After giving this a lot of thought, I decided to not ruin my CRX by putting on a body kit or doing any of the other crazy stuff that some CRX owners do. I understand some folks like it. I kind of wished there were more clean looking CRXs left though.

So, while I am in the middle of a B16a swap at the moment, I am gathering ideas for the exterior. A botched paint job several years ago by a so-called professional body shop has now left me with paint that is peeling and chipping. I hate paying for work twice but I think it's just going to have to be that way.

Anyway, one thing I've noticed is that the door molding that runs down the middle of the door doesn't really stay on very well (it could be that the last shop screwed it up, I don't know). But it's looks kinda cheap. I know it's a CRX, but I don't see why, during a restoration job, the car's fit and finish can't be improved as much as possible. What I'd like to know is: has anyone removed those moldings, filled in, and painted over? Does it look alright? Or should I try to keep them and hope the new shop can get them to fit the way they're supposed to.

I know a molding delete isn't exactly stock, but I can't seem to find any pics to compare to see if it's really noticeable or not or what it does to the car.

My second question is really more feedback than anything else. I'm looking for a NICE black. So far, I've got this (or something similar):

http://alsacorp.com/products/candyco.../candy03_L.jpg

Any other ideas? I've looked through a few OEM colors, but nothing really stood out for me.

 

Kudos on not destroying the exterior of the car with a body kit! But IMO I wouldn't shave the side moldings either. I suppose you could paint over the trim, but I think that only looks good on some colors. Besides It kind of eliminates the OEM look.

 

plus you can remove it from the sides but its part of the bumpers and cannot be removed.

 

Interesting point on the moldings. Well...on the 1st repaint job that was supposed to last me, the moldings were painted over. If the job was done right, I think it would have looked alright.

Most of the black trim, of course, has faded over the last 18+ years...

...so, I'd like to replace all the trim, if I can source new plastic/rubber. Undecided about what I can do about the interior...leather-wrap or new plastic or? I dunno...

...I guess I will try to keep the molding and when the time comes see if the shop can permanently secure the molding to the door somehow so that I can't wiggle it with my fingers.

 

most all honda and acura moulings are held on by a series of clips and double back tape. the shop probably broke the clips when taking off the moulding and didn't bother to replace them or didn't reapply the double back tape or a combination of both

it not that difficult to fix

1st there should be a 10 mm nut on the inside of your door at the back close to the door latch, remove

2nd use some masking tape and tape around your mouding to protect it from the next step

3rd get a flexible 4" metal putty knife and gently work your way 1st from the bottom of the moulding to release the clips if there are any, then work on the top, the clips have 2 tabs you must release, there is approximately 5 or 6 clips

4th if there is any double back tape on the moulding you have to use the putty knife to also work the tape loose

once off you'll see if you have to replace clips and then make sure you reinstall double back tape you can get it from the auto parts store or home improvement center, 3M brand is the best

hope this helps

 

Thank you for the tips

 

whatever, I'm looking into getting striped on my civic, don't think it will affect resale price too much.

 

WTF? whats this have to do with the guy getting his mouldings put back on properly?


The moulding clips are an easy fix. pop those puppies off, visit the dealer get new ones.