how do you remove 1. roof rack 2.chrome strip along gutter 3. center
molding. any other words of help going to strip it down for a complete
paint job
> how do you remove 1. roof rack
Remove headliner>two allen head bolts per mounting point>bag and tag
bolts,gaskets. You will need a new headliner ($300). You'll see why
when you try removing the old one intact.
2.chrome strip along gutter
Masked mine.
3. center molding.
GENTLY pop off with a pry tool. you'll see the red retaining thingies
on each molding mounting post. Pry as close to them as you can. Don't
reuse the red retainers. Be very careful not to bend molding. Window
bottom ledge molding is pried UPWARD, not outward.
any other words of help going to strip it down for a complete paint
job.
Get all the rust. If you have a sunroof, drop the pan when the
headliner is out and you will find rust you never knew was there.
http://avaloncinema.com/TD_rust.jpg
Test all the shunts from the sunroof pan to make sure they are not
obstructed and the points that they drain are not rusting.
http://avaloncinema.com/TD_pan_rust.jpg
Pull the door panels and see if there is rust forming at the bottom of
the insides of the doors. There are lots of rust treatments out there,
but none of them will work if you do not remove the rust first. I used
a wire wheel. very distructive to fabric and stainless, but effective.
Unless your body work is perfect, go to a lighter colour. Dark or
metalic colours tend to show dents and bumps. Nothing like a nice white
paint job to hide sins. It is best to stick to the original colour of
you can, otherwise you are painting under the hood and door jams. You
might wanna budget for some professional body work if you want to go
with original/darker colour.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes.