side inserts for the body: remove or paint

[gotsomegetsome]

Has anyone simply removed those body inserts on the sides, I think people call them the trim
anyways I was thinking of either removing them and filling them with fiberglass body filler since im repainting my supra, or just simply repainting them with my car.

ideas?

 

[tbcmorris]

dont fill them

 

[gotsomegetsome]

dont fill them

are you implying that i paint them or leave them the stock looking wood sort of style it has going right now. I think it looks like absolute sheite

 

[Cz.]

becauseican has done this (removing and filling in the trim area), if you check his profile you can see some pics of what it looks like.

 

[ms07s]

Filling those in kills the lines of the car IMHO. That also requires lots of very good body work to look right. Painting them the same color as the car makes for a clean look for several grand less out of pocket.

 

[lewis15498]

The process of removing trim, door handles exc is called shaving.

using fiberglass will look good initially but will crack and fall off within a year or two. you weld in metal strips to fill the gap, grind down and finish with a thin coat of body filler. If its done well i think it looks great but it is hard to do and if you dont do a perfect job it will look like shit.

Keep in mind, these shaved areas will be more prone to rust on the inside, and will make your car more vulnerable to parking lot damage from other car doors and shopping carts.

I would not reccomend trying this unless your a pro at bodywork or have really deep pockets and a great body shop.

 

[hvyman]

removing the side trim makes the car look like shit. paint them. if you notice the trim raps around the whole body including front turns side markers and tail light trim. kills the whole look of the car filling them in and the fiberglass would prolly start cracking within a year or 2

 

[LilMissMkIII]

+1 for not removing the trim

 

[Alec]

Don't remove the trim, I'm not a big fan. Here's a couple pics of it removed:

 

[Poodles]

His is the ONLY car done right as he still left the panels seperate, most smooth it all in (HA HA have fun with the cracks later).

I still don't like it as now you don't have pretection from door dings, and you removed the line around the body (as already mentioned), it's like removing the cowl from the hood, it's just not right...

 

[tbcmorris]

His is the ONLY car done right as he still left the panels seperate, most smooth it all in (HA HA have fun with the cracks later).

I still don't like it as now you don't have pretection from door dings, and you removed the line around the body (as already mentioned), it's like removing the cowl from the hood, it's just not right...

ditto

 

[SilverSupraT]

I disagree. I don't think BIC did a complete enough job, although he did do it correctly. It is and always will be a matter of taste. If you want some more pics you can check out my build thread. It's only primer so it has an even more different look.

 

[Poodles]

You moulded in the part in front of the rear wheel, but as it's urathane and metal being bonded the chances of cracking is greater...

 

[adampecush]

Unfortunately, the position of the trim hides the separation between panels too well. Take it away, and you are hard pressed not to end up with some awkward lines on the car. In my opinion, Randy's (BIC) car looks as good is you could hope for. I think if you left a crease in the door and fender to match the lines of the front and rear bumpers, it would look amazing, but this would take some absolute insane bodywork. Your best bet is to get some 89+ trim (if your car is <89) and paint it to match the car.

 

[gotsomegetsome]

thanks a bunch people. I'm going to have to say no to shaving the trim. next question: painting the trim. any suggestions on how to paint those plastic things? experience?

 

[LilMissMkIII]

http://www.supraforums.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=44387

 

[SupraOfDoom]

I hate how they look removed god damn they are ugly.

 

[gotsomegetsome]

sounds good folks im not taking off the trim but painting them instead