Reveal molding? Can this be had?

[summer]

Hey guys, does anyone know where a girl could buy some of the reveal molding? We had mom's 97 Aurora painted and the body shop had to re-use the old, sun rippled molding. The paint job looks good but the molding looks bad. Can anyone help?

[ohiobuckeye]

Pretty sure it has been determined that it is unavailable, at least the long continuous piece that wraps rear window and up along roof line.

[electrostatictommy]

I replaced mine some time ago, can't remember where I got it, but a google parts search should locate it.

link to molding

I did more exhaust tip polishing and painted my mufflers and exhaust pipe. I then put in a new reveal molding and cap.

[sall]

Reveal molding is No Longer Available. Call your local dealer and have them search around. No one here has found for a long time new.

[randolph]

I have had multiple shops search for the molding and none is to be found. GM discontinued it and Vintage sites do not have it. So the question is what do we do? Is there any way universal molding can be made to fit? What do people who restore cars do? What would the guys on 'Counting Cars' t.v. show do? Click and Clack of any help? I sure would like to get this replaced if possible.

[randnon]

Your only hope is to get some out of the junk yard . They are fragile but can be removed and reused. warm weather and a small tool like an awl or small flat screwdriver to get under the locking tab helps. I soaked my strips in hot h2o before reinstalling them. Along the roofline you can tighten up the channel by striking it with a block of wood to close the gap.

[emarkay]

Yes, made out of unobtanium! It can be refinished and repainted by a good restoration shop.

[randolph]

When looking for reveal molding, I see links come up for universal molding as an option. Would universal molding work? Anyone with experience in using universal molding?

[skizo]

Am I correct in assuming that "reveal molding" is the black stuff that lines the windows and runs down the body seams in the roof?

If so, what's to stop you from just spraying the old stuff with PlastiDip? Seems that would cover up any blemishing and most any small defects as long as it's not seriously distorted ...

[sall]

Aftermarket trim will not work.

[randolph]

Yes. That is reveal molding.  PlastiDip? I may have to try this. I guess otherwise you have to go to a junkyard and hope you can peel off the molding and reuse it. What a pain.

[sall]

What exactly is wrong with your trim?

They slide in. There is a channel. The molding is composed of rubber and metal.

[randolph]

The molding is brittle and broken in places and missing in some small areas. I have used some black electrical tape to try and hold some of it in place.

[skizo]

PlastiDip is pretty neat stuff and easy to work with. Just shake it regularly during application.

You can put on several coats and it will build and fill in small irregularities. It also holds up real decent to normal wear and tear and seems to be UV resistant. It's also fairly easy to peel off if you decide you don't like it, but will stay where you put it in normal use. Most big box auto stores stock the basic black and clear.

Good idea to mask and control overspray, but for a good clean edge, leave a fairly wide and thick strip of "scrap" and use a razor blade to cut that cleanly along the molding. One of those throwaway plastic scrapers from the local hardware works nice to protect the paint as you make the cuts. Once the PD is fully cured, work a fingernail under a small section of the scrap and lift it, and it should peel quite easily from there.

If you're wondering about durability, stuff is used all the time for custom treatments on bumpers and wheels ...

Lucky me, my reveal trim (nice to know what to call it) is in good shape, but if I were to have to do anything with the roof strips, I think I'd just say screw it and bondo in the channels. Never liked the look of those anyway ... kinda looks unfinished ... Of course, that could get complicated trying to match older paint, especially the stuff used on these things. I understand the "white" is one helluva thing to patch, and metallics are a bear to "settle" correctly if conditions aren't perfect.

[sall]

I don't think plastidip will be thick enough to match the trim in height without many many layers. Will make it look okay from a distance though. Likely have to coat the entire trim or it won't be the same color. I'd recommend applying the glossifier if you that route. I'd be more inclined to find a good reveal moulding at the salavage yard and carefully remove and replace or mold some pieces to fill in the missing pieces with erubber, weatherstripping adhesive, 3M window weld or something similar.

It is unfortunate many of the trim piece are NLA. I don't even think the door seals are readily available.

[skizo]

I painted some wheels a while back and used red lead (automotive putty) to fill in some gouges ... couldn't tell when done, and they held up real well. I imagine any durable filler material would work. For matching the contour, cut a piece of plastic to match a good piece, then apply a bead of filler and drag it along the bad spots. Feather the edges and yer good to go. I imagine you'd want to be a bit careful with automatic car washes and stuff as I haven't a clue how well the stuff would hold up to that. I'm a driveway bucket kinda guy myself.

Owning of of these "antiques" means having to get creative every now and then.

Whatever solution yall come up with, be sure to post back. Inquiring minds need to know - and we'd rather someone else make the misteaks! <G>

PS ... only problem I've had with the trim is a gap opening up where the pieces come together below the rear window. I just filled that with black silicone and it's hardly noticeable. Problem with silicone is, once it gets on the metal, it's real difficult to get off completely if you try a more permanent repair. Then again, that silicone I used is a few years old now and holding up well.

PS ... another good option might be Krylon paint ... that's plastic and color fast, and quite flexible, and should be easier to match as there's more colors available.

[sall]

More than one way to skin a cat so to speak!Keep us posted!