Exterior Weather Strip

Check ebay and local junkyards, Ill be making these in the coming months once my trim project is wrapped up

Strip off all the plastic, scuff with 3M red pad, hit it with adhesion promoter, then black primer and finally 3-7 thin coats of trim paint in semi-gloss black.

Jeremy R. said:

Strip off all the plastic, scuff with 3M red pad, hit it with adhesion promoter, then black primer and finally 3-7 thin coats of trim paint in semi-gloss black.

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I had the same problem of missing window trim (nowhere to be found on EBay or anywhere else) and did almost exactly what Jeremy recommended and it worked out surprisingly well. (I would post a photo or video of the results but I’m a newbie here and don’t know how, sorry!)

I used plastidip and it has worked surprisingly well.
I will have to recoat this year but I’m pleased with the look and texture

Flat black primer or plastidip! Mine came out well in flat black primer!

I considered the plastidip with a top coat of trim paint to UV protect the plastidip.

I'd like to try that maybe.

The plastidip might look really good and maybe a bit more like OEM having a little texture to it. I've used it on other parts / places with good results and it holds up well I think but my car(s) are all mostly toys and garaged so not sure for a daily which would be better.

Yeah the sweet spot for cars is 15-20 years old. That's when people get rid of them. After that you need to find the correct forum and ask. Lots of parts hoarders. Thankfully we have them for these 35-40 year old cars.

Painting in place can be fun. Just remember to tuck the tape under the edge if you can without touching the part. My trim is off the car so time to play with spray cans. Just as soon as it stops raining and being just above freezing.
This week si looking up.

I was also thinking that a good semi matte wrap could work, if you get it 'well' around the edges.

I picked up some wrap for another purpose where I ended up using paint.
That would be something to try too. I just hate it when the wrap gets air pockets though. There are allot of little bends in there.
Also I wonder how it would wrap around the ends?

Use an air-release cast vinyl, you'll never have bubbles again. 3M 2080 series vinyl would work well for this, as well as Oracal's 970RA. I've wrapped tons of trim in the past, its not hard to do and looks like oem parts and not wrapped with vinyl in the end.

The voice of experience steps in. Did you happen to re-do your trims like this?

lol! I dunno about that!!! I did my truck's trim, it was pretty beaten up, the supra's trim is still in perfect condition though. Think I've wrapped trim on at least a few dozen vehicles over the years though, just take your time, start from the center and work the vinyl down towards the edges. Also remember, any imperfections in the trim will show up in the wrap, so make sure they're sanded well and spend the extra time going through several grits to get rid of all the small scratches!

I was hoping you had some finished pictures. I've worked with vinyl before also hung wall paper for years so I get it. ;o)
It's good to know which brands are tried and worked.

Did you use a heat gun or blow dryer to get the final fit BTW?

Heat it if its really not behaving or you've overstretched it and need it to shrink back to its normal size. I also use heat as a final step to "lock it in" to the vehicle. The vinyl is extremely good at stretching without any heat on its own, and once you get a feel for how the vinyl acts, you'll know just how far you can stretch it before you start seeing it in the color or sheen.

One other thing to add, too much heat on matte vinyl will make it shiny!

Ahh too much heat makes it shiny. That's invaluable advice! There's nothing like being 95% done and screwing it up at the end. BTDT.
Had that happen last year when I thought I would clear coat a piece for extra protection. The clear coat came out in gobs and ruined the piece. FTW. lol

mine is breaking up also and will look at doing some of this at some point