65 Barracuda Trim Replacement

[Chuter]

I finally got around to replacing this piece of trim below the rear window of my '65 Barracuda:

I got a replacement with the car. Now that it's not too hot to crawl under that window, I discovered that the studs holding this in place aren't behind the black plastic caps like the center pieces, but instead they are behind another piece of sheetmetal on the inside:

Zooming on the picture, those aren't hexes in the middle of those fasteners. Do they just pry out? I'm sure it's not too complicated, but I hate to just go in there with a pry bar and find out it's something different, but equally simple. And of course it's in a spot I can't get into to get a real good look. Bifocals suck sometimes!

 

[RAT ROD AL]

I believe I punched the center pin through and drilled the rivets out. Plastic corners break real easily.
Someone may have a better idea !

@JDMopar what you know on this ?

 

[Chuter]

So you're saying these are basically plastic headed pop rivets?

 

[RAT ROD AL]

I believe so. If I remember correctly.

 

[Blue62Val]

Hey mate……
I just went through this and stuffed some of them. They just push through from memory, but you have to be very gentle prying them out. They’re a bit brittle.
If I remember tomorrow I’ll take a pic of one out of the car.

Peter

 

[Bob Jasinski]

Following this as mine have been off the car for 15 years and I don't know how they were originally fastened. I thought screws but I'm obviously wrong. I'd like to know if the fasteners are available or if there is a good substitute.

Edit: I just happen to be assembling the rear cargo area and my rear glass is out. There are actually 4 fasteners used the hold the plastic curved piece in place. The two plastic rivets that are visible and two screws that are hidden under the window gasket. Not sure if the two top screws can be removed with the gasket in place. Just be real careful or you will break the plastic and these parts are hard to find and not reproduced. The top picture is without the plastic cover, the middle picture is with the cover held in place. Bottom picture is the old gold molding with broken corner and the black replacement. There are 4 mounting holes on each piece. Its all black so hard to see the holes. Notice the area on the gold piece where the holes were covered by the rubber glass gasket. Those are the two screws you might get out if you can somehow lift the gasket to get to them. I just added the 4th picture with the old gold cover to show the holes for the screws under the gasket better.

 

[cudamark]

I finally got around to replacing this piece of trim below the rear window of my '65 Barracuda:

View attachment 1716478255

I got a replacement with the car. Now that it's not too hot to crawl under that window, I discovered that the studs holding this in place aren't behind the black plastic caps like the center pieces, but instead they are behind another piece of sheetmetal on the inside:
View attachment 1716478261
Zooming on the picture, those aren't hexes in the middle of those fasteners. Do they just pry out? I'm sure it's not too complicated, but I hate to just go in there with a pry bar and find out it's something different, but equally simple. And of course it's in a spot I can't get into to get a real good look. Bifocals suck sometimes!

Use a punch to pop out the center pin, and then CAREFULLY pry out the plastic rivet. Two thin putty knives work pretty good doing this. As mentioned, those plastic trim elbow pieces are about as strong as a potato chip, so, extreme care needs to be taken removing them. I'm not sure if anyone makes replacement rivets or just the pins. Sometimes those pins get lost when you punch them out into the body. What I did on one car was to use a tiny drill bit to make a short partial hole in the pin, then I used a tiny screw to thread it into that shallow hole. I then grabbed that screw and pulled the pin instead of punching it out. I then just turned the pin over when I re-installed the rivet and trim I was working on so that hole wasn't visible.

 

[Chuter]

Thanks for the help. I'll explore this further this weekend.

 

[Blue62Val]

The little clips....

 

[DC 340]

Just be real careful or you will break the plastic and these parts are hard to find and not reproduced.

I recently bought the reproduction plastic pieces from Laysons:

NOW AVAILABLE!!!!! 64-66 Barracuda Interior Rear Window Plastic Covers!!!

 

[Chuter]

I've got to think this through some more. Got the rivets out easily by poking the pins out with a punch, then the plastic part of the rivet came out very easily. The inner trim piece is a different story. Thanks to your help, I realized there are two screws under the window seal. I was able to pull the seal back enough to get a screwdriver on one of the screws and unthread it enough that the head hits the bottom of the glass. Obviously it isn't coming out without the glass being removed, and I'm not anxious to do that. So I drove it back in. Of course that's the corner of the trim that was cracked when I got back there, so I am probably the second person to try to get it out. Maybe that's why the new trim piece was loose when I bought the car! I might be able to loosen the screw enough to snake the trim out, assuming the other screw can be gotten out.

One thought is to drill out the trim piece with a hole saw, then plug the hole with a plastic plug like is used on the steel part back there. No clue how I'd find the spot to make the hole.

If I was starting from scratch, I'd seriously think about slotting the two screw holes to the edge of the piece, so it could be slid past them without taking the screws clear out. I bet it won't be easy getting them back in under that weatherstrip either.

That new trim piece may go back in the box until something causes me to have the window out!

 

[DC 340]

Interesting... My rear glass has never been out but I was able to remove those screws under the window seal without hitting the glass as far as I remember. I can say those holes in the plastic trim I removed are still intact.

 

[Bob Jasinski]

I've got to think this through some more. Got the rivets out easily by poking the pins out with a punch, then the plastic part of the rivet came out very easily. The inner trim piece is a different story. Thanks to your help, I realized there are two screws under the window seal. I was able to pull the seal back enough to get a screwdriver on one of the screws and unthread it enough that the head hits the bottom of the glass. Obviously it isn't coming out without the glass being removed, and I'm not anxious to do that. So I drove it back in. Of course that's the corner of the trim that was cracked when I got back there, so I am probably the second person to try to get it out. Maybe that's why the new trim piece was loose when I bought the car! I might be able to loosen the screw enough to snake the trim out, assuming the other screw can be gotten out.

One thought is to drill out the trim piece with a hole saw, then plug the hole with a plastic plug like is used on the steel part back there. No clue how I'd find the spot to make the hole.

If I was starting from scratch, I'd seriously think about slotting the two screw holes to the edge of the piece, so it could be slid past them without taking the screws clear out. I bet it won't be easy getting them back in under that weatherstrip either.

That new trim piece may go back in the box until something causes me to have the window out!

Chuter, I understand the dilemma you're facing. I'm on the other end of the issue as my rear window is out and I'm now putting it back together. If I install the L&R curved chrome pieces before the window goes in, followed by the plastic L&R covers (using the 4 fastener holes) then gasket and glass, I won't be able to go back and adjust the position of the L & R chrome pieces for proper fit when the center section goes in after the glass is in place.

I could pre-fit all 3 pieces by laying the gasket in the channel as a guide, tighten down the L&R pieces, then remove the center section and install the glass. I'm also considering just slipping the plastic pieces under the gasket, not using the top holes and only use the bottom holes for securement. If I found I could install the top screws after the rubber is in I would do it, otherwise the rubber would be the only top support.

In your situation, I believe you will have to remove the center section first to remove either the L or R pieces as there is a tab on each piece that's covered by that center section. At least you can access the nuts on the center section as they are not covered. I'd like to know what the factory procedure was.