Rear Quarter Window Chrome Installation

[ChargerRT69]

I continue to work on putting things back together on my '69 Charger. There is a lot of awesome information on this forum with a lot of very helpful people! There probably is already a post explaining what I am about to ask, but I am not able to find it with the key word searches that I am doing.... so I am turning to posting my own question.

I had my Charger totally redone at a good local body shop including putting the vinyl top on. They also put the chrome drip rail on to keep the vinyl roof edge secure. Now that I am getting to the point of adding the other chrome pieces, I am trying to figure out how to install the "J" chrome piece for the rear quarter windows. The main issue is how to get the overlappig drip rail section installed? Can someone help me with some direction? Was the drip rail chrome to go on after the "J" chrome piece?

[Charger-Bodie]

Take the roof rail channel back down. Then it kinda hooks the drip rail while you carfully move it into place on top of the quarter.

[ChargerRT69]

Take the roof rail channel back down. Then it kinda hooks the drip rail while you carfully move it into place on top of the quarter.

Will give that a try! It's kind of what I thought but I'd rather ask then messed something up. Thank you for the quick response!

[ChargerRT69]

 There's nothing to go between the "J"chrome piece and a body pic is there?

[green69rt]

While you['re working with that J piece, make sure you mask off all of the paint in the area.  The part of the J trim that goes down inside the window opening will scratch your paint if you are not EXTREMLY carefull.

Those tabs that hang down can do some damage.   This is good advice where ever you are working on the car.

[green69rt]

just looked at your picture again and I see that the window upper seal track is installed.  I think the top  rear end of the J molding has a tab that goes under that track.

In the attached pic, my finger is on the tab I'm talking about.

[NHCharger]

Yes. Tape off the car when installing any trim like this. It only takes one slip.

[ChargerRT69]

While you['re working with that J piece, make sure you mask off all of the paint in the area.  The part of the J trim that goes down inside the window opening will scratch your paint if you are not EXTREMLY carefull.

Those tabs that hang down can do some damage.   This is good advice where ever you are working on the car.

Thanks green69rt... so I assume there is nothing that goes between the chrome and the body? The chrome just sits up against the paint?

I reviewed several of your posts and "how to's" this morning.... appreciate the details as that is extremely helpful!

[green69rt]

While you['re working with that J piece, make sure you mask off all of the paint in the area.  The part of the J trim that goes down inside the window opening will scratch your paint if you are not EXTREMLY carefull.

Those tabs that hang down can do some damage.   This is good advice where ever you are working on the car.

Thanks green69rt... so I assume there is nothing that goes between the chrome and the body? The chrome just sits up against the paint?

I reviewed several of your posts and "how to's" this morning.... appreciate the details as that is extremely helpful!

Yes, right against the paint.  Some folks might add a dab of trim adhesive but that might make the trim harder to remove down the road without bending.

[ChargerRT69]

I appreciate everyone for your assistance so far.... I am having a difficult time trying to get the chrome drip rail trim to fit over the "J" chrome piece. Is there any tricks or special tool that I might need to get? Also look at the other picture of the back side of the "J" trim. What do you do on the backside of the "J" piece? Do you caulk this? The is a gap that light can shine out from the inside.

[green69rt]

The gap you show is common.  I took a little piece of the vinyl roof material and glued it to the trim to hide the gap.  Not perfect but a little better.  These old cars were put together a little loosy-goosy.

As for fitting the roof rail trim over the J trim, you just have to work it.  There're no special tools I know to help.  Welcome to the world of old cars!

Edit:  if you don't have any of the old vinyl material I have a bunch in black.  Could mail you a piece.

[ChargerRT69]

The gap you show is common.  I took a little piece of the vinyl roof material and glued it to the trim to hide the gap.  Not perfect but a little better.  These old cars were put together a little loosy-goosy.

As for fitting the roof rail trim over the J trim, you just have to work it.  There're no special tools I know to help.  Welcome to the world of old cars!

Edit:  if you don't have any of the old vinyl material I have a bunch in black.  Could mail you a piece.

Thanks again Mitch! You are becoming my "go to" guy. We seem to be very close to the same timeline for assembling, but you have the knowledge!

[pipeliner]

My car is a 70 and my trim had never been off. My J-trim slid over the drip rail trim. Just the opposite of what you are doing. I documented all of it and that's the way I put it back on and it went on so easy. The space between the J-trim and body I took black urethane you use on windows and sealed it up. It worked out really nice.

[green69rt]

Pipeliner may be right.  Or it might be a 70 thing and is different from a 69.  Or it might just be that different factorys or even different workers put them together different 

Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and put the driver side on my car.  Went right on.  Pic #1.
Just for grins I checked the pass side molding and you can see the marks where the check molding went inside the drip rail. Pic #2.
And I had saved a picture of another car just for reference, and it shows it the way I put it on.  Pic#3.

None of this is 100% proof I'm right.  This is what I had to go on.

[ChargerRT69]

Pipeliner, you could be right and it might be a 70s thing or even a factory thing. I have a friend that has a 69 charger that has less than 40,000 original miles and is all original. Never been torn down. He finally got back to me with pictures of his and the top drip rail is on the outside of the "J" Chrome. Does not make this right or wrong but it brings up a very interesting topic. My Charger was built at the Hamtrack plant. How about you guys, where are your chargers built? I find these quirks in manufacturing very interesting.

[ChargerRT69]

My car is a 70 and my trim had never been off. My J-trim slid over the drip rail trim. Just the opposite of what you are doing. I documented all of it and that's the way I put it back on and it went on so easy. The space between the J-trim and body I took black urethane you use on windows and sealed it up. It worked out really nice.

I do like the trip of the black urethane and will try that. Did you put it on before putting the chrome piece in or after the chrome piece was in place Pipeliner?

[pipeliner]

My car was built at St. Louis and and it may be the only one like it lol. It's a late build. 6-26-70 and with these cars who knows. Its even got Painted Racing mirrors on both sides lol G-36. Yeah I put the urethane before and make sure you get enough and if too much pushes out just simply take a razor blade and cut the access off of it after it dries, don't try to clean it up while it's still wet.

[ChargerRT69]

...... Yeah I put the urethane before and make sure you get enough and if too much pushes out just simply take a razor blade and cut the access off of it after it dries, don't try to clean it up while it's still wet.

I appreciate the help and tips and tricks! That is why I love this forum so much!

[pipeliner]

Well my buddy just came by and he's a big Mopar nut and knows these cars and I showed him my trim and he Said  they must have put it on wrong from the factory. He showed me how the back J-trim was in a little bind and the flat piece didn't fit flush against the roof rail underneath but it did go on easier as the J-trim appeared to be just slightly larger than the drip rail trim. He scared me to death. He started popping of the drip rail trim like it wasn't nothing and pulled it off. He then showed me how the J-trim was suppose to fit flush underneath. He took a screwdriver and bent the J-trim back in and then started to put the drip rail trim back on and snapped it over the J-trim. The J-trim actually fit better over the drip rail trim but the J- Trim fit better to the car. The way he showed me and the way you did it has to be the correct way. I can see why somebody did it the other way from the factory as the J-trim looked and fit better to the drip rail trim but not to the car itself. I'm just going to leave it that way and do the other side the same.

[pipeliner]

...... Yeah I put the urethane before and make sure you get enough and if too much pushes out just simply take a razor blade and cut the access off of it after it dries, don't try to clean it up while it's still wet.

I appreciate the help and tips and tricks! That is why I love this forum so much!

Thats no problem at all. I've owned my car for 12 years now and still learning lol

[ChargerRT69]

...... Yeah I put the urethane before and make sure you get enough and if too much pushes out just simply take a razor blade and cut the access off of it after it dries, don't try to clean it up while it's still wet.

I appreciate the help and tips and tricks! That is why I love this forum so much!

Thats no problem at all. I've owned my car for 12 years now and still learning lol

I have owned my Charger R/T for almost 30 years now (since May 1988). I have done some stuff to it over the years but in 2012 decided to perform a full body rotisserie restoration on it. So after the body shop was done with it, I have been reassembling it over the last several years going bolt by bolt. I told my wife that many people can say they have built a car from the bottom up like this and I will know every nuance of this Charger.

[pipeliner]

Yeah I'm doing the exact same thing. I've said I wieshed I never tire this car down but I'm glad I did it now.