Side molding removal

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Wallace6

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Ray
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1987
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Suburban
Engine Size
350
Ok so I recently bought an 87 suburban,it has taped on molding all the way around the belt line. Some came off easily and certain pieces are stuck. Anybody know a good way to get the tape off the body?
I would not mind putting new stuff on but this has to go 1st
Thanks
 

Rickf

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Rick
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I've had good luck the "eraser on a drill", don't recall what brand. If you want to get aggressive, acetone or "Brighto, makes old bodies new".
 

RecklessWOT

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Kevin
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1987
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V10 Suburban Silverado
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350 TBI
Most comes off pretty easy, the rest, just kind of pry it off. Just in case you weren't aware, under the tail lights isn't a sticker, that's actual metal trim
 

PrairieDrifter

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350, 350, 350, 350, 350, 350
The drill attached eraser wheel is the only way. It does a great job. Just hope those trim pieces don't take your paint like they did to me.
 

Grit dog

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Good luck making the new stick back on. If you go back with new.
Yeah ^This.
Idfk why, I’m not a total idiot, hell, I repainted the whole truck and got the paint to stick just fine.
But that fckin trim….
I laid it all out flat for weeks, even in the sun, applied in warm weather, prepped the paint with wax and grease remover and f it if I haven’t had to re-stick at least 50% of it in the first year.
Biggest issue is it doesn’t lay flat so when I pressed it on, the outside edges grabbed first and the inside edges of the adhesive strips wouldn’t.
Any of the contours like at the fender wells or around the back corners it never stuck right and I heated those up with a heat gun until they bent like a cooked noodle. (I ran the trim all the way around to the tailgate. Can replace easy enough with the tin pieces I removed, but…..)
I’ve gone thru almost 2 rolls of the replacement 3M double sided tape. Which also holds MUCH better (original on the trim was 3M too, so???idfk).

Doing it again, I’d suggest if it doesn’t sit flat (curled a little top to bottom) I’d spend the time to try to press it flat first. Idk put it all between 2 pieces of plywood and span it with some lumber and park a car on top of it?
And/or consider just doubling up the tape with more 3m before even trying.
 

Grit dog

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I’ve actually thought about removing it and using all the leftover pinstripe in place of the trim. I got the paint line close enough to cover easily. But I want to keep the factory look and there’s a massive ridge on the paint line. Worse than the upper paint line which I spent hours sanding almost flat before doing the pinstripe.
 

Jgonick

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Joel
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I could never get my trim to stay on. Finally repainted my truck last month and I am not putting trim back on it.
 

Zelph

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David
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1989
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K5
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I was doing some work at a body shop and saw squarebody trim laid out in the rear yard, getting sun. I got To talking with the owner of the shop and he said to chuck a valve stem in a drill. Takes the old glue residue right off and leave the paint alone.
 

bedwards

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Adger, Al.
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Bryan
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1985
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c10 Silverado
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305
I fought mine going back new after a deer hit the truck. Finally got it to stick with 3m weather strip adhesive and used chairs and clamps where I could to push against it and hold it till the glue set. I remember when these trucks came out, the trim just falling off. They don't call it gorilla snot for nuthin.
 

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