Is it ok to peel the clearcoat off the molding. It appears to be the only problem on the car, it is lifting off the molding and traping water under it. I notice if i peel it off, some of the grain comes off with it, any sugestions.
It sounds like the molding needs a bit of restoration. There are a few here experienced with that. Stormin' Norman comes to mind as he's just completed a Fairmont Squire restoration. Check out the 45 pages or so of his car running countdown thread. There is sure to be help there or he will most likely chime in very soon.
I did use a Krylon clearcoat (satin finish). But here's the gig. Ford uses 3 layers on the trim: 1) Top coat is the clearcoat that is separating/bubbling off. 2) A grain coat (you can use a varathane exterior solid urethane stain) Use the exterior grade because Brown is made with a red/blue base. The red fades unless the stain has UVA and UVB protection. A pint is all you need. 3) The base coat is an almond color. One thing I would do over is powdercoat each piece in my oven. Or go to a shop with a pizza oven. You only need about 165 degrees to do that. The 3 layers of different paint/stain formulas aren't always compatible, so try to stick with the same brand(s). The Krylon is a hard finish, but we have a lot of roadsalt here, so I hope to see how it lasts through its first winter on the road. Here's the guy who guided me through my process. Note that his car's mouldings are foam, not aluminum: http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/wood.html http://www.rickwrench.com/ And here's a PowderCoat/Clearcoat DIY thread: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/can-you-clearcoat-aluminum-732.html
It's damn shame ALL automakers didn't do the wood surrounds the right way from the factory! My old Country Squire was doing the same thing, clear plastic shrink wrap was coming off the trim and water was getting underneath. Other than that it was in great shape. Just the thought of taking all the trim off and restoring it was too much work and a big pain in the ass, so I sold it! The '92 Caprice Wagon I have now didn't come from the factory with wood, it's aftermarket put on by TrimLine when it was new. I don't have the wood trim surrounds, it has tan pin stripes that will never peel, discolor, dent, need restoring. The best surrounds I've ever seen from the factory have been on Mercury Wagon's, they are chrome with brown paint inserts. Clark
No argument from me, Clark. It's too bad they went on the cheap. When I look at the 1934 to 1956 Buick Roadmaster wagons and the early 50's Ford wagons with real wood, still around, maintained properly, they tell me somebody scored a promotion for a nickel and dime idea. There weren't that many woodie wagons made compared to the non-woodies, so it must have 'Ease of maintenance' that shifted to these foam and aluminum trims.
