I recently installed door molding on my '05 and noticed something odd about the instructions. Instead of only noting that the finsh should be clean before installation, the instructions said to mix a few oz. of isopropyl alcohol with the auto soap. Does alcohol remove wax? Will it get rid of the wax that accidentally gets applied to blacked-out plastic parts? If not, what will?

 

Isopropyl was added to remove wax in the area where adhesive would contact the paint.

I guess you're, ultimately, asking how to remove wax from black plastic trim... Isopropyl can do that but, there are better methods... try a quick search on this one. We've rode this pony around the prairie a few times...

RP

 

Can you post pictures of the moldings you installed? Where did you buy them?
Thanks
JC

 

My truck stays covered during the week (I drive two other cars to save gas). I'll shoot a few photos this weekend when I take the cover off. I purchased the molding from Pep Boys, but I don't think it's a regular stock item. The moldings are about 2-1/2" wide and come on a roll. They're ribbed and all black except for a chrome strip at the top (or bottom, depending on how they're installed). The reason I don't think they're a regular item is that the store said they couldn't order more. The roll had slight damage near one end, but they said it was probably a one-off leftover from a non-repetitive stock purchase. I also couldn't find it on their Web site. I'll provide the numbers on the box though when I upload the photos. Incidentally, JC Whitney sells molding that seems similar, although it's more expensive. Here's a link:

JC Whitney Wide Side Molding

If any of this looks interesting, you might want to save the link in your Favorites file. The JCW search engine is a mess, and this page won't come up unless you search specifically for "side" and "molding." The molding they call "Cheyenne" on this catalog page appears very similar to what I bought at Pep Boys. I know it's more of a Chevy style, but it looks great on the truck. I just did the four doors, without carrying it all the way to the fender wells. Oh yes, if you haven't installed it before, I suggest using a 3-4 foot piece of trim designed to cover edges of laminate flooring as an installation tool. The trim lets you expose the adhesive on the molding all at once and still stick the molding on perfectly straight (and in line with a previously installed piece). I'll try to post a photo of that too, over the weekend.

 

I decided to write this up under a new topic. Please refer to "Installing Body Side Molding" in the "Other Body Category" of the "Body" forum.