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View Full Version : tips on removing stainless rocker trim

joeturbo
03-01-2009, 01:11 AM
i wanting to know if anyone has ever removed their stainless steel rocker trim. im getting ready to have my truck repainted and im wanting to know if there are any tips or tricks into removing it. it looks like it is going to be a major PIA. thanks.
B KIRK
03-01-2009, 08:45 AM
I replaced a couple of mine due to excessive rock dents.
I used a heat gun to get the 3M adhesive as soft as possible.
Started at a corner and peeled it off from there.
Used a set of vise grips to grab it with.
If you had a helper it would go easier.


Brad
joeturbo
03-01-2009, 08:34 PM
thanks for the tips. looks like it may be easier than i thought if i use a heat gun.
morkable
03-01-2009, 09:09 PM
I believe that you can get a erasure type wheel to get the glue off.. hopefully with experience will chime in and give the proper name for it

Kevin
joeturbo
03-04-2009, 12:26 PM
I believe that you can get a erasure type wheel to get the glue off.. hopefully with experience will chime in and give the proper name for it

Kevin

i beleive they are made by 3M products. dont have a clue for the "technical" name for them.
Scooter's Roofing
03-04-2009, 12:28 PM
pinstripe removers

or... "eraser wheel" :p

any body shop will know what you mean, and you don't have to buy the 3M brand, but they are quality wheels. I get the cheap wheels at my local auto body supply for $15/ea
haloman
03-04-2009, 01:13 PM
just be ready for shiny paint underneath of them and it will make your paint look faded. Depends on how long they have been on the truck tho.
morkable
03-04-2009, 02:07 PM
yeah,, isnt that the case.... I am humming and hawing about wether to take the chrome off of my truck.. I have a dent on my passenger rear rocker panel that I need to fix,, and I have to pull the chrome off of there anyways,,,
joeturbo
03-05-2009, 01:25 AM
just be ready for shiny paint underneath of them and it will make your paint look faded. Depends on how long they have been on the truck tho.

truck is getting a new layer of paint to cover that. i peeled the dealership emblem of the truck four years ago and the red paint was defintly faded bad. only reason im repainting the truck is the paint is peeling on the hood and a small spot on top of the cab. my painter is stripping the truck down to bare metal and starting all over again because of the s*****y primer.
Scooter's Roofing
03-05-2009, 09:17 AM
if you've got stainless rocker trim, be prepared for glue-stained paint if they've been on for any length of time. If I see stainless rockers or fender lips on a truck, I won't even consider buying it.

It's ugly as sin, and it's usually covering a problem. If you're planning on repainting or willing to have the rockers coated, go for it.
morkable
03-05-2009, 09:47 AM
im hoping that with our climate here that it wont be too bad. When I took off the badges it looked good. So I am hoping for the same on the bottom..... its just a tough decision, Im not terribly unhappy with the chrome there. There isnt alot of fast trucks with chrome, good to be a little different.

My only reason for considering this is the dent on my passenger side, that piece has to come off anyways, and I dont really feel like replacing just one piece, I know that they wont match..... oh decisions decisions
zstroken
03-05-2009, 11:27 AM
if you've got stainless rocker trim, be prepared for glue-stained paint if they've been on for any length of time. If I see stainless rockers or fender lips on a truck, I won't even consider buying it.

It's ugly as sin, and it's usually covering a problem. If you're planning on repainting or willing to have the rockers coated, go for it.


Yea you put tacky black stuff on yours! LOL
zstroken
03-05-2009, 11:29 AM
pinstripe removers

or... "eraser wheel" :p

any body shop will know what you mean, and you don't have to buy the 3M brand, but they are quality wheels. I get the cheap wheels at my local auto body supply for $15/ea


You get what you pay for. I would strongly recommend the 3M brand.
Scooter's Roofing
03-05-2009, 01:05 PM
Yea you put tacky black stuff on yours! LOL

false, I've never put bedliner on any of my trucks
Blackdog
03-10-2009, 05:30 AM
If the painter is going to strip the truck just get a corner loose and rip them all off. That is what the body shop did with mine.
joeturbo
03-10-2009, 12:25 PM
i had the same idea and my bodyman said not to. he said that some vehicles he has seen done this way have made to metal look wavey. im not wanting to be a geniuy pig for the dodge rams.
morkable
03-10-2009, 01:40 PM
I am going to use a heat gun and a pair of pliers to remove the peices that I need to remove

Kevin
joeturbo
03-11-2009, 12:22 AM
same here got a master appliance heat gun last weekend.
kalder
03-11-2009, 11:20 PM
Make sure you go from the top down or from the bottom up when peeling them off! If you go from front to back (or vice-versa) you will push dents into your rockers. bend a tape measure and notice how the tape has a nice curve......now bend it away from the numbered side and see how it gets flat? I worked as the shop biotch at a body shop for a year, did a ton of them. They are a pain. The plastic ones aren't too bad,but you still have to deal with the adhesive. Snap on has a tool called a Crud Thug that has a wide eraser wheel that should work good. I only got to use heat, solvent and a plastic scraper at the body shop. Crappy job.