The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Painting the exterior door window trim (51 half-ton)

I've got my doors stripped down and ready for primer but I'm curious as to how best to paint the exterior window moulding. Right now they are off with a coat of primer but they need some dings and rust pits filled.

Should I put some finish color around the window opening and then mount the trim and do the filling or should I do all of that with them off the doors. These things are miserable to work on off the door because they flop all over the place and they overlap making it tough to get them painted without scratching them.

Anyone who's been where I am now have any advice?

Woody ,
I had mine painted off the doors ..because off all the surface rust I found under them when I removed them .
so I had the painter paint the doors ..an trim seperate to get a good coat of paint under the trim .
Re-installin after bein apart was a chore an of course I kinked the first one a bit gettin it back on an a minor scratch ...then I REMEMBERED ~!..how I took it apart !!!!!
After that the second one went on slick as could be.
To make a long story short I know there is good solid paint under that trim now ...wich was what I was after .
An I TOTALLY AGREE off the doors they are like tryin to handle a Octopuss !!!!....but I think it is worth the trouble to get paint under there .
Just my 2 pennies
Tim

I'll add my two pennies in total agreement with Tim's reply. We painted the exterior door-window trim/molding as described by Tim, and for the same reasons.

Okay, I agree that it should be painted separately... but how did you keep it from flopping around and the ends frome hitting each other while you were painting it? Did you build a fixture?

Remember that I have dents and pitted metal to repair too.

I am not quite sure what you are asking. If you have already primered the trim pieces, then just fill with poly filler sand and reprime and shoot your color coat. I did my trim pieces last summer, and just made sort of eyelet shaped seperators out of bailing wire. I used pressure fit wire shapes to keep the ends apart. Plus, useing an eyelet instead of a hook you keep the surface area being not coated to a minumin. Hope this helps.

I was wondering how you kept the ends separated... I think your solution is brilliant! Since carpentry is my hobby I tend to think wood but your idea is better,

Thanks!

Maybe the pair of Tim’s and a Jimmie D would care to elaborate on how they removed and reinstalled the strip without tearing it up.

I'm going to be in Woody’s shoes in a short while and it never hurts to hear what sort of pain others had to endure.
Right off the bat I can see how easy it would be to kink the corners slipping it out and back in to the opening. You obviously have to fold it into the middle some to make it get it in and out and there is a lot of leverage available at the corners.

Woody, unless I'm missing something, just making a 1/2" x 3" or 4" long piece of flat stock from wood or plastic that would fit snugly in the channel at the joint seems like it would stiffen the frame up enough to work on it. It's the same sort of situation that you have with the tiny channel that goes around the door panels. Once the ends are tied together it gets fairly stiff. I would treat the dents just as I would with a piece of SS trim, i.e., make a hard wood form tool and tap them out against a leather or plastic buck. To do the filing or finishing I would make, again, a board thinned to fit in the channel snugly that I could clamp in the vise. I may have posted this be for but here is a picture of my reworking the door panel frame: http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2807699410098611668hcOjZm

As fur as the painting it only makes sense to me, to get a coat of primer and paint on both pieces and after reassembly do the final coat of paint.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny ,
Takin it off it comes pretty easy after you drill out the rivets or remove the screws wichever yours has .
I did put a kink in my first attempt puttin it back in ....but after remeberin how it came out ..it went easy ..THE BIG THING TO REMEBER when putting it back in is to start in the corner where the wing window sets ...THE HARDEST curve stick it in first ...an with a helper to control the flaling octopus ...to keep down the scratches.
then work it along the bottom of the frame an the rest will slip right on .
Now when ya get to the end remeber under an over ...so seat the side that goes under first an the rest will pop right on .
THEN YA DONE !
Tim

Nice explanation, Tim.

I bent one of mine coming off (I practiced on an old door), but, with care and patience (slowness), I got the pieces off just fine. There are 6 of these window trim pieces on a Suburban - the four Suburban rear side-window exterior trim pieces are almost irreplaceable.

Your advice about installing from the "under-end first" is great. Slow, steady, and have two extra hands.

Tim

Good info. Putting tape around the opening before installing can help protect from scratching with one of the loose ends too.

I've practices putting mine in and I've not bent it yet. I start by putting it in the forward bottom corner, then tipping the back up until I can pop it in, then push it down until the bottom is seated, keeping an eye on the corners and vertical sides, keeping pressure off them by partially seating them as permitted.

Then comes the touchy part, bending the verticals just enough to get the top corners in. I can guarantee you that there was a lot of scrap created when a new hire went to work on the line learning how to put these in... it seems like there is NO room for play, just enough flex to get it in if you're patient.

And if you manage to kink it once, you've just crated a point where it is even more likely to kink next time.

Oh, and I've discovered that that blue painter's making tape they sell for house painters makes a good protective barrier against scratches, and if you stick it your pants first, it loses just a little more tack and comes off very easy.

I Just went through this on my sub. On an AD sub the windows in the doors have stainless trim around them but the sliding side windows have painted trim. I removed the painted ones and had them chrome plated so now all the window trim matches. When putting them back on I used a rubber mallet and carefully tapped them into position. I started in a lower corner and worked along the bottom. After I got the first corner in position I very carefully bent the trim upward until I could get it started in the opposite lower corner. Have to be careful not to kink it. Once the two lower corners are in the rest of it goes easy. Have to make sure you start with the correct end so when you get to the top the ends overlap properly. And they like to flip around a lot when you try to install them. Weeds

7+ year old forum and still applies. Here I am needing this quality conversation - Thanks to all and referenced - Kevin

When I first saw this post was credited to Woody (Czechman),I thought he'd come back to the 'bolt.
Then I saw the date of the post.

Like you say Kevin,this place is a great reference library,use the search function correctly and all the info you'll ever need is right here,even if it IS 7+ years old.

Oh, don't you worry, I'm keeping an eye on you guys.

Woody
Glad to hear you are still out there. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your posts and how much they helped me with my restoration.
Mike

I still get notifications of posts to topics I've commented on but this time it seemed like a perfect opportunity to let everyone know I'm still above ground. These days I've divested myself of all the tools and parts from my '51 project. The truck was sold to someone local and he did some work on it including a new bed and then sold it to someone in NJ and then the line broke and I don't know what ever happened to it.

Regardless, I hope everyone is healthy and doing what they enjoy.

Woody

Cool to hear from you! I really have enjoyed looking at your photos in your Door Art Gallery & reading everything you had to offer in previous threads.

I hope you are doing well, as well.

Brad

WOODY OLD BUDDY! Good to hear from you. Thought you might have
drifted off in to the sun set, never to be heard from again.
Sure wish you would throw your hat in the ring once in a while.
You have a lot to offer still, even if the Stovebolt is history.
How's the back doin'????

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Hi Woody. Great to hear you're still kickin' and checking in on us young 'uns,we've been behaving ourselves...honest!....

Hi Denny! I'm hanging in there. No long walks but otherwise all is well.
Woody

Back at ya!