what you guys think of the moulding that goes on the outside of the doors? you think the cars look better with or without them? my car was in an accident and im debating on putting the moulding back on or not. If I did I would get the thick mould that came on later years.

Here is another option.

The 4th gen firebird side molding is the exact same length as the thirdgen molding and not near as "fat". I'm torn between going with 4th gen firebird side molding or none at all whenever I get new paint. I love how no-side-molding looks but I am a little worried about idiots in the parking lot or just plain idiots.

if its a DD, then consider it. If its a weekend warrior/showcar, ect, ditch it

They saved my door from being damaged big time. It's a long story but my door hit the side of my garage when pulling in. If it wasn't for the moulding it would have been a mess.

I personally like them call me crazy I just think the door looks like it's missing something without them

I think the color makes them look good good or bad.

On my white GTA, I Photoshopped them off. Too much stark white. I'm leaving them on.

On my purple, red or blue cars before...They looked better off.

i like em but my car already had em gone before i got it so it sucks

I like them better than door dings

I do not think it takes away from the look

They were one of the first things I took off the car when I got it. Of course, I also shaved the door handles and locks. I didn't think it would look right with the mouldings there but no handles or locks. Just my .

don't mind them but will be taking them off when car get fresh paint.

took mine off when i first got the car they were all faded yellowing and whatnot (i have a white car) and i think it cleans up the look alot. Its easier to wax too.

When I replaced my doors and front end, the replacement parts were without molding and I decided to leave it that way. I like the constant flow of the sheet metal not being interupted. I also left the "Firebird" factory decals off as well. My car is black. I think its a small enough feature that often color makes a difference as to how they look

Personally I think the Bump guards break up the lines of the car. To me it looks like something is missing when there not on. The 1987+ Firebird ones are the best IMHO

JOhn

Interesting, because the lines you speak of are exactly what I don't want to break up, I like the flow of the sheet metal. To each his/her own!

I agree. IMHO, cars without out 'em have a "base model" feel.

Otherwise, ....just a bunch w i d e o p e n sheetmetal.

yea its a toss up, yea it smooth without them, kinda to smooth for the body lines of an older car... and it kinda makes the car look like a base model econo special

im going through the same debate as you im getting the damage from a female driver fixed on mine.....

i would like to see some fellow members post up some pics of the cars w/o the trim

yeah...my car was in an accident and I need to either get he moulding now before they paint the car and i'll be screw if I want to put them on afterwords cause they wont match the paint.


someone post up some pictures without.

Only side view pic of my car that I have is prior to putting the front bumper back on as well as the rocker ground FX. You also have to take into account that my car needs paintwork, as the blacks do not match (replaced most the body panels) and I think the chrome door handles take away from the look as well. But anyways, my Firebird with formula style hood without door trim:

John, if you're still on the fence, buy it and have it painted, but don't put it on. It'll be quite awhile before the paint doesn't match, and if you decide to put it on, then you'll have it ready to go.

If anyone has a 91-92 set they will sell to me reasonably hit me up at oddiez@hotmail.com

both of my cars are missing them and i can't stand it.

Well after about an hour of looking at all my favorite third gen I've come to this conclusion. You have to have a really mean and killer stance appearance to your car to pull it off without the molding. A stock third gen just looks like it's missing something. However, one that been lowered 2" and has C6 or TT2's on it will look really good without them. Also, the lighter the color the worse it looks without the molding IMO.

I guess I should restate that it does not break up the lines as much as it highlights the line without using pinstriping...

pinstripes on a 3rd gen, now that is a big ole "eeeewwww"


John

I have never liked those on 3rd gens. To me they always make the car look weaker.
Not exactly sure why, but that is my first impression when I see a 3rd gen with them still on.

On my list of 3rd Gen body feature dislikes its number.

#1 -- Third Gens with bras on them. (I hate the most)
#2 -- Rear window louvers
#3 -- dent strips.

Of course if someone slaps a park bench on the back, or throws a fart pipe on the exhaust, well then that trumps all of those.


But to each their own, I just wouldn’t do that to my car.
Just my 2 cents.

i recently had my car repainted (black) and i left them off, it looks 10x's better and cleaner. keep this in mind guys. most cars were not originally designed with moldings ( except classic cars like 55-57 chevys were the molding was a part of the designed look) they were later added for protection. so if youre not daily driving it. ditch em! you will be happy you did. i am

Maybe I like them cuz I've always seen them with it...
They do not look right with them off, feel it's missing something...

I do prefer the thicker ones on my 91 Formula to the earlier ones...

Raf

yea this is just one of the things that can be a hard idea, i agree the darker color cars would look better w/o them, but i seen a white one w/o them that looked good......even if its not a DD you still have a chance of a jack *** hitting it. Im thinking of keeping mine, but then again im totaly sold on keeping the car all original/matching vin ...... the only parts not all orignal will be mods to the stock motor and exhaust....i may lower it an 1" just to fill in the fender well, but thats off the subject

if you are going custom then i would ditch them, if you are going all original keep them well that my

no comments about post #2? Maybe I'll try getting a pic of it.

i like them alot. it just makes the car look really plain when they're not on there. im never taking mine off.

My doors look better with it because no paint is being chipped and the doors are not getting dinged/dented when a....... park too close and open their doors and hit mine. The molding on mine does not chip or dent when it is hit. I parked way out in the parking lot at Home Depot thinking no one would park close to me, wrong! An old lady in an over-sized SUV parked close to the passenger side and I was sitting in the drivers seat getting ready to leave and I heard and felt a loud "thunk" when she opened her door to get in her car. I was pissed and got out to give her "what for" and I noticed not a nick, no nothing where she hit my car! My vote is yes, molding is good for daily drivers.

yea wait till some 700LB itch slams her door into your car and then rocks and rolls tring to get her huge but out of her car as it bounces up and down on your paint job

A lot of people are talking about door ding molding as a way to protect their car. The only car I've ever owned with door ding molding was a late 80's Mitsubishi Galant (first car). With the cars I've had since, the damage is always from people tapping my bumpers, not my doors. Maybe its different in different sized cities or something, but door dings didn't even cross my mind when I pulled mine off.

OK, just so we're all on the same page. I saw this post by 8T9 Bandit:

Gee, GM really screwed up THOSE cars!!!!!!

LOL Just kidding. It's just the the first time I've ever heard someone refer to a shoebox style feature as BAD thing.

Seriously though, from a design perspective, the "right" thing to do is to have something break up the door. Art, design, advertising, whatever, too much wide open space isn't really ideal. That doesn't mean we all have to like it, and that's why we all get to do what we want.
...and in my opinion, it was more decorative in design than functional anyway. Meaning it was done on purpose for "looks". Who really cares if the scratch or ding is on the molding or the door? either way it looks bad. If it was for function, they wouldn't be painted body color, they'd be black like the early years.

My doors used to be perfectly strait when I first got my car. Now there are a quite a few door dings because I daily drive my car. I wish I had those door moldings. even if those got screwed up, at least I could just replace them and you'd never know. Now it's a little harder to fix if the door itself is dinged.

dude, wtf are you talking about? i love 55-57 shoeboxes, and i did NOT say they look bad at all????? i said, that on older american cars, the modlings were all part of the overall design. now there usually added for protection. thats why when ordering a c-5 c-6 vette, they give you the option now. i will say it again- 55-57 chevy's are awesome cars, two of my freinds have them, and i think they look killer.. i was just talking about "moldings". abubaca must be one of those liberal dems, that like to spin speech in a certain way to make it sound different than originaly intended.

I prefer it without myself:

You'll see I had a smiley face. This implies "fun" and humor. Then I had LOL. That stands for "laughing out loud". This implied MORE humor, but in the off chance that both previous gestures at my NOT being serious were missed, I came right out and said "just kidding".

Apparently you missed all three. Sorry for misleading you.

if anyone has a set 91 or newer they are going to toss i'll pay you to ship them to me and a little extra for your gas tank. i love them!

Me too, preferably white. Email me jp at pulgadascubicas dot com or PM me

I kept it off my car after the repaint. I also did without the GTA badges and the sail panel birds. I like the cleaner look. To me, all the stick-on stuff "dates" the car. As a purist, I would keep it, but I think removing all that stuff makes the design translate in any generation, sort of like aftermarket wheels can bring a classic design into the 2000s and make it look like it fits.