Help removing chrome drip rail trim

[F. Townsend]

I have nice new (plastic) chrome drip rail strips ready to go on my 1989, but I am having terrible trouble removing the old ones.

Someone said that they just slide off but that is clearly not always the case. I was able to pry off/break off some but still a lot to go. There is no rust beneath.

Has anyone removed these?

Any tips/pointers would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Frank

[Duke(Gwag)]

need pic's

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Heat them up, Propane torch on low.................watch the PAINT!!!

[my 2j20's]

use a bottle opener! 2 works best..

[FSJ-Earl]

I starte3d at one end with a small screwdiver, pryed the top lip off and then carefully slid my finger to seperate, when I came to a tough spot,m I used the screwdriver, a bottle opener would work well as suggested earlier.

[Chrome]

TORCHES?!! BOTTLE OPENERS?!! JESUS CHRIST PEOPLE THIS IS CHROME WERE TALKING ABOUT HERE!!!! I think I need a Prozac.....

[91G-Dub]

TORCHES?!! BOTTLE OPENERS?!! JESUS CHRIST PEOPLE THIS IS CHROME WERE TALKING ABOUT HERE!!!! I think I need a Prozac.....

[schnerdad]

Hopefully these suggestions (from the members here) will help you out there Frank... I'll be do'n the same this spring, and am look'n to buy some new trim for my GW....Share some info if you'd please, Where did you get your New Drip Edges from? Cost?

[F. Townsend]

Well, I finally got back to the drip rail trim replacement and thought I would post the results.

In retrospect, I think it was a lot harder to do when I first tried because of the cool weather at the time- the plastic covering of the old drip rail trim was very brittle and tended to break apart as I pried it off. On a hot sunshiny day, the plastic was softer and everything went much more smoothly.

As others said, the way to start is with a small screwdriver blade tip pushed into the space between the very rear of the drip rail trim and the drip rail itself. Not under the lip at first, but between the two lips. The idea is to get the top lip to start to come off. Once it's started, then you can use your fingertips to pry the top edge off little by little. If there are hard parts, then use the screwdriver again to get it going. Eventually the whole thing should start to peel off, going from the back to the front of the Jeep.

The stainless steel corner piece just clips on with small obvious tabs. The front pillar drip rail extension then comes off in the same way as the roof piece.

Once I had everything off, I inspected the drip rail for rust, etc. Mine was not too bad, but was dirty. After scraping off any rust I found, I used some degreaser to clean the rail and rinsed. Once everything was clean, I used POR-15 metal prep followed by some clear POR-15 down in the rail and touching up some small divots I made with the screwdriver.

After the paint dried, I opened up my new trim rails. For ease of installation, I applied some silicone grease to the lower edge of the drip rail. Then, starting from one end, I hooked the top edge of the trim over the drip rail all the way from from one end to the other. Once it was lined up evenly with the metal ends, I just snapped the lower hooked edge into place walking the length of the Jeep as I did so. The silicone grease did seem to make things easier. I did the same with the pillar pieces and finished off with the stainless corners.

The new trim looks much better than the old yellowed stuff!

New replacement rain gutter trim can be found at:

http://www.bjsoffroad.com

[jc turtle]

Hi Schnerdad, You can get the mouldings from your local Jeep dealer. They are reasonably priced, if I remember correctly. John

[scantar]

Is the rail a pinch welded thing? Like if I wanted to trash the chrome (sorry Scott! someone get him a chair ) is the rail finished under there?


Steve

[CowtownGW]

anyone tackled this recently? BJ's no longer has it available - any ideas?

thanks,
Chris
'89 Grand Wagoneer
Fort Worth, TX

[Crist Clapper]

CowtownGW: Anyone ever get you info on these? I'm looking too!

anyone tackled this recently? BJ's no longer has it available - any ideas?

thanks,
Chris
'89 Grand Wagoneer
Fort Worth, TX