attaching side trim and emblems

Just spent a un-fun day attaching the chrome side trim from Vintage using their plastic clips

The clips are designed for a steel body and do not work in the thick fiberglass body as the little prongs do not go all the way through - in fact they are flush. The end result is that they do not hold the trim well at all and pop out on the curved sections.
I am resorting to crazy glue and a small sheet metal screw from the rear side to expand the plug

Surely there must be a better way. Is there a mounting clip with a threaded stud?

The emblems are a similar problem as the mounting studs are too short. Double sided tape will look terrible, and all I can thing of of is glue.
What to do?

Seems like a dremel tool could be used from the unfinished side of the fiberglass to thin it (reduce the thickness) where the hole is so the clip would work.

I just hate the idea of gluing an emblem on.

Good luck with your project.

I suppose if it were me, I'd call Vintage and ask how they install the trim.. If you do decide to thin out the fiberglass, make sure you coat the thinned area with clear fingernail polish or a mix of epoxy glue to prevent water from soaking into the unfinished area of body fiberglass

Not keen at all on grinding the fiberglass down to the thickness of auto metal as this will leave nothing but gel coat.
For the chrome side trim I ended up using a screw into the backside of the plastic clip like a drywall plug. Works OK and on the blind holes I used crazy glue

Now for a method to hold on the emblems

There's a product in the Sierra Madre site, their part number SMC.089.411, an emblem transfer adhesive tape that comes in packs of two pieces 1' x 2".

It's a clear double-sided tape type stuff that, if done right, sticks emblems on painted surfaces forevermore, or almost that long.

It DOES work. It's a little difficult to work with if you want no evidence of it to show but that's not the fault of the tape. It's that I used it for Porsche emblems and cut the tape to fit the lettering and that was a somewhat tedious undertaking.

After the fact I don't think it would have been very visible even if used as a 22mm wide strip under the emblem without trying to cut it out between characters. It's thinner than the 3M clear body protecting stuff often used at rockerpanels and nosepieces to protect against stone chips, and that stuff is hard to see unless you're looking for it.

The Sierra Madre product was $9.95 for two one foot strips two inches wide. Steep, but maybe worth it to you?


Oh, I'll double up the cautions against grinding the fiberglass. Google "fiberglass boat hull blistering" or the like to see the various nightmares brought by water incursion into plastic laminates.

Robert! DON'T GLUE THEM ON!!!

Those attachment clips come in a bunch of different lengths. My first thought was that perhaps Vintage sent you the wrong length inadvertently?? I would email them to see how they attach the trim and/or what they use.

Meanwhile, you could search on-line for more appropriate length fasteners....

Seems to me I mentioned contacting Vintage in an above posting to find out what and how they do it but it was ignored..

Contact VS first but I use a drop of Krazy glue on each clip

Im doing the same as Alan.

Side trim is resolved

What about the emblems?

Drill hole the same size as pins on the emblems and tiny drop of super glue on one of the pins. Or you can get emblem tape. its a clear 3m double side tape.

Robert , buy some "T" nuts [available at most hardware stores]that will thread onto the emblem studs, I think 6-32 size fits. Take your emblems with you to get correct size. Grind , file or bend the prongs off then screw them onto the studs several times to cut threads, then screw them on from the back side of the fender. You may have to slightly enlarge the holes in the fender to accomodate them. As a bonus they are plated so they won't rust. tom

Yep, t-nuts (or weld nuts). The weldable ones wont have the prongs that the wood ones do, but would be unplated. Barrel length is about 1/4" in that diameter so it will fit the fiberglass. If you can't find them locally, search for "weld nuts" on mcmaster.com (you'll just have to buy them by the 100 ct, $7).

Tom, I like the weld nut/T-nut idea. I would recommend buying a die of the correct thread and re-threading the studs to make sure the threads are compatible. If you throw a little silicone sealer on the threads you will rattle-proof the nut and prevent water intrusion. Also, make sure to seal the fiberglass with crazy glue or clear nail polish to prevent moisture from getting into the glass and under your paint.

great idea - thanks
Now just to find them in Thailand