These trim pieces are mounted with a combination of spring-like clips in the middle areas, and threaded posts with squarish backings that slide into the trim pieces, pass through the mount holes, and are fastened down with washers/nuts on the back of the body panels. The springy clips aren't a problem, but considering how close to the road surface (and the subsequent kicking up of moisture/dirt/etc.) the other mounts are, they have gotten rusted/corroded. The backs of these mounts are so degraded that when trying to loosen the nuts, they give way and simply spin inside the trim. As these trim pieces are pretty trashed anyway, I resort to simply wrestling them off.
Unfortunately, at this point I find that there is yet more rust - some of the worst I've found on the body itself. The rearward mount holes on both sides of the car are very rusted out, and it's clear I'll need to find replacements for these pieces.
Here's a photo from a February 2010 post, showing another area of severe rust, same side of the car. Now, at first I thought that these top plates and the side body pieces were different parts, but it appears that they are single pieces.
Not long ago I posted a note on the Ponton list, asking the gang about my options on dealing with some other rusted areas in the floorboards (look for a future post on this). And one fellow on the list, by the name of Harry, emailed me privately and offered up what was left of his old '58 220S as a donor car. Harry had acquired a '59 220S in better condition, and began cannibalizing his '58 for parts - for use on his '59, and many he sold to other Pontoneers. Most of the parts he had sold were smaller, easier-to-remove bits - but he still has the basic body/shell.
I was pondering purchasing the '58 from Henry and having it transported here from Los Angeles (Harry's stomping grounds), stripping both cars down, and using the donor car's shell as the backbone for the rebuild, and having my old shell hauled off for scrap. But, as it turns out, his '58 shell has many of the same issues mine does - and I figured it wouldn't make any sense to go through all that trouble to end up right back where I started.
But, Harry is quite open to removing some parts from his '58 and selling them piecemeal - and lo and behold, these areas of his car are in much much better shape. Harry removed the driver's side entrance sill (which is what these are called, thanks Harry) from his parts car and sent me some pictures.
A bit of surface rust on the top area, which in this case would be where the rear driver's side door is - but it looks like it would clean up pretty well, and that whole area would end up with a rubber mat over it in the end.
I've got several other parts I'm looking to purchase from Harry - including his pair of front fenders, which appear to be in much better shape than mine, as far as the headlight areas go - plus that would solve having to have the damage addressed at the bottom of the left front fender (see first photo in this post).
Another parts issue that Harry is going to end up rescuing me from is the door/sill trim situation. I have several of the door/fender trim pieces that are in reasonable shape, but certainly not a full set. As it turns out, Harry has a full set of this trim that he recently had cleaned up and is going to be mounting on his '59 - and the existing '59's trim set, once it comes off, I'm going to purchase from him as well. His trim set is also incomplete - but the combo of his trim and mine make a full set!
The more I remove trim like this, the more I'm finding mounting clips that are degraded/rusted, and I'm also finding *lots* of loose, dusty dirt - some of which has packed into clumps that require poking to get out - accumulated behind the trim. I think when the time comes to remount these trim pieces, I'm going to look into sealing these up in some way - finding a clear compound that can be squeezed in around the edges, to prevent moisture and dirt from finding their way into those gaps.
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