Removing Chrome Drip Rail Trim and Other Bits

[AlastairCM]

How exactly do you remove it and the other chrome pieces (door waist trim? unsure of the correct description) around the front and rear side/door windows on a pre-facelift XJS? Basically the 4 chrome strips and the corner piece (at the bottom corner of the side vents).

Is it riveted on in places or is it just held on by clips, or are there screws etc?

I've read that the door waist trim piece is blind riveted from behind and requires the door glass to be removed to get at the rivets, but the other strips may be removable by careful prying?

Are there any nuts/screws to remove from the inside of the car, e.g. for the corner piece?

I can find plenty of info about removing the stainless windscreen trim (and how that is a bad idea because of damage risk) but not these bits. I assume these bits are chromed and not stainless like the windscreen?

I am de-chroming some of the the car to replace it with TWR satin black fittings and wondering how far to go with it on the more difficult bits.

[AlastairCM]

Since there were no replies and I've now removed most of the trim from the donor car, I thought I would share the experience gained.

The drip rail trim is simply pressed on over the drip rail with the ends of the "C" shape trim pressed/clipped onto the rail. It is not easy to remove without damaging but the best option is to gently prise it off once the windscreen trim is removed. I inserted something inside the gap between the trip piece and the gutter rail which is evident once the windscreen trim is removed. The top of the "C" has a large overlap on the gutter rail but the bottom does not, therefore prising it off from the bottom first with a slight upward motion is the best way to remove it. I found that once a certain amount of pressure in the right direction was applied and some of the trim came away the rest eventually came off in one go.

The corner pieces are bolted on and nut can be accessed via the boot but its a tight fit to get a socket in and has to be located and undone by touch.

The vertical pieces are simply clipped over the edges of the blind rivets that hold the black plastic trim (the bit with the vent in) on around the rear quarter lights. They come off relatively easily once you can prise the strip off from the top when the gutter drip trim has been removed.

The door waist trim is held on from inside the door somehow, likely clipped over blind rivets, which would require the glass to be removed for access. I didn't bother persevering with this piece.

The strip at the bottom of the rear quarter light seems to be located by tabs that are actually sandwiched under the black plastic around the quarter light. Towards the door it is also strongly fixed in, I assume possibly by blind rivets. It seems impossible to remove it (non-destructively) without removing the window so I didn't bother persevering with this piece either.

[Brakebuster]

as above

the outer door chrome trims are screwed to the door skin under the felt window scraper , however, at the front where the quarterlight is , the mastic holding the window and other seals prevent the removal untill the quarter light top frame is removed , and then the glass and the lower bracket , exposing the screws , this can be seen in the exploded parts diagram of this area

the rear quarter window lower chrome trims are indeed riveted in under the glass seal , the rear window easily pops out but the inside bolster needs to be removed etc , you will find this area rusted out unless really lucky

BB