basically just wanted to know what's the best way to replace the chrome stripping (ea fairmont) around the car? I've been told that you can buy inserts at autobarn, but if i'm correct, the chrome stripping on the bumperbars is different than the stripping along the side of the car.
The stripping on the side of the car is really just some silver celophane type substance stuck on the top of the grey plastic thing stuck on the side of the doors and side panels. The stripping on the bumperbars looks like it can actually be replaced as a whole.
Am I correct, and also, what is the best way to replace this. I want to colour it red. Should I spray paint the stripping along the sides red, and replace the inserts on the bumperbars from ones at autobarn??
If i have to spray the side, what's the best way to spray it. (i don't know shit if you couldn't already tell! :)
Dave... The chrome strip is plastic mouldings with chrome celophane on it all round the vehicle. Mine was peeling off all over the place, so I pulled it all off (took ages) and spray painted it with a chrome look paint. It looked good for a little while, but then the paint started to fade and doesn't look very good at all. But at least its even. To buy brand new inserts from Ford is expensive. The front bumper insert is $60, the back is $94, and the side mouldings for the complete set, the side mouldings are all one piece, are a ridiculous $377. These prices are for an LTD by the way, so they might be a little bit different for you.
If you really wanted to paint them, you could go to a wrecker and pick them up fairly cheap and then paint those which don't have chrome on them, or you could buy the red inserts from Ford, but I don't know the prices for the red inserts.
When you're painting plastic, make sure you prep the surface first with some prepsol or degreaser or whatever, then once that dries spray a few coats of plastic primer, then the colour coat then the clear top coat. Remember, plenty of light little coats with about 15-20 mins in between each coat. Don't spray heaps on in one coat, it'll look shit!
I am soon intending to purchase new mouldings all round, but there's no way I'll be paying that much.
Maybe a wrecker is the best option after all, because any car that has been treated half decent for its whole life shouldn't have that stuff peeling off.
__________________
Jack Travis, E-Series Acting President
1989 Ford Fairmont Ghia turbo/GL replica (underway)
1994 Eunos 800M
1990 Ford Laser S
i replaced my mouldings with red, all silver ones eventualy crack or peel and you wont find many in good cond,
Go red i got all my side mouldings for $40 from the wreckers and got them sprayed the same colour as the car (blue) except fot the red strip!
You can buy the bumper insert from any where either silver or red for like $4 a mt but get 3M brand good quality.
You can get the chrome inserts for the front and rear bars from Paint Mobile... u buy it per/m. The stuff they have at Autobarn is slightly too thin....it still looks ok but doesn't really fit perfectly.
I picked up my Fairmont side moulds from the wreckers for $125 and they were in very good condition. I masked up the chrome, and rubbed the grey back with a scotch brite 'grey' pad. Prepsoled them and sprayed them with black acrylic from a gun....then removed the masking tape off the chrome and sprayed clear over the lot. Came up really well, even better if I get around to buffing them. Just remember what Alex said, lots of light coats do the trick.
Do you reckon I could go and buy the plastic mouldings (i'm guessing your talking about the grey trimming around the edges that the actual chrome insert is in) from a wrecker, and if i can't find ones with red ones, go to a auto paint shop and get them to paint them for me. I'm to worried that i'd do a shit job, cuz i've never done anything to do with paint in my life.
Also will they laugh at me, cuz, well, i don't want to look like a dickhead.. :)
Firstly, on an unrelated topic, I was quoted $250 for a new rear bumper which I'm quite happy with. That doesn't include the mouldings though.
I was also quoted an astounding figure for the mouldings - $60 for the driver's door alone. And no 'package' deal is heard-of.
Regarding the chrome (or otherwise) inserts, it is sold per metre, though the cost of $5 per metre is respectable. Only trouble is, it would require a bit of accuracy when cutting, etc otherwise it wouldn't look up to the factory standard.
So I recommend only replacing mouldings that need replacing, and sourcing them from a wrecker. Then the chrome strip from Ford should fix the rest. I'm not sure how easily the old strip will come off, but I suppose I'll find out soon enough...
__________________
Jack Travis, E-Series Acting President
1989 Ford Fairmont Ghia turbo/GL replica (underway)
1994 Eunos 800M
1990 Ford Laser S
can i suggest, witht he front bars, go factory, cos most likey they r really good quality stuff, and as well as that, there dubble sided tape doesn't come off as qucik as other stuff... The door moulds r ****in expensive, so go to recker, and when preping things to paint, dong just rub down with prepsole, the paint will still come off, it needs something to grip to, get soem stuff, called, Scotch brite, it scratches up the serface(very small, but still enough) that will do the trick, then spray ya primer on, rub is back, just to make sure there rn't ne sractches showin then paint ya top coat on... :D umm and Ils, that is a ****in expensive, is asked my boss and a front bar for a EA is ony $153, iono weather that included the moulding or not...
cyas CATman
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