Need help removing plastic trim (cladding)

[interscope8]

Hey everyone! I couldn't find a how to thread on this in the how to section. I also searched a few things and still couldn't find what I was looking for. Hoping someone can help here.

I have an 01 silver sport trac and wanna repaint all that plastic trim black to match everything else on the truck. I'm not sure how to even start to remove the trim though. If anyone could gimme Some step by step or point me to a thread I'd be very appriciative

 

[ncranchero]

There are screws on the front cladding at the wheel openings, two bolts at the end on the rear cladding, the rest are just "push-type" retainers. The bottom row is "Christmas-tree' types while the top row is a heavier-duty "wing" type. Find/buy/make a clip removal tool to help remove them without destroying them. This is the UPPER clips and THIS is basically the lowers. This TOOL would work great for removing them.

I'm moving your post over to the Sport Trac forums since a lot of folks have removed these to paint them and can add to what I have posted.

 

[interscope8]

awesome, thanks NC! Im gunna attempt to do this this weekend and I'll make an official how to write up so the questions on this can stop i know there are a lot of people wondering about it

 

[Pickupman_69]

if you screw it up dont worry self tapping screws and good ole nuts and bolts work just fine, better imo as now my cladding doesnt come off while off road

 

[ncranchero]

:scratch: How did you use bolts and nuts/screws to hold the cladding on? :ttiwwp:

 

[a351fan]

I was gonna suggest letting my wife drive it. She seemed to remove mine pretty fast. I also would like to know about the bolt thing as those christmas tree things are very precious to ford and not afraid to let you know when buying them.

 

[ncranchero]

Don't buy them from Ford. They're available in dozens of places.

The bottom would be simple to bolt on but I'm interested in the method for the top .

Keep your wife away from my Sport trac !

 

[BXTF]

Steve you the man

 

[Pickupman_69]

:scratch: How did you use bolts and nuts/screws to hold the cladding on? :ttiwwp:

haha pics will be hard to get for a few days but I put the bolts through the holes on the bottom of the rockers,they line up quite nicely with the holes in the cladding. and I used self tapping screws to hold things front and back and screwed them into the inner fenders.

clear as mud I know

 

[ncranchero]

The bottom would be simple to bolt on but I'm interested in the method for the top .

 

[Pickupman_69]

didnt bolt the tops on with the screws holding the ends at the front and rear the bolts on the bottom were plenty to keep things in place and stand up to more abuse then the clips

 

[ncranchero]

Okay, gotcha ............