I decided to fit the trim to the car before painting it. That way there will be less chance of messing it up. The vertical tape strips are the location of the trim clips. After a lot of adjusting I managed to get the four pieces in a smooth line. The front and back strips have a slight downward curve to them.
I marked the top and bottom of the trim on each of the vertical strips. The centre between the top and bottom lines would be where the hole for the trim strip mounting clip would be located.
I drilled the holes using two sizes of bits. At each end of the moulding I drilled using a 5/16″ bit. This hole is just big enough for the clip and does not allow for any vertical movement – all clips can move horizontally within the moulding. I wanted the end clips to hold the trim in an exact position – especially at the joins at the door edges. For the rest I used a 11/32″ bit. This allows for the clip to move a bit vertically. The end clips will hold the trim in its proper position and the middle clips can float a little so that the trim is not forced to bend.
I’m happy with this side. Now to do the right side.
The right side was a lot easier to put in place. Looks OK to me 🙂
I also have stainless trim mouldings for the rocker panels and stone shields for the front of the rear wheel well opening. Together they should look very nice I think.
Next: Painting the trim and applying the 1/8″ black decal.