westslope Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 (edited) My '93 pathie has rust in the corner of all four doors windows just under the belt molding. I believe this is a common issue. One of them--the driver-side, rear door molding is particularly bad and should be fixed or replaced. Pictures follow. Passenger-side rear door belt molding rust, still in "reasonable" shape. The front passenger-side and driver-side doors exhibit similar rust bubbling. The drivers-side rear door belt molding (which I want to fix or replace). A closer look. A body shop expert recommended that I remove and replace. The part costs C$93.69 at the local Nissan dealership. I have seen similar parts on wrecker vehicles ('90-'95) that look in reasonable shape. Anybody do this? Recommendations? Any suggestions for safely and easily removing the existing molding? Edited September 1, 2009 by westslope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeV Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Hate to say it but replace them... I need to get all 4 soon myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westslope Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 You might be right MikeV. Though I would rather avoid a C$400 bill....... P.S. I just updated the images with better quality photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 i gots that on 1 of mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Try to find a donor first. $400 can be better spent than that... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 hell, for 400 bucks you could just as easily get new doors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Get a good used set. Really no way to repair them, and new parts are outragously expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westslope Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 (edited) EDIT (Figured it out.) Edited September 1, 2009 by westslope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I would defiantly be yanking them off one in a j/y or someone here partign out. I can think of alot better things to do with $400 than window trim... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westslope Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Any suggestions for removing them without ripping off or excessively bending the metal tabs I assume are holding the molding in place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Use a thin metal putty knife and work it in to pop the clip tabs loose. If you are worried about scratching the paint you can try a plastic one, but there is a good chance it will just bend or break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westslope Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 UPDATE To repeat the dealer price for the drivers side, rear door molding to replace the badly rusted original was C$94 before tax. I drove to Alpi's Van & Truck on the west side of Abbotsford (southwest British Columbia in the lower Fraser Valley). Was told the part would cost me C$25 (!?!!) because removing it would reduce the potential value of the door. Didn't even have a look. Got back in the pathie and drove to Pick-A-Part (Canada) on the west side of Chiliwack, BC, right beside the Highway #1 (The Trans-Canada). Found an OK part, carefully sought to remove it over an hour to avoid damage. A helpful gentleman helped me remove the window and finally pop it out. In passing, Pick-A-Part is the best organized junkyard I have ever had the privilege of visiting. Everything is grouped. The web-site is surprisngly informative and up to date. There seems to be a good thru-put. Somebody was thinking safey when they designed this yard. Folks are friendly; carts are provided; customers are friendly. My time has some value; despite the longer ride, I'll be heading straight to P-A-P next time I seek a quality, used part. Anyhoooow--sorry for the long digress--I paid my under C$6 for that part and another almost C$4 for some great shape rubber that goes over the dome light driver door switch. Back home, I wired brushed the molding ends that were showing a wee bit of corrosion, wiped it down with 99% rubbing alcohol. Applied rust remover liquid with a toothbrush. Let sit; rinse; reapply. Repeat. Use the skinning blade to poke away at a bit more recessed rust. Dry with paper towel, soft dry clothes, put in oven pre-heated to 200F (with door open). Apply black matte finish tremclad paint. Let dry overnight; discover that tremclad does not adhere to the plastic/rubber molding. Forgot idea of second coat of anti-rust paint. Used Zap-A-Gap-style 'crazy glue' to glue rubber into place over rusted bits. Cut a short section of plastic bag to place over the outer door frame (as in original). Took me less than 1 1/2 minutes to remove the original. I grabbed the top near the rear end with a pair of vice grips and then snuck in with my 4" skinning blade/utility knife and easily popped the molding out. Nothing like a little understanding to make the job easier. Was almost tempted to do preventative maintenance on the other 3 door moldings, and then thought better of it. I'm counting on a steady supply of better condition moldings to come out of the wrecker yards over the next few years. Final installation Fed the front end of the replacement part in under the vertical molding and then snapped it into place. Applied a little Black Asphalt undercoating to both ends. Looks fine to me. May add some silicone caulking to improve run-off on that door and others. Photos follow. Removing some of the rust of the new molding in the kitchen Old molding removed and sitting on window edge Rear window frame cleaned up After one anti-rust paint application and after having installed the molding, I applied black asphalt underbody. Masking tape catches the dribbles Finished product (rear and front ends) looks rough But from a distance, who notices and who cares? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magregor Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Looks fine to me! Hell of alot better than rusty ones curling up on the ends like an eel in a frying pan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Stop making fun of mine mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magregor Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Stop making fun of mine mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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