Write-up: Side Protection Molding Installation

[Pfunk951]

I have seen some talk about these on the forum, so I thought I'd do a write-up while installing them..

Items needed:

1 set of moldings

Tape measure

Tape (preferably painters, but not a big deal)

Rubbing alcohol

Beverages

1 hour of uninterrupted time

This is a perfect job for you and a son/ daughter, as an assistant is very helpful. Use your spouse at your own risk.

Step 1. Determine and set the height

I chose 7.5 inches above the plastic door molding.. Pretty much stock, maybe a little higher. This lands precisely where the wife's Prius door could make contact in the garage.

Measure and place tape in 2 places on each door, one approximately where the front of the molding piece will lie and one where the back will be. This will serve as a guide for straightness, as we will be placing the molding directly above the tape.

One side of the car will then have 4 pieces of tape. These may not look straight (see picture), this is due to the lines of the truck making things look skewed. Remeasure to make sure they are all straight (in my case, 7.5 inches off the plastic..

On to Step 2.

 

[Pfunk951]

Step 2. Prep surface and heat

Apply alcohol to the surface that will be adhered to. This will strip wax and gunk off the surface.. Some kits come with alcohol wipes for this, my factory LR moldings did not.. I was pretty liberal with this, as I wanted to make sure all the wax was off. I plan on re-waxing the doors to re-protect any exposed paint when finished.

After the alcohol has dried, apply heat (hairdryer) to the doors and back of the moldings for a minute or two, in order to prep the paint and soften up the adhesive.

 

[Pfunk951]

Step 3. Apply Front Molding

Flip over the front door molding (ENSURE YOU HAVE THE ONE FOR THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE CAR) and remove the covering from the adhesive strips on the very ends. Then peel back the ends of the covering on the long adhesive strips and hold them behind the trim (see picture 1, you can see the clear backing tucked around the sides of the trim)

Carefully place the front molding on the truck, so that it:

A: Sits right on top of the alignment tape

B: Sits about 1/8 inch forward of the rear of the door (see picture 2). You do not want this overlapping with the back door, causing friction when the rear door opens.

Note in picture 2 that the long adhesive strips still have the backing on them- it's sticking out from the trim. If the trim is not set perfectly pull it off slowly and re-position. Once it is in the proper place, pull out the adhesive cover strip and press molding into the door. Once you do this, that molding is NOT going to come back off without applying heat.

 

[Pfunk951]

Step 4. Apply Rear Molding

This is the same as step 3, but you need to position this piece at least a half an inch away from the front door gap. Otherwise, when you open the back door the molding will hit the front door. See picture 1- this was taken from the other side of the truck.. The side with the tape measure over it is the REAR DOOR MOLDING.

Picture 2 show it in place, ready to pull of the backing and tape on the door.

 

[Pfunk951]

Step 5. Apply heat and pressure

Apply heat from the hairdryer to the seams where the door and molding come together, applying pressure to help the bond. Some folks will let the truck set overnight to let the bond cure..

If you are chomping at the bit to see them polished up, make sure you spray the detailer/ Armor All on the rag, and not on the car/molding, as it will get onto the adhesive strips while they are curing..

That's it!

 

[Surfrider77]

Nice write up!

 

[Hayseed_LR4]

Great write up and pics.

I just do not understand how it stays in the same garage with a Prius and not fight?

 

[Pfunk951]

Oh, they fight! If they keep it up I'll start parking the Rover on top of the Prius in a sign of **********..

 

[cperez]

Great writeup but need more photos of the beverages that were mentioned.

 

[TLB]

Very nice work. I noticed you do not have rock sliders so those moldings make sense for you. In my opinion the best protection from other driver's door in parking lot is my tactical rovers rock sliders set when suspension is in off road height.
Believe me ,people who will park too close will be very careful when opening their doors. I use rock sliders when off roading and my wife take advantage of them when shopping.