you can't see:
The clip has a tab which interlocks with the C-channel of the trim. When the tool grabs the clip from the side, the tab disengages from the trim, allowing you to pull it up. Pretty nifty, eh?
NOTE: There is one mistake in this .GIF which I realize now (not that it matters to show removal), but I show the spring for the trim clip reversed. It pushes against the head of the stud, not the body.
Not really.
More accurately, you will fight, grab, slip, and generally cuss out that tool as it does everything you don't want it to do while you try to blindly coax the tab off the trim.
First: Do NOT PULL HARD in the direction of the clip. Yanking the trim clip isn't going to do anything. You want to latch the pointed end of the tool onto the side of the clip, and ROTATE the tool carefully to allow the clip to pull away from the trim:
It still sounds easier than it usually is.
Sometimes, it generally helps to lightly (LIGHTLY!) coax the trim upwards (spreading the force you put on it and making SURE you're not bending it) in the process of releasing the clip. This often helps more than you'd think. Sometimes the trim will allow you to do this. Sometimes not.
You may want to cut out whatever rubber may be in the way as well, if you're doing a rear window seal replacement in the process. There is not much room to snake the tool between trim and rubber, nor get your eyes close enough to figure out whether you've got a clip or not. This is also an EASY WAY TO GOUGE YOUR EYES OUT, so be careful, use eye protection, and follow common sense safety skills.
Locating the clips can be a pain. On the '71-73s, there are four clips evenly spaced along each C-pillar, and another four on each side of the car at the roof (for 8 in total at the back of the roof), with the two outermost (those closest to the corners) clips spaced within 3" of each other.
I'll try to get a photo of all the clips and measurements of their locations the next time I remove the window (which is soon - I have it sitting in there loose for now; I'm replacing a full quarter panel).
A video tutorial will follow.
-Kurt
Given that original trim is prohibitively expensive, I have a hunch that a lot of the originals were damaged by folks completely unaware of the manner of mounting.
Though the concept is the same for many other years and models, it helps when you can see the actual vehicle you'll be working on:
This is the tool that you'll be doing the job with - a standard trim clip release tool. The one you see here is from Advance Auto, and is probably as crappy as they come (fair warning!). Both tips are mirror-imaged of each other. Right now, the tool is wedged between the trim and the rubber seal.
Now, the big problem with this tool for newcomers is that - regardless of how many tutorials you've read - you still don't know exactly what's going on under the rubber, or what you're blindly trying to grab at. Add some caked-up window gasket sealant, and feeling out the clips vs. 40 years of Unidentified Gunky Stuff becomes next to impossible on your first try.
For starters: "What the heck does that tool do under the trim?"
First off, this is what you're trying to do with it that you can't see:
The clip has a tab which interlocks with the C-channel of the trim. When the tool grabs the clip from the side, the tab disengages from the trim, allowing you to pull it up. Pretty nifty, eh?
NOTE: There is one mistake in this .GIF which I realize now (not that it matters to show removal), but I show the spring for the trim clip reversed. It pushes against the head of the stud, not the body.
Not really.
More accurately, you will fight, grab, slip, and generally cuss out that tool as it does everything you don't want it to do while you try to blindly coax the tab off the trim.
First: Do NOT PULL HARD in the direction of the clip. Yanking the trim clip isn't going to do anything. You want to latch the pointed end of the tool onto the side of the clip, and ROTATE the tool carefully to allow the clip to pull away from the trim:
It still sounds easier than it usually is.
Sometimes, it generally helps to lightly (LIGHTLY!) coax the trim upwards (spreading the force you put on it and making SURE you're not bending it) in the process of releasing the clip. This often helps more than you'd think. Sometimes the trim will allow you to do this. Sometimes not.
You may want to cut out whatever rubber may be in the way as well, if you're doing a rear window seal replacement in the process. There is not much room to snake the tool between trim and rubber, nor get your eyes close enough to figure out whether you've got a clip or not. This is also an EASY WAY TO GOUGE YOUR EYES OUT, so be careful, use eye protection, and follow common sense safety skills.
Locating the clips can be a pain. On the '71-73s, there are four clips evenly spaced along each C-pillar, and another four on each side of the car at the roof (for 8 in total at the back of the roof), with the two outermost (those closest to the corners) clips spaced within 3" of each other.
I'll try to get a photo of all the clips and measurements of their locations the next time I remove the window (which is soon - I have it sitting in there loose for now; I'm replacing a full quarter panel).
A video tutorial will follow.
-Kurt
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