850 roof rails: Has anyone refinished them?

Discussion in 'Volvo 850' started by Doug Warner, Feb 26, 2006.

  1. Doug Warner

    Doug Warner Guest

    The black coating on the driver's side roof trim is peeling off. I
    was going to remove the rails, the rubber edges, strip the coating,
    and apply black trim tape.

    Unfortunately, when I checked today, I found:
    1. The rails fit into heavy metal clips that are attached to the body
    by glued-on rubber blocks, which will probably tear off if I try to
    remove them.. (And Volvo's price for these clips will be ridiculous)

    2. The rubber edges are bonded to the metal, and can't be removed.


    So, it looks like the best bet is to scrape off the remaining black
    stuff, strip the glue (Paint remover works well) and then tape or
    paint.

    Has anyone retuned these rails to an even black finish and had it look
    good? (My 94, at 220K miles, doesn't have much resale / trade value
    as it is, so new trim is too expensive to consider..)
     
    Doug Warner, Feb 26, 2006
    #1
  2. Doug Warner

    User Guest

    Remove the paint however you want to. Get some aluminum metal prep from
    the paint supply store. Erch and clean the molding. Rinse well, tape the
    rubber parts, spray with a high build primer. Scuff with 3M 07748
    Scotchbrite pad. Wipe with a tack cloth. Spray with bumper and molding
    paint. Works pretty good. The bumper paint has a good semigloss almost
    black color and imparts a slight texture, just like the original.

    Bob
     
    User, Feb 27, 2006
    #2
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