Ask any self-respecting custom truck owner about body moldings and most will tell you that is the first area of modification. Simply put, excess body moldings must go. However, even we, as the editors of the World's Leading Truck Publication, often forget what it is like to de-chrome a truck or SUV. We are usually immersed in graphic-enhanced multicolored trucks and frame-laying suspensions, and often forget the basics.
Not that long ago, de-chroming a truck was serious business. You'd have to remove a plethora of stainless steel or bright aluminum moldings, peel out an equally large number of metal clips, and weld dozens upon dozens of holes in the sheetmetal.
This new Chevy pickup is built...
This new Chevy pickup is built with three basic types of moldings and trim. In the first photo, you can see the common body side moldings that are pretty much standard on all high-end pickups. Typically, this molding configuration uses a soft, gray two-sided tape. It's the easiest to remove.
The trim piece shown in the...
The trim piece shown in the second photo is a common late-model emblem. They're usually found on the body sides and on the tailgate. This emblem is hard plastic, uses a more dense, black two-sided tape, and is likely the most difficult to deal with.
Finally, in the last photo,...
Finally, in the last photo, we have the cab side emblem. This is a flush emblem, and it's typically glued to the body.
Not only was it time consuming, it was expensive, and for the most part, something average folks like us couldn't accomplish at home. In other words, it was bodywork intensive and expensive.
Then, Detroit discovered two-sided tape. It made denuding a truck something anybody could do. No flimsy moldings to mess with, no goofy clips, no special tools, and no expensive bodywork. OK, so it's easy, but why do so many people ask us how it's done? The truth is, you can't peel off glue-on trim with a common hair dryer.
The right way to remove moldings...
The right way to remove moldings is by way of a decent-quality heat gun. We normally heat the molding or emblem with the gun first. This softens the backing tape. When using the heat gun, be careful. A good gun can deliver prodigious amounts of heat in a localized area. Move the gun in a slow sweeping motion across the emblem or molding.
Once it's hot, a good trick...
Once it's hot, a good trick is to slide an old or unwanted credit card behind the molding. This allows you to bend the corner of the molding without damaging the paint, which in turn helps removal.
This is what we're talking...
This is what we're talking about. As you can see, the molding is bent backward against itself. At this stage, the idea is to apply heat with the gun in one hand, and to pull the molding back with the other. If some tape remains on the body of the truck, don't worry about it.
Believe it or not, Detroit uses several different types of two-sided tape on truck moldings. Some of this stuff is incredibly stubborn to remove. In stock trim, the moldings have to survive countless car washes along with the rigors of day-in and day-out use. So what's the answer? Simple, follow along, and we'll show you the right way to strip your truck bare.
The gray goop in the next...
The gray goop in the next two photos is molding tape. To remove it, heat it lightly with the gun -- not too hot or you'll burn yourself, and believe us, it hurts.
With your thumb, roll the...
With your thumb, roll the tape back into itself as shown in the second photo. What's with the other residue? Don't worry about it yet. It's easy to remove.
Here's another way to remove...
Here's another way to remove stubborn emblems. What is it? It's dental floss -- in this case, two pieces doubled up. To use it as a tape saw, first heat the emblem. Then, saw back and forth until a corner becomes free. Use the heat gun again and bend the emblem backward against itself.
Here are the remains after...
Here are the remains after the emblem is peeled off. What you see is black tape residue. To remove it, simply heat it again, and as shown previously, roll it against itself. You'll find the cab emblems are similar, but if you heat them sufficiently, they'll literally pop off when either dental floss or a credit card is jammed behind a corner.
Here are two tricks to cleaning...
Here are two tricks to cleaning up the mess. Some folks will tell you to use chemicals such as bug and tar remover, or glue release agents to clean the body flanks after the emblems and moldings are peeled off. They're not necessary. We simply clean the remaining residue with a pro-quality hand polish, such as the Meguiar's Cleaner/Polish shown in the first photo. It's gentle and does the job.
Once you're done, clean up...
Once you're done, clean up the surface with a detailer. We used Meguiar's Quick Detailer and it works perfectly.
The finished product is clean....
The finished product is clean. It is almost painless, unless of course, you become too aggressive with the heat gun. The remains are evident in the next photo.
Basically, it's likely $500...
Basically, it's likely $500 worth of junk we didn't want in the first place.
Here's a better look at the...
Here's a better look at the bare truck. At least from our perspective, de-chroming definitely works. It's probably how the designer penned the truck in the first place. Copy the ideas. They work.