hypertekOctober 25, 2008
#199471how to: metal window trim restoration
This article is based around my fc rx7, but figure it should work for alot of cars.Over time these things wear out due to weather etc. esp with over 10+ years of sun beating on them. Mine look pretty beat to crap/nasty ewwww.
You have to remove the interior door skin. Remove caps and screws/pull the skin off.
Then roll the windows down so you can access the trim.
There are a few white clips that hold it on, start from one side and gently rock em back and forth while pulling upward, but be careful they can break.
Mine where pretty nasty. Usually the original paint/rubber coating will have cracked and peeled off over time. Remove as much as you can. Use a razor blade to scrap remains etc. Make sure not to damage the rubber seal area. You are just going to paint the metal area and thats it.
I used an abrasive powder cleaner like Ajax, a abrasive sponge to clean them up. Dont have to be perfect but make sure they are clean and free of any debris and smooth. A little bit of surface rust should be ok, as long as its smooth, you will be painting over them.
Time to prep for paint, mask off the rubber window seal area and only leave the metal part exposed for paint.
I hit them with Rust-oleum automotive primer and then semi gloss black for an OEM look.
With them masked up, spray a few layers of primer down onto them, allowing a few minutes to dry in between coast. I did about 3 layers of primer.
Then allow more time for the primer to dry before applying the paint. I threw down about 5 coats of semi gloss black.
Allow them to dry over night , a few days if possible. This is a project to be done when you wont be needing to drive the car for a while.
When all dry, go ahead and put them back on and everything together. Still waiting for mine to dry before i put them on, I placed them in a safe place so they wont be bothered for a while while the paint cures. But they look awesome.
**Instead of using the paints i used, I know there is a black automotive trim paint they sell at auto stores which might also be good. Applying a clear coat would probably be ideal for these as well since these will be taking a beating out in the sun. I used materials/supplies i already had in my garage so it did not really cost me anything.
** You could also possibly polish these for a chrome-like appearance.
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This article is based around my fc rx7, but figure it should work for alot of cars. Over time these things wear out due to weather etc. esp with over 10+ years of sun beating on them. Mine look pretty beat to crap/nasty ewwww. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_728.jpg[/IMG][/URL] You have to remove the interior door skin. Remove caps and screws/pull the skin off. Then roll the windows down so you can access the trim. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"] [IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_740.jpg[/IMG][/URL] There are a few white clips that hold it on, start from one side and gently rock em back and forth while pulling upward, but be careful they can break. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"] [IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_724.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_725.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Mine where pretty nasty. Usually the original paint/rubber coating will have cracked and peeled off over time. Remove as much as you can. Use a razor blade to scrap remains etc. Make sure not to damage the rubber seal area. You are just going to paint the metal area and thats it. I used an abrasive powder cleaner like Ajax, a abrasive sponge to clean them up. Dont have to be perfect but make sure they are clean and free of any debris and smooth. A little bit of surface rust should be ok, as long as its smooth, you will be painting over them. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_748.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_730.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Time to prep for paint, mask off the rubber window seal area and only leave the metal part exposed for paint. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_731.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_735.jpg[/IMG][/URL] I hit them with Rust-oleum automotive primer and then semi gloss black for an OEM look. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_737.jpg[/IMG][/URL] With them masked up, spray a few layers of primer down onto them, allowing a few minutes to dry in between coast. I did about 3 layers of primer. Then allow more time for the primer to dry before applying the paint. I threw down about 5 coats of semi gloss black. [URL="http://tunerbase.com"][IMG]http://tunerbase.com/articles/102408/IMAGE_753.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Allow them to dry over night , a few days if possible. This is a project to be done when you wont be needing to drive the car for a while. When all dry, go ahead and put them back on and everything together. Still waiting for mine to dry before i put them on, I placed them in a safe place so they wont be bothered for a while while the paint cures. But they look awesome. **Instead of using the paints i used, I know there is a black automotive trim paint they sell at auto stores which might also be good. Applying a clear coat would probably be ideal for these as well since these will be taking a beating out in the sun. I used materials/supplies i already had in my garage so it did not really cost me anything. ** You could also possibly polish these for a chrome-like appearance.