Repairing rain gutter trim

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x_atlas0

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Howdy, everyone!

I've been taking care of long-standing exterior issues with my coupe, and one of the items left (along with replacing the rear bumper and rubber) is fixing the exterior rain gutters.

My rain gutters, on both the left and right back sides, are pulling away from the roof and sticking out away from the windows. Looking at the location it pulled away from the other trim, it looks like it ripped apart. The trim itself looks like a 'L' with the flat part of the L folding into the roof somehow. What can I do to fix this trim? It appears to be expensive, so I'd like to try and fix it. Can I solder it back together, or something akin to that? Heck, I'm not really sure how to even get the trim off in the first place.

Parts: (5)
https://www.bmwpartsdeal.com/parts-list/1973-bmw-3_0cs/vehicle_trim/mouldings.html?diagram=19523

17eb887ca7bf3571f8a9370d99700e11.png


Thanks,
Matt
 
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Aren't they simply crimped on, suggesting you and your favorite pair of pliers, plus a rag for cushioning, could squeeze them back on?

I have a set of gutter trims I got from a salvage CS, but of course they are pre-bent and shipping from Hawaii would be a chore.
 
The key is to not have too much paint on the drip edge if the car was repainted but also to have the aluminum strips that run under the window edge (one in front and one in the back that are behind the gaskets) as flat and flush as can be. Trim hooks to the drip edge above then rotate it to go over the alum strips. Held on by friction only. I found that when removing these, one will rotate them to pop them off and then this causes them to torque and twist slightly , making them difficult to stay in place when re-installing.

I can get some images if needed. I bought new ones from W&N, they were surprisingly cheap 3 years ago (about 90 bucks each, not now I see).
 
As requested, pictures. How does the vertical trim actually stay attached to the body? Rside2 shows how it is sticking out, like I said in the original post.
 

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It may be that the flange which holds the trim has been compromised or the gutter trim has been compromised.
If the flange on the car is damaged, it may need to be glued & clamped. If going the glue route, Locktite makes a heat tolerant adhesive.
If the trim has been "stretched" or is too wide to stay on the flange, carefully 'pinch' the trim with protected pliers.

The flange on the car is like a "T" and the gutter trim fits on that flange by fitting the top edge firmly first, then snapping to the bottom with a firm smack with a length of wood & a rubber mallet in a downward motion rolling the trim onto the lower/inner side.
 
@x_atlas0, after visiting VSR today, & discussing this with one of the craftsmen, you will either need to find good used gutter trim & replace both sides or glue the failing pieces back in place. Where yours is failing is not meant to catastrophically fail like that.
 
I'm going with flange ok, trim was removed once which requires rotating the back or front end to start the removal process. I would ask if the flange on the troubled part is intact and just the entire back part of the trim has been rotated and that is why it is popping off. Regardless, entire piece has to be removed. I would love to see its shape once removed.
 
I too suspect that the Alu trim has deformed, and not the steel flange on the car. After all its thin alu vs steel in roughly the same thickness; I know who will win that arm wrestling contest.

And fully agree with @bavbob; what you see (in pic Rside2.jpg) is likely the place where the removal started, therefor the most deformation on the Alu trim occurs on that end. In my car it was also sticking out a bit, just like yours, as my trim was removed at least once for a repaint.

Now for the solution: luckily Alu is quite ductile, meaning it can be bend back into shape for it to just grip the roof edge again. Downside is that, for a nice presentable car, the deformation will ( perhaps already ) have caused cracks in the anodizing layer; the anodized layer is quite brittle. You will likely notice small hairline cracks. The only way around that is new part, or de-anodize (use the chem power of over cleaner), polish and re-anodize or Cerakote the part.
 
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Best to pop the entire thing off and torque it straight. I have mentioned a bunch of times on here that Minwax or equivalent floor restorer which is nothing more than watered down polyurethane, can be used on these parts to markedly improve their look and all you have to do is wipe it on. It will last a few years as well. Fills the fine scratches. Also use on the black plastic hood and fender vent/trim parts.
 
Had the same problem upon trying to “re-snap” over the sheet metal edge, just kept popping off. I injected a small amount of epoxy in the female groove of the Al trim and used 3 small rubber cushioned wood clamps, presto, problem fixed. Don’t inject too much epoxy as it will be very difficult to remove. Success for over a year now and looks perfect.
 
One more thought on this problem, it is very likely by taking the entire trim piece off again you will likely distort other aspects of the long linear pre fabricated line of the piece. Sometimes less is more!!
 
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