Polara 500 trim removal

[Redponymc]

Does anyone know the process to carefully remove the narrow front fender trim on a 1963 Polara 500? I'd like to remove it to replace the front spear without damaging the trim or having to take the whole fender off.

 

[Ski 61701]

If its anything like my 64, the very front piece is going to be studded so you'll need to go in from the backside and clean the nuts off and gently unscrew them. The thin strips are held in with these plasic clips. At the rear of the fender there should be another nut. Unscrew this and that clip should release the tension enough to where you can "gently" slid the trim piece off. Once its off the very front piece should be able to pop off as long as you got the nuts on the backside removed

 

[mmissile]

Careful with that old die-cast stuff. I'd lube all the nuts, long before attempting to remove them. Also, remove any undercoating that may be holding the nuts to the sheet-metal. Patience is always the deal with this old crap.

 

[Ron H]

Good advice given here, as I'm in the middle of removing all the trim and chrome from my '63 Fury and got some advice from a few fellow members. Patience is great advice. I had to remove the fender well splash shield to access to front studs on mine as well as to get to the Fury fender emblems and blinker housings (taking off both f & r shields in the well. Been using liquid wrench to let soak for a bit. Keep socket very straight on the nut or pal-nuts used and start slowly turning; most untighten quick some may be frozen on needing more care. Still I've run into a couple that broke and need to figure out how to repair...likely posting for some advice on this later!

 

[mmissile]

Repairs to die-cast is either very costly, or not possible.

 

[Ron H]

Been looking at the aluminum back panels and sort of mysterious how the threaded studs are attached; they don't appear as part of the cast but threaded in and maybe glued for all I know. My thought is to find or make a t-bracket out of steel or nylon, overlay it and epoxy this to the panel. After tossing around some other ideas and the lack of thickness to countersink, about my best guess now...