Removing 62 Catalina Safari trim
 

I’m getting all the stuff together to garage paint my 62 safari wagon.

This is going to be a “good enough” level of job so some of the door window trim I may just tape off but I want to pull the stainless molding off the metal body of the car. Pull the bumpers etc too.

I’m not sure how it comes off. It doesn’t seem to be the typical self threading Pal nut type. Picture included of the inside of the driver door.

I think maybe the stuff that is on top of what would be the quarter panel on a non wagon just pulls off perhaps?

I really don’t want to ruin any hard to get clips if I don’t have to.

The upper trim is held on by "bathtub" clips - little nylon inserts that slide down the inside of the trim itself. You can probably just poke these out from the trunk if you can reach them and then carefully pull up on it to get the rest.
The side trim is held on by spring clips - see this link below and the ebay links still work if you need new ones. The one with the sealant around it is for the side trim. Just squeeze them in a bit & pull.
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...ght=trim+clips

Thanks, so you do need to access the backside for all of the clip types involved. Push on one and squeeze on the other.

And both of the links do seem to still be good. PI can see the white ones on my parts car where all the trim was pulled off. They are still on the body of the car.

So I also need to figure out how to take the panels in the interior of the cargo area of the wagon off. Im pretty sure they come out but I cannot for the life of me see how to do it. Ill post a picture of the inside when I get home so everyone can see what Im seeing and help me out.

I did see someone on a 58 Chevy forum say its easier to replace the bathtub clips with modern molding tape. Ill see how easily I can access the back and get them out and go from there.

My trim was already removed, (project car) but I'd wager there has to be a way to get the trim off without getting behind the panel or destroying the molding - I just don't know what it is.

The interior panels in the cargo area are held in with tack nails mostly. Some have screws, but they are obvious. The wheel hump covers are glued down.

You pry (very carefully!) until you loosen a tack nail and then work your way around the panel until it is removed. I used a hard plastic pry to minimize damage.

With all that said, I still had to have new panels made and recovered because the old ones were very brittle.

Good luck!

James Q

The thing I read on the chevy forum that said the whole point of them was for installers to be able to install from the outside without needing access to the back.

The trim is pulled off my parts car and they are all still stuck in the body. So IDK.

If I break them I break them. We have seen that replacements are available. Ill fight it off and determine the best next step.

Im still not sure how Im supposed to access the backside of the trim. You can see the clips in the area where the spare tire is. But they are completely hidden behind the cargo area sheet metal on the driver side and even on the passenger side when you get closer to the cab area.

Unless someone can show me how those panels are removed easily Im inclined to just cut a couple of access portals and then MIG them back down after.

On my 63, the bonneville emblem on the pass side was held on by speed nuts BUT the drivers side (behind all that reinforcement was held in by barrel nuts.
I gently pried on the emblem and it came out.

It could be worth a little light prying to see if they pop off.

James Q

Ill do that.

The driver rear chrome on the "fin" of the quarter panel has a stud and nut. So there must be a way to get in there somehow. Mine is cracked so I found one on ebay and it had a stud and nut pictured like the passenger side. Maybe you can get in there with the fuel tank removed? IDK. Its all a pain in the butt. I gotta get under it and look at it closer. Ive looked at those interior panels in the cargo area and they look solid.