TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
I have done work on roofs rails and drip rail moldings on a couple of different cars now and found two things in the process that seem to help.
1. Using a 3 inch section of old 5/8 heater hose makes a great tool for crimping drip rail trim back on the edges of the gutter without marking or kinking it.
Just take about a 3 inch or so section of old hardened up 5/8 hose and from end to end slice out about 1/4 of the hose out. (bacically ending up with a C shape about 3 inches long)
Slip this over the trim and start crimping the trim down a little at a time all the way down it's length with a pair of channel locks and it won't distort or scratch the trim but will crimp it on to the rail edge nicely.
This one applies to Darts, Dusters and maybe others.
2. Take a look at the very rear end of your drip rail and you will probably see a gap between the roof and the gutter.
Notice where water goes when it gets to the end of the gutter.
It drips right down between the body and the rear window at the very rear of the glass.
Extending that section of the gutter to the end of the drip rail makes the water drip on the body now and it runs off instead of ending up down inside the body every time there is dew or melting frost.
Body filler might work ok for this but I like to use fiberglass resin with fibers in it for this. (called Bondo Hair)
A piece of duct tape on the bottom side will support it until it hardens, and then it can be sanded down and painted over.
Water gets in there a bit anyway sometimes, but why let it get wet again and again even if it isn't from rain, but just dew or frost melting?
1. Using a 3 inch section of old 5/8 heater hose makes a great tool for crimping drip rail trim back on the edges of the gutter without marking or kinking it.
Just take about a 3 inch or so section of old hardened up 5/8 hose and from end to end slice out about 1/4 of the hose out. (bacically ending up with a C shape about 3 inches long)
Slip this over the trim and start crimping the trim down a little at a time all the way down it's length with a pair of channel locks and it won't distort or scratch the trim but will crimp it on to the rail edge nicely.
This one applies to Darts, Dusters and maybe others.
2. Take a look at the very rear end of your drip rail and you will probably see a gap between the roof and the gutter.
Notice where water goes when it gets to the end of the gutter.
It drips right down between the body and the rear window at the very rear of the glass.
Extending that section of the gutter to the end of the drip rail makes the water drip on the body now and it runs off instead of ending up down inside the body every time there is dew or melting frost.
Body filler might work ok for this but I like to use fiberglass resin with fibers in it for this. (called Bondo Hair)
A piece of duct tape on the bottom side will support it until it hardens, and then it can be sanded down and painted over.
Water gets in there a bit anyway sometimes, but why let it get wet again and again even if it isn't from rain, but just dew or frost melting?
