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Removing The Stainless Steel Trim Around The Rear Tail Light Garnish


KatoKid

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Has anyone removed this so the rear tail light garnish can be prepped and painted properly?

 

I've had a bit of a go but its not budging and don't want to damage it so looking for tips on how to get it off.

 

Cheers.

 

David

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You be the guinea pig haha, I've had a look and not too eager to try unless I have spares... They can be removed it's just a question of how much damage will need to be done/undone..

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You mean the trim around the taillights? They're not stainless steel, they're chrome plated plastic, well, on my 260 they are anyway, I presume the 240 are similarly constructed.

The garnish on mine is secured from the back with small screws in the corners.

Edited by gilltech
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Really? Well there you go, I never knew that, unless it's just the early ones which are metal? They talk about re-chroming them on-line.

Sorry, I see now they're secured differently from the 260, they use a speed nut & two push clips on the inside of the lens from what I can see on-line.

Edited by gilltech
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Ok......wrong trim.......I'm talking about the trim that goes around the garnish panel (the 3 piece panel that goes right across the back of the car) not the tail light itself

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I think both Roberto and Gilltech are confused. If you look at the photo below and ignore the tail lamp, you can see a chrome trim "ring" around the tail light (not the center piece that is vacuum formed chrome for plastic). This piece can be removed there is a small gap in them (see bottom middle of this photo), but I've not yet tried to pry it off and see if I can do so without bending it badly.

 

A lot of people just paint over this trim or remove them...

 

DSC_0147_zps2f82baf3.jpg

 

Actually just look at this thread.

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/12265-240z-tail-lights-and-surroundgarnish/

 

You can see 1 side has been painted black the other has the chrome surround.

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@Kato - let me check mine off HS30 00150 again, my garnish piece is a bit bent from a minor rear end tap and if the trim is pinched anyway I might try and pry it off and report back.

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Here are two discussions about this -

http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/50669-rear-panel-color/

http://zclub.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6598

 

The consensus seems to be that even if you can get them off without destroying them - they will damage the paint on the taillight panel when you put them back on.

There is also this advice from pp 173-174 of "How To Restore Your Datsun Z-Car" by Wick Humble -

 

"... the slim stainless-steel taillight-opening trim strips. These can't be removed without unacceptable damage occurring and are very hard to protect from abrasive, whether they be sanded or sand-blasted. So you'll have to use chemical stripper, which won't harm the trim. Just make sure you remove all residual stripper that may have seeped under the trim itself. If you don't, it will sneak out ans spoil the new paint...."

- there is more advice there than given in this quote

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I have removed these pieces, and you will find they will go back on with not too much trouble! being stainless they have a bit of memory so they want to go back on the same way.[ if they are not seated properly, then it will appear too long! ]

The join is at bottom in the centre, start there to remove and end there to reinstall . Just use a rubber mallet to seat them back into place.

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post-101170-0-37219100-1440820706_thumb.jpgSo based on Taylor's recommendation I had a another go at this and it wasn't too bad.

 

When I tried yesterday I just didn't use enough force, unfortunately you do need to start at the join which is on the bottom edge and that's where the most rust is and where they are the hardest to shift. Working from the inside with the garnish on some towels to support and protect it, I used a large flat blade screwdriver and a hammer as a drift and worked back and forward on the bottom edge for a fair while before it started to move. Once it was fee on the bottom edge it was much easier as the sides and top had little rust holding it in place.

 

Getting them back on without damaging the paint will be a challenge so I'm contemplating making a tool to open the trim up a bit. 

 

David

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  • 7 months later...

Hi All, re these trims. does anyone know if reproductions are available anywhere, or does anyone want to sell a couple, any ideas or suggestions welcome. I need 2 to originalise my tail light finishers.

(can't find anything on line)

Thanks

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Thanks Pony, just to clarify I'm after the stainless trim AROUND the light light - attached to the finisher. Not the chrome plated plastic trim that runs through the tail light.

I'll pm Gav all the same.

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Yeah I don't have any of those spare I'm afraid. I'm not sure of anyone who make reproductions or where you can get them new. Last set I saw were on Yahoo! Auctions a while ago. I can't recall what they sold for but I could look it up. Your best bet would be to find a good pair of second hand ones and clean / polish them up.

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You might need to make some up, I've got some from HS30 00150 that are a bit pinched. As I mentioned above, I haven't tried to remove them yet. Instead I found 2 sets of good tail light garnish pieces.

 

Ashley at Moorabbin auto spares might have some, that's where I got 1 set from. I think he had some others, might have been a bit more rough.

 

Last pair I saw on Yahoo! Auctions (stainless trim only) were these. Not cheap!

 

x404289157 S30z tail light chrome trim surround (goes around tail lights) 26,000 yen 1/6/2015 Auction Sold NOS
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Getting them back on without damaging the paint will be a challenge so I'm contemplating making a tool to open the trim up a bit. 

 

Just an idea, but in order to protect it after it's painted, maybe put painters tape on it and then put the chrome rings on top of it, the tape should protect the paint from scratches and then you just use a stanley / sharpie blade to cut the excess tape off?

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  • 2 months later...

Re the stainless trims around the tail lights( not the strips through the tail lights).

Could someone please tell me:

1 are they an angle or a channel?

2 dimensions of the cross section?

 

I'm getting a pair made, this information will be of assistance.

 

Cheers

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