What to do with that daggy trim on a Caprice Wagon?

I finally got tired of looking at the daggy metallic strip atop the body side moldings of my 1996 Caprice.  There are no replacements to be had, and I've never seen better in a yard.  Nor did I really want to get rid of the moldings entirely and go naked.



 
What's a wagon owner to do?  

Well...if you own a table saw you can pull the old molding off, spend about 2 days removing the 3M Double Sided Tape of Satan and associated demon spooey from the body panels, set your rip fence, and buzz off the metallic strip.  Take steps to insure that you have all your fingers when you are finished.

Sand the edge with an orbital sander and 220 grit to remove the saw marks, finish wetsand with 220, 320, 400, 600, and finally 1000 grit, and then lacquer clearcoat the trim.




Reapply fresh 3M Tape of Satan and reattach your factory new solid color body side trim pieces.  You will loose the piece running over the rear wheel, but if you bevel the leading and trailing edge where it meets the wheel well, no one will notice.

Looks nice, good job.

An Eraser wheel makes glue removal a very quick job.

Looks good! I once saw something similar done on a CE, but rather than with the chrome trim they did this with the "wood" trim that outlines the woodgrain. I like how yours look in red.

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An Eraser wheel makes glue removal a very quick job.

Too soon old. Too late wise.

Nice looking upgrade.

If only the snow would stop, the car might get to leave the garage.