The pillar trim won't stay on securely and keeps hanging off the pillar. I didn't care about it in my firebird but the GTA i'm about to buy has the same problem on the passenger side. THere seems to be these little plastic tab pieces that are supposed to hold the trim onto the pillar, but even when i try to put the pillar trim on there it won't stay. How do i fix this?

 

The hardware won't hold onto the trim piece? Or it won't hold onto the car? Either way, you might need new ones but they're hard to find the exact ones. They're on GMPartsDirect.com for about $6 for 10 but shipping is more than that! If it's staying in the body good, but the trim piece keeps falling off of it, then you could pull it out of the body, and insert it into position on the pillar trim along with a healthy glob of glue, and after letting it set, then put the trim piece back up. Hopefully, you won't have to remove it again .

 

The p/n for that clip is 10462090. Be careful if you order them. Yes they come in a pack of 10, but knowing this can lead you astray. You still have to order 10 to get 10 clips. I ordered one (meaning one pack or 10) and got one clip only. As I recall there are three used to hold the a-pillar trim at the roof. The remaining clips on the trim that attach at the windshield are different and commonly available at most auto parts stores in their HELP section.

 

The main problem with the A-pillar trim attachment on 3rd gens is that they're nearly impossible put back on using the factory style clips.

If you try it with the factory clips, you'll wind up breaking the clip, or worse, breaking the molded in slots on the back of the A-pillar trim. Bad news if that happens.

Somehow, the GM assembly plant was able to insert those (fat) clips into the (small) slots in the metal roof section near the front glass. Once you pull them out, it's next to impossible to re-insert them back in to secure the A-pillar trim. Also, you can't put the clips on before the trim piece because the slots in back of the panel go in opposite directions relative to one another.

The only way I know to secure it back on easily is to use slightly "thinner" push-pin style door panel clips. Ones that will fit into the slots (in the body) without "too much" effort. The stock ones are so fat that you practically need "vise grips" to pull them out and a "hammer" to push them back in.

It's not a good idea to be using the "hammer method" to put interior trim panels back on. Especially on a $60+ dollar part. LOL!

-Mike

 

I had the same problem when i was putting my A-pillar molding back up after i put a new headliner in. I got the part number from here and ordered them from gmpartsdirect.com, shipping was like $9 though. They took me about a half hour to put them on and i broke about 4 of the clips that i ordered while doing it. I broke the little thing that they slide into on the driveres side too. It's still like that because i've been to lazy to go to the junkyard and pick one up.

 

I am slowly redoing my 89 RS interior and I have the same prob. I bought those plastic clips from my local GM dealer. They had to order them for me. Anyhow most of the slots on my A-pillar molding are broke I have been trying to think up a way to repair this because I really don't feel like spending 120.00 for a new pair. If I glue the plastic pieces into the a pillar then it will be a mother to get off if I ever want it off...
My latest idea is to somehow make my own slots that the plastic pieces slide on. I thought about using the black part of a cd Case and somehow glue it on there.. I looked at it and I think it might work. Anybody know what I kind of glue I could use ??
Anybody else have a better idea for this??? Maybe I could just grind all the plastic sliding parts off and then find some metal pieces and fabricate them and glue those in place.. but it would be hard to get them in the exact spots... hmmm somebody think of a good idea here....

THANKS

 

Try and find a pull it yourself junkyard in your area. I doubt the junkyard will charge a lot for them.