Hello all...silly question I know, but you all know better than me so figured I would ask. On this 69MkII the chrome trims that go from front to back clip onto small pegs that are riveted onto the body panels. should I drill these out before painting or just leave them in place?

Thanks

 

Absolutely NOT. How do you think you can fit your trim without them? I lost some of mine whilst getting a re-paint job - had to use double sided tape. Not very good.

 

They're available from here and probably else where.

16-4501 - Clip Kit, MK II Body Chrome

If they are in the way from getting the panel smooth, then remove them.
When I had my car done, I removed them, the painter wanted me to.
The paint can build up on them and then they won't do their job.
Trying to carefully remove the paint from the buttons with out damaging the surrounding area can be a challenge.

One needs a common pop-rivet gun to put the new ones in.
A small amount of sealer can be used as well.

 

These chrome strips make the car, (I love them !), but if you're repainting, its very important to remove the strips, drill out the pop-rivets holding on the clips, and put new clips back on when reassembling. Older cars had really horrible clips that had little tangs on them that ripped your hand to pieces when rubbing down prior to painting. The later cars had circular clips that were much more user friendly and easier to fit. As said, make sure you put some sealer or Dum-Dum putty on the pop rivet at the back of the clip before applying the pop-rivet gun. It will help prevent corrosion, as will Waxoyl or similar. You'll probably have found rusting around the clip holes. This needs to be attended to by getting the panel back to bare steel and applying something like a zinc-rich promer. I applied Waxoyl fairly liberally once the clips wer back on, and also pressed Dum-Dum putting into the topside gap between panel and strip to stop water getting in.

All this was a long, long time ago, in the mid-80s.

 

Let me modify my previous post. When I had my Daimler repainted, I removed all the chrome including the horizontal strips. I then removed the badly corroded clips. I then found that the holes for the trim clips were of various sizes and I had a great deal of trouble finding effective ways of holding the new chrome. Also, at the front between the front windscreen and the engine compartment opening were short chrome strips that were held in place by small studs that could not be removed. My painter wanted rid of them. This was a mistake since I have resorted to double sided tape to keep them in place. Be careful!