1975 Superior Rear Fender Trim Removal

I was looking at replacing the rear fenders on the back of my Ambulance I was trying to figure out how to remove the chrome trim along the top of the fender that is attached to the glass and the fender. How do you get to it and how is it attached?
 
I was looking at replacing the rear fenders on the back of my Ambulance I was trying to figure out how to remove the chrome trim along the top of the fender that is attached to the glass and the fender. How do you get to it and how is it attached?

Great answer for Bill Levertt to answer sicne he just went through that. Good luck!
 
Pictures?

Chris can you post some pictures of the area you're working on. Mine was a '73 MM so it might be different.

What I did learn is, don't do anything until you've soaked the area with some WD40 and loosened everything up as much as possible. The nylon plastic clips get very brittle and the little tabs that grip the trim snap off making the clips not resueable.

Finding new clips is difficult.
 
first what are you going to replace them with?? you find some NOS quarters off a 75 superior, good find. regular caddy quarters won't fit. you'll be doing a cut and splice

the top fin molding is popped on with plastic tabs and one slide in the front. start at the vary back and slip a flat blade under it and twist don't pry. when you get to the front slide it forward. a little Wd will help as Bill said the quarters on the superior were pop rivited to the glass under there. remember Bill was doing his MM different cars.
 
I can get a complete rust free 76 superior for what the cost of repairing whats there so i figure new rust free fenders would be better. The piece that is giving me the most problem i the one that actually looks like is seals to the glass on the rear quarters.
 
Trim

The 68 has small clips that are screwed to the 1/4 panel and the body part that meets it and the trim just pops up with a flat blade something as Ed has said. I be live 70,s attache the same way.
 

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all the trim around the glass come out from the inside. its all ether t bolted or set in with screws from the inside. most of it you will have to remove the interior pieces and the glass to take off. but as this is set in the fiberglass why remove it to change the quarters? the splice for the quarters on the superior is on the top of the fin. now if you thinking of sectioning the quarters in as they are leaded at the door jam.you had better make the cut in the center of the door opening. way to much work for me. the molding I thinking your talking about would be the aluminium one between the top and the fiberglass. that one is t bolted from the inside. you got a rust free on I would make my swap the other direnction it would give you a better car.
 
If I remember correctly when I pulled the mouldings on my old Superior 54XL. The stamped stainless mouldings were cliped on but the "Y" shaped chromed cast piece that incororated the quarter moulding and the window sorounds were held on by two phillips head screws that were hidden by the stamped stainless mouldings and 2 or 3 nuts on studs that were acsessed by removing the inner vinyle side trim pieces that run the length of the quarters in the patient compartment
 
Ok I'll tell you how i would do it. pull the top fin molding off and the bumper. drill out the rivets to free up the threw the tail light and across the top. then go underneath and cut the inner piece off as flush with the floor as you can and across the canter of the wheel well, this will fee up the top and back side. then you get into the dog leg and rear pillar. lot of box work on the dog leg, the quarter is leaded to the pillar if you have a chop saw go straight down the center of the pillar and across the bottom of the dog leg. if you using a torch do the same cut. then when you get the donor car off you can see how they put it on. you'll know what spot welds you need to cut off to free things up from the structure. then you know how to cut it off the one your keeping. good luck. if it was me I would spray the h out of the 54 with rust converter, clean it out good, tape the big holes and fill them full of great stuff foam. right up to the top. then let is sit for a week and finish it off with filler. but that's me. you dealing with two vary un alike cars as the structure goes and you'll find a lot of stuff gone on the XL in side the panels. or your luck out and it went threw to the out side right away and let it all drain out not rusting the inner structure. eather way swaping a use quater is not a lot of fun. but it can be done. take picturs and let us in on how it goes
 
My neighbor used foam on his new Dodge van thinking that the foam would keep the rust at bay, and also keep the noise level down. It kept the noise down to a mummer, but the truck rusted out badly starting about 3 years of age, and by the time it was 5 years old, it was so badly rusted, that he had to scrap it.
 
you got to be careful and get one that will not absorb water. the last pictures of the 71 I sold to Zack it was holding up well.. my 67 conv was good for the 5 years I keep it after I did it. so yes and no on the treatment
it is only a temporary patch that's for sure. but I can tell you noting worse then going to all that work and seeing rust come threw a year later because you welded in a place you now can't paint. that is one advantage of using the used panel you can stay away from the outer skin and weld only the structure you can over lap. you don't disturb any sealed factory seams. cut her long and deep and stay away from the outer panel if you can. the trick is getting it off the doner in a usable maner. on this car your not going to be able to splice down the center of the floor high on the pillar and threw the middle of the door opening. your pretty much stuck swaping the outer skin.
 
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