My car didn't come with body side moldings, and as i understand they were an option on some years. im getting the body redone and painted, and i was just contemplating if i should buy these moldings or not. mostly im worried about parking lots. any little door hitting it would leave a dent without them. anyone else not have these on their daily driver?

 

I left mine off. Trust me,well in my case anyway, when you spend $2k on a paint job, it is going to look ****ty with dings in either the doors, or the side molding, so i decided to leave them off! So far so good. You just have to walk a little more when you park places! lol IMO it looks cleaner with them off. The doors have a nice angle running down the whole length of the car and it looks good without them. So there you have it, dings in the doors, or dings in the sidemolding. It would look bad either way i would think. And for those who think, "well you can just replace the side moldings!", uhh, no b/c if the fukcing SOB slob hits the side hard enough, the dent will go right through the molding and create a nice crease in the door anyway! I know from personal experience. 2 were taken out from my door. good luck with your decision.

 

Go with the small stock style side molding, the doors need all the protection they can get.

 

i replaced mine so instead of the plain black it is black with silver on the top & bottom of it....i actually KINDA like them

 

I like them on Firebirds, but think Camaros look clean without them. Also, they're kind of expensive for just little pieces of molding. I want to get my car repainted but can't afford the paint job AND the molding.

 

I think it looks cleaner when left off but I can understand about parking lot dings. I don't know where I saw it but I once saw a magnetic ding guard that you stick on the door in a parking lot and remove before driving away. Plastic cloated, like the magnetic vinyl signs.

 

leave them off...https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=200934

 

most deffinantly leave off the side moldings, I was scared to pull mine off to at first becuase of dings but the look is so much cleaner and u can see the lines of the car much better.

 

I left mine off and have had good luck for 4 years. What did happen though was a shopping cart ran away into my passenger front fender 1 week out of the paint booth

 

i left mine off, and im glad i did, however i have seen some cars (even show cars) that look really good with them still on.

 

dotn put them on, i cant wait to get mine off, the original owner, im the second, had the dealership put in rivited side moldings, it pisses me off, i wish they were the peel and stick kind, dont put any on, just park your car far enough away. I never park my trans am close to any other cars. but i also dont drive it daily .

 

I replaced mine when I got my car re-painted. It just didnt look right with-out them on.

 

The only cars I like with the side moldings are white irocs with the iroc striping and door decals, the side moldings compliment them very well.

 

I opted to leave them off, and I think it looks clean.

 

much cleaner! A dent is a dent, wether it be on the door skin, or a plastic side molding. For a daily driver, sure, side moldings will help out a bit if you don't like to walk through parking lots, but other than that, i don't see a point. That is why with just about 98% of everything cosmetic discussed on this web site, it comes down to personal preferance!

 

It depends on the car IMO
...thought about these two pics to compare, but the different camera (and circumstances) kinda kills the "even" comparison. But:




I personally like my car with the black moldings a lot more.

*shrug*

-Bud

 

they look good on my car. I think its really the cars choice if they look good or not my mom was goign to put them on her car when it was painted because we saw all these other cars with the door guards on then once they were on her car she made them take them off it made the care look ugly. On my camaro tho i think it looks good it kinda flows with the ground fx as well i think.

 

Way better without the moldings I took mine off and love seiing the bodylines on the car camaros are beautifull!

 

I think it looks better WITH the modlings, well, on a Firebird anyway. It kinda breaks up the transition from the top and bottom...and if your unfortunate enough to have dings on your door, it'll "break" the eye from seeing them so obviously.

 

I left mine off and like it better

 

IMO
They complement the 91+ camaro ground efx, but on most
f bodies they disturb the body's lines. Every situation is diff.

btw they have saved my door skins from a few reckless parkers.
They offer little or no protection against the height of SUV/trucks. I know the hard way.

 

leave them on until you get a ton of dents on them and then take them off and be dent free again

 

I just bought my 86 T/A and it has no door moldings, there are a few dings in the doors, 2-3 at most but i still opted to leave them off, a friend of mine is telling me to put them on but the doors look awesome w/o them.Your call really but i say leave em off..

1-MEAN-T/A

 

I debated the same thing.

My 87 has the blocky/squarish molding. I am going to go with a set of 90-92 moldings with my car.

The look of the Camaro is enhanced by the side moldings if you ask me (the newer style moldings that is).

 

leave em off

 

I like the 90-92 moldings the best. personally I think the cars look too bland without them. I don't like those firebirds without the molding at all, they don't have gfx so without something to define the side of the car, the car doesn't look like it is finished.

 

personally i think that it looks 100% better without the moldings i cant wait till i get some 90-92 gfx and a new metalic silver paintjob and watch the beautiful lines of the camaro emerge

 

Hi Guys...

Well, I just got my car out of the paint shop on Friday and I had them put the moldings on. I did however buy the newer style ones and had them painted to match the car. I think it compliments the car very well and breaks up the door and IMO looks plainer without them. But, like a lot of people have said, it is down to your PERSONAL opinion. After all, it is YOUR car, so you are the one who has to be happy with it. Good luck!!