Expert: William Forster - 11/3/2006

Question
I have a 1996 Dodge 3500 ClubCab that has the black body molding with a
chrome stripe in the middle. The chrome has cracked and peeled off in a
number of places. How would I remove all the molding with out damaging the
paint... leaving only the painted metal much like the "Sport" model Dodge
has? Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hello Bruce! Its a real pain to remove adheasive backed body side moldings.  To remove them, without damage, I highly suggest having a pro do it. Getting the moldings started loose, without causing damage underneath, is a pain. When I remove moldings, I don't have to worry about causing damage unerneath, because it will be covered by new paint, and a new molding. You won't have that option. There are special molding removal tools available from Snap On, Mac, or Matco, but even these can cause damage if handled incorrectly. Once removed, the adhesive tape is another problem. There are special pneumatic erasers for removing adhesive tape, but it requires a special air too, and an arbor. There is also adheasive removal chemicals, but they are expensive, stink to high heaven, and work PAINFULLY slowly. I think that by the time you purchase what you need to do the job, you might as well pay a pro to do it. I can almost guarantee you will damage the paint if you do it yourself. At best, you will blow a whole afternoon doing a job that totally sucks. I bet a body shop will handle it for a hundred bucks or less. Hope this helps. Bill