Rubber Molding permanent removal? Pics? yay?

[josh72ooh2]

while my car is at the body shop getting accident damage repaired, i am going to get the whole car painted.

I am really on the fence about sticking with the stock rear 72-73 chrome bumper with the long sides and the rubber strip... or a shorty chrome bumper. i have both bumpers. One needs re-chroming, the other needs a center section.

I like how the short rear bumper looks.

What is the history of those? Were they on 1600's and early 2002s?

It seems after 72, the long bumpers and rubber molding was on all the 02s.

if i go shorty, i am thinking i am going to lose the rubber molding that goes along the sides of the car.

Visually, the molding makes sense when it continues that line along the body straight to the bumper line.

With a short bumper, there would be a large gap of no molding on the rear quarter panel.

The Pros of removing the molding:

I won't have to replace the rubber molding and save some $$.

It will look nice with a short bumper.

and will clean the side of the car up a bit.

The cons are:

that it is not original (i'm not too concerned with originality).

no protection from other drivers opening their doors into my car, or me (or a passenger) doing the same.

Will there be a body line/edge where the molding used to be?

before i pull the trigger, i figured i'd sound on the FAQ here and see what happens...

[BLUNT]

Id remove it and fill the holes. Im really sorry i did what i did but tastes change over time. I was pretty new to 02's when I started my car. I have an early car and added knee molding. It looks ok but Id prefer no knee molding. Here you can see what it would look like with shorty bumpers and knee molding so you can get a visual. i really like the clean uncluttered look on the early cars though

[josh72ooh2]

Thanks Blunt,

I'd agree, it would look much cleaner without that molding.

I'm going shorty unless somebody chimes in with strong reasons not to...

I did some hunting and I found these on the 02 registry...

[ought2]

I like both looks. They each offer a different visual perspective and focus of the overall lines of the car. I think, too, that if you lose the knee molding, even the slightest flaws in your side panels will be magnified.

[c.d.iesel]

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[auggiemize]

Yes, its about taste and preference...My first car ever was a 69; short bumpers, no waist trim (back in 1973). My second car ever was a 72, about a year later. At the time, I felt like newer was better. The "old" beltless cars looked heavy and too large below the belt from a design standpoint. The added horizontal elements, and long tail bumper helped break up the proportions. To look back now is a historical view, and my taste and preferences have changed some. Oddly, I also think that color of the car has some bearing as well, as some colors look "better" as early roundies, some late, and some as squaretails. I like an early Verona, a late Riviera, and an Inka squaretail... with early longtail chrome bumpers. My current ride is a Nevada squaretail with long chrome bumpers and rubber molding, like the Taiga Targa CD posted above. But that's what makes horse races, right? Dave V. in NC

[jerry]

i agree. loose the lower molding!!!!

i would only consider keeping it for a bone-stock roundie tii (even then i'd have to 'hold my nose' to keep it).

i plan to weld up the lower molding holes on every future 02 i rehab.

having said that, be prepared for added body work along the passenger side rear quarter should you decide to weld up the holes on YOUR particular car.

a new paintjob on your car should look stunning. it'd be nice to see you up at brisbane next year.

[Napes]

Personal tastes aside (though they are the real determining factor) from a design standpoint the beltline trim and the knee trim both help the car look longer and lower - less squatie, if you will. The trims accentuate the horizontal, thus reducing the apparent size of the greenhouse.

Color also comes into play here. Lighter colors will appear to make the car seem larger than dark colors do. It's why "plus-sized" ladies tend to wear black alot - makes 'em look smaller.

Look again at Blunt's car to see what I mean about the horizontal lines. Then, of course, do whatever turns you on.

Bob Napier

[josh72ooh2]

Great point Bob! They do alter how the car is perceived.

I never thought about it like that before.... You'd think as somebody doing a 'visual' job every day, i would have picked up on that.

Pointing out the lines they create almost want to make me keep the molding on there...

but it will be removed.

Thanks for the bondo head's up jerry.

Jerry, happen to have a paint code the body shop can match to?

-josh

[EricB]

I agree it is just personal preference and it does alter the perception of the cart. I think the short bumpers look best without the rubbers, but I like the look of them with the longer bumpers.