leave body side molding or remove it?

This was factory... the pegs and plastic clips are definitely from Chrysler... the pegs are welded into the body before it was painted....

Yes, it sounds like you are referring to a different type of moulding than I was talking about. I do have some of those pegs and a tool to weld them on, but the aftermarket moulding I was referring to couldn't use them.
Dallas