Here is a cool article about leading trim holes .... I would love to get rid of the side trim on my 74 ... http://www.carcraft.com/howto/3065/ Although backing up the hole with a brass block and stitching it shut with a MIG has to be faster ..
Some trim holes are not accessable from the rear. Nonetheless, given 1/2 a shot, I would weld the hummers. Things stay welded.
Hey Dan, What's the condition of the trim on your 74? if it's very good to excellent shape, and the price is right I might be interested in it if you decide to get rid of it.
It's not all that hard to fill a hole you can't reach from behind. A little harder, but not hard at all. Welding just seems more permanent to me. I guess I should qualify that... a small hole like a trim hole.
Maverick73 - I'm in no rush to get the car painted so removing the trim is a long ways down the road ...
Welding the holes is the preferred method to fill them. The main problem with puttying holes is that they may shrink over time and dimple. I did have a problem with rear access of the 'C' pillar holes when I removed the vinyl roof. I used a strong German made putty because I didn't want to remove the headliner just to do that. Setting the inner roof on fire with my MIG wasn't something I exactly wanted to do. Leading is an option, but I'm told that it is something that you need to master to do it correctly. Another problem with leading is that it was originally done on old cars with thicker metals that withstood the heat better. You need a fair amount of heat to do it correctly and risk warping the metal of more modern cars. Eastwood sells a complete leading kit if you want to learn how to do it.
You dont have to get on the back side of a hole to mig it shut. Especially a trim hole. As far as lead, you'd have to dimple the metal around the hole so the lead has some thickness to it. Otherwise it would probably be to thin and soft by time you sanded it down to the metal surface.
Actually it doesn't have a vinyl top! .... My 73 had a vinyl top and I removed it. If I remember correctly it had windshield reveal molding type rivets for the trim so it was just a matter of grinding them down I think ...
LOL ... yeah. I was thinking about painting a fake vinyl top on until I got it repainted all one color. When a Mav has the side molding I think it looks better with a vinyl top - real or fake!
I would agree. I don't care for the vinyl top....but if you are going to have it...might as well have the side trim as well. I have both with my 72 and my 74.
Guess I'll have to check the local yards for the trim. There ain't no way to safely ship it. I was gonna stick it on temporarily with double sided trim tape.
