Fuel for Thought

Another Darn Fastener

Another set of darn fasteners. These are the fasteners that hold the side molding in place along the sides and over the fenders. I destoy a few to pass along how to remove them without destroying them. Most of the advice on removing the molding is something along the lines of “just pop them off.” For the most part they do just pop off, but it takes some finesse to put things back together. Before you try to “just pop them off,” make sure there are no other fasteners holding the molding in place. The molding on the door has T-20 torx screws on the inside of the leading and trailing edges of the door. The rear fender molding has a plunger style fastener under the forward end of the molding facing the ground. It works like the other darn fastener used for interior trim. This exterior type doesn’t need to be twisted or rotated, just pry the center plunger (utility knife can get it started) until it stops then pull the whole fastener out. I use a plastic paint scraper to slide under one end of the molding and start popping the fasteners loose.

When the molding is free, I find that about half the fasteners stay with the molding and half stay with the van. For reinstallation we want the fasteners on the molding and then the molding just pops back into place. Removing the fasteners from the van gives them the classification of “darn fasteners.” The ones that you can access from inside the van are easy. From inside the van, use needle nose pliers to squeeze together the barbs on the fastener and then push the fastener to freedom. The remaining fasters are the real “darn fasteners.”

The objective is to slide something under the flush edge and push the tab on the end of the barb so the fastener can back out the hole.

I started by turning the fastener so the barbs were horizonal, so I could attack the barbs from the left and right instead of top and bottom (just a matter of technique). I used two plastic paint scrapers to slide behind the fastener from the left and right, so I could squeeze the barbs together at the same time. Barbs squeezed together and a little extra prying on either side, and fastener comes free. After a few fasteners, I was able to use only one tool to pry one barb free, stick my finger under the free side, then work the scraper around to the other side to push the opposite barb free, releasing the fastener.

Keep the fender fasteners separate from the side molding fasteners, because they attach to the molding differently. The fender fasteners slide into place, and the side molding fasteners snap into place. Once you see the difference, it become obvious which ones go where.

Several of the fasteners may break, so it helps to have extras on hand. The molding will hold to the van with missing fasteners, but with the amount of corrosion control that I’m doing, I’ll be ordering a set of 20 or 30 fasteners, so I don’t get to the point of having to secure the molding with duct tape.

eb