Is it possible to remove the moulding strips from the the sides of my truck? Can I do it myself or would it have to be done by a paint/body shop? Is there any chance that a line would show since the paint underneath has not ever been exposed? To me those strips are just an annoyance; something to wax around and don't add anything to the appearance of the truck.

 

if i,m not mistaken the paint is fully applied before the strips are applied with an adhesive backing. a trick to remove them and it is tricky so you have to do it just right,is to go to the hardware store and get one of those pvc cutting wires with the looped ends. gently with a sawing motion run the wire behind the molding while pulling slightly away from the body so that the wire does not touch the paint and go down the length of the molding until you remove it. there will be some adhesive and other material left behind but a hair dryer and some rubbing,followed by some rubbing alcohol and cheese cloth should remove it. again it,s real tricky so you,d better be sure your ready to tackle it and i,d start with the smaller strips for practice before going to the larger ones on the doors. that way if you screw up and change your mind it wont cost you much to get another strip from ford. good luck ps i just thought that there may be alignment holes behind it so you,d better ask a ford body shop about it before you start

 

No alignment holes behind the body side molding. Tex is right on how to remove the molding. 3M also has a molding removal kit, which includes the adhesive remover and a Stripe-Off Wheel to remove the residue. The Stripe-Off Wheel works great, and does not damage the paint at all. Much better than spending an afternoon rubbing the residue off with a cheesecloth.

Jason Scharton
3M Automotive

 

Removing the molding is the way to go. Looks clean. I just let mine sit in the sun for awhile, then picked the corner out with my fingers. The moldings just peeled off, nice and slow! Then used the remover wheel to remove excess adhesive tape. Good Luck!