appearance guys.....i have a 90 integra thats about to be painted either milano red or rio red. as of today, spoiler holes have been shaved, emblems have been shaved, and soon the antenna will be shaved as well. my question is, should the mouldings be shaved also? the car is already primered and all the dents have been pounded out. the only thing left is.......should i do the moldings also. what would you do and why? im working with bondo by the way. thanks for you help. i did a search and nothing came up on this topic so help me out.

 

I wouldn't shave the moldings simply because the car would look too plain and dull. And besides those moldings are there for a reason, they will save your car from door dings.

 

Yeah...if all you're using is bondo, I wouldn't shave the moldings, that's too much filler and it would probably crack and fall off after slamming your door for a while. Plus if anyone throws their door into yours it will definately show the damage.

 

I do body work and paint on the side. The correct way to shave your molding or anything on the car is to use the same metal thats on the the car. You are suppose to weld not bondo or fiberglass. Over time the bondo/fiberglass will bake in the heat and rise or lift off the existing surface due to vibration, or due to the harsh vibration to door closing if not done correctly in preperation the bondo can become seperated and fall off ruining whatever time you have doen in so called shaving your sides. The correct way is to have a proffesional or someone who will do it correctly do it. The way I and other body men have done it is:

used old existing hoods from past work and cut the metal to fitting whatever area is being covered and spot weld. Too much longevity of welding can warp the door.

then a thin layer of bondo is used and shaped and so on and so on...

My advice have someone who knows how to do it correctly. You will be more happy with the results, durability and quality.

good luck

 

yea..and mud flaps will keep mud from gettin underneath your fenderwells. shaved moldings look clean as hell...but i have a question as well. i heard that when you shave the moldings you have to paint the whole car..is that true.

 

well you have to pretty much paint the whole side of the car

 

yes that is true. Might as well get a complete job done.

IMO