Re: IML: How to remove 55 sill moulding?

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

I have done this job before on both '55 and '56 myself. The stainless steel wheel house moulding, corner "pork chop", and rocker panal moulding on the '55 Imperial are held on with spring clips. By now, there is a lot of dirt in there, plus the clips themselves have probably become "hard" from corrosion. It is not likely that much of the spring action is left. Still, the trim can be removed without breaking too many clips if you are careful. This is also assuming that the nuts that hold many of the clips to the car are siezed. Many of them are inaccessible anyway.

Pushing "up" from the bottom of the trim piece, and pulling it "out" at the top, it will come off. It may take a few "pushes" from below free it up. This way, you are taking full advantage of the "flexing" in the stainless steel, to make up for the lack of spring left in the clips.

I would suggest that you remove the rocker panel moulding first, then the pork chop, and then finally the wheel house moulding. The rocker panel moulding has the most "flex" in it and is the easiest to remove. Also, the wheel house moulding is attached at the rear to the large cast chrome rear quarter trim moulding. You don't really want to mess with that unless you absolutely have to. The only way to disconnect the wheel house moulding from that part is to pull it "up and off" of the cast part.

If none of this will come apart at all, you will need to do what ever is necessary to take it all off without damaging the trim. Body and paint can be repaired. The clips can be replaced, but not easily. The parts (at least similar ones) can be found, but once you start digging in to remove all of the old clips, other problems that you don't want to deal with at this time may present themselves.

Paul

In an email dated Sun, 2 1 2005 6:08:56 pm GMT, Rickard & Anna <imperial55coupe@xxxxxxxx> writes:

>Dear all,
> 
>We have now started to do the minor repairs needed on our 55 sedan. However I need to remove the left hand side sill moulding in order to weld one small rust hole just in front of the rear wheel. I also need to remove the moulding round the rear wheel and the part in the corner which sits between that and the sill moulding.
>How is that done, is it only to pry hard enough? Are new clips available if I break one?
>Please help us out, we don't want do destroy anything!
> 
>Thanks!
>
>
>Rickard & Anna Sporre, Katrineholm SWEDEN
>1955 Imperial
>1969 Ford Mustang Mach1
>http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1955/Sporre/index.htm
>


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