Is the rub rail / side molding on the outside of the 240Z OEM or was that an add on?

I see some pics with, some without - just curious...

Dealer add on.

There are two main styles that I've seen. One is the aluminum channel with the rubber/vinyl insert in color to complement the car (white/black etc.). The other is the all rubber stick on, some with a chromed edge and others just plain rubber.

FWIW

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Thanks! I never did like the way it looks...my preference is to remove it. Any ideas on how to do it?

If it's the metal strip w/ rubber insert, it's typically riveted on. If you remove it there will be holes along the side of your car. To remove it, you have to drill-out the rivet heads.

If it's the other type, just get some automotive adhesive trim remover. Be sure to test in an unobtrusive spot to make certain it does not damage the paint.

Depends on WHAT you're doing.

For the riveted or screwed on variety:

If you're doing a complete tear-down of the car, window mechanisms out of the doors, fenders off, interior rear plastic panels out, and general removal of paint down to the metal...you can't argue against a quick MIG weld of the holes (if they used rivets). A good welder can put a copper plate behind the hole, give the hole a fast shot with the MIG and grind off the excess faster than anything I've seen, and NOT warp the metal. The advantage here is that you're putting steel back into the sheet metal and not some foreign substance (more on this). But the key here is NOT warping the metal. This would NOT be the place to see how good you are at welding.

The other alternative is to Braze the holes shut. However, this has a HIGH probability of warping the metal due to heat expansion/contraction.

Another alternative is to use a Lead fill method, or as I was taught when I was working as a body man...SOLDERNIG the holes shut. This has the advantage of not requiring a welder and not over-heating the panel. You use Acid Core solder with a liquid flux after having cleared the surrounding 1/16" or so of metal and it will quickly fill the hole. The biggest disadvantage here is that you MUST neutralize the flux and acid that may leak behind the hole.

There are other fill compounds, Epoxy is one, JB Weld is another. As long as the material is NOT porous (and Bondo IS), you should be ok. The only disadvantages here (AFAIK) is that you want something that will expand/contract at generally the same rate as the sheet metal, and adhere very strongly with a minimum of contact area.

All of the above are easy to do on a tear down.

If you're hoping to just remove the moldings and use a dash of touch up paint...probably only the Solder or Epoxy methods would apply.

For the adhesive back variety:

Removal can be done with careful use of a razor blade, some hi strength nylon fishing line or a guitar string. Then just start at the beginning and carefully work back. The fishing line or the guitar string are the easiest methods although they'll tend to "tear" and bunch up the adhesive backed foam. The razor blade runs the risk of knicking the paint. Afterwards, as Julio pointed out, adhesive remover and you should be good to go.

However, in my experience, if they've used the aluminum channel and used adhesive backing, usually the decorative end tips are screwed onto the body, so you'll still have to do some hole filling.

FWIW

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Yowch! It's definitely the aluminum with rubber insert...I guess I won't be taking them off any time soon

Thanks for the input - at least I know what I am up against!

FWIW, I plan to re-install my alluminum & vinyl dent strips. The car does not look as clean with them on, but it looks a lot better than a series of door dings in the paint.

For those of us that live in crowded urban environments, we rarely have the opportunity to "pick" a safe parking spot, so for me, the protective strips are a requirement.

There is a company that still sells the aluminum, vinyl & end parts. The vinyl is available in colors as well as black. Here's the link: http://www.customautotrim.com/products/moldings/rivet.htm.

I have the aluminum channels with rubber inserts. I love the look without, but I also like the look with. I will more than likely keep mine when I do my refresh and/or restore. Do you know if this is still an available part(s)? Thanks....

Check the link in my post above. They stock the all the parts.

WOW, sorry Julio, I completely missed that. Thanks a bunch....