Side Molding and Trim After Painting or Not?

[Caman96]

Is front badge new?

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Is front badge new?

Yeah, somewhat, I bought it about 3 years ago and just transferred it to the new grille.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I am NOT a body guy, but when the Nissan Xterras first came out, they came with no body molding. The first few we installed in the shop were just eyeballed and looked like skunk butt. I quickly became the go-to guy in the shop for getting them arrow-straight.

Get some blue painter's tape.

Lay the end of the tape down where you want it. Get it exactly the same on both sides.

Sighting down the side of the truck makes it far easier to spot variations. Holding your eye close to the truck, hold the tape out as far out as you can reach. Get the tape as straight as you can and use your free hand - or your helper - to lay it down, moving away from your eye.

Peel it back and reapply it as often as you need to get it perfectly straight.

The helper definitely comes in handy during the installation of the strip. The person applying the strip stays perpendicular to the surface to ensure the strip aligns with the tape. The other person sights down the side of the truck and looks for variance up or down.

You can't pull the strip back off like you can the tape, so go really slow and correct any variations immediately.

Like I said, I'm not a body guy, so somebody might have a better method, but I did probably a dozen installs, and this worked.

 

[MrPink]

I am NOT a body guy, but when the Nissan Xterras first came out, they came with no body molding. The first few we installed in the shop were just eyeballed and looked like skunk butt. I quickly became the go-to guy in the shop for getting them arrow-straight.

Get some blue painter's tape.

Lay the end of the tape down where you want it. Get it exactly the same on both sides.

Sighting down the side of the truck makes it far easier to spot variations. Holding your eye close to the truck, hold the tape out as far out as you can reach. Get the tape as straight as you can and use your free hand - or your helper - to lay it down, moving away from your eye.

Peel it back and reapply it as often as you need to get it perfectly straight.

The helper definitely comes in handy during the installation of the strip. The person applying the strip stays perpendicular to the surface to ensure the strip aligns with the tape. The other person sights down the side of the truck and looks for variance up or down.

You can't pull the strip back off like you can the tape, so go really slow and correct any variations immediately.

Like I said, I'm not a body guy, so somebody might have a better method, but I did probably a dozen installs, and this worked.

This is actually what we did for years in the shop I worked in.

 

[thegawd]

why not use a laser level to lay the tape? theres a million and one uses for laser levels once you get one. you could also use one to absolutely lay the same line on both sides of the truck.

 

[MrPink]

why not use a laser level to lay the tape? theres a million and one uses for laser levels once you get one. you could also use one to absolutely lay the same line on both sides of the truck.

You can, I know I don't have a laser level, but I have a ton of painters tape.

 

[thegawd]

I always used both. the laser to set the tape. In my case I wasnt doing body work but im a cabinet maker/installer. I would have to laminate many various items and walls and what not. and shyt has to be straight or its garbage. theres no easy way to fix a screw up with laminate so I would use as many possible tools to do it right the first times. tape is cheap insurance.

it was aggravating laminating big parts on the job site. that's something that should be set on a panel and the panels installed but sometimes that's not possible.

 

[MrPink]

Yep and I no longer do bodywork professionally so the tape method works for me.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

why not use a laser level to lay the tape? theres a million and one uses for laser levels once you get one. you could also use one to absolutely lay the same line on both sides of the truck.

Then you need to laser level the truck 1st Yeah, I have one, that's an idea. On this truck the bump strip goes just under the ends of the wheel arches. I plan on running tape from wheel arch to wheel arch and line it up that way. Thanks guys for the input

 

[thegawd]

I think it's truly an art form how the pros can pin strip or do those graphics free hand. simply amazing and I could never do that, I'm not that kind of artist! but give me a ruler and a scale and I can draw architecture or blueprints.

LMAO of course, gotta start with a level foundation! I didnt think about leveling the truck but your right! haha