So I'm about to have my recently acquired 77 280 into the paint shop for a complete repaint job. To save a few bucks ,the guy who is painting it suggested that I remove all of the badging and side moldings, side marker lights and such.  Light removal is pretty clear (Just remove the screws). Does anybody have any suggestions about how to release the badging and riveted side body moldings. Assuming I have to drill the aluminum rivets behind the rubber of the moldings but is replacing them a challenge? 

Welcome to the group, lots of quality help here for all models. The fender badges can likely be pushed out from the backside and if you are really creative you can possibly do the same for the hatch badges by removing the inner panel. You seem to be on track with the side moldings and installing new pop-rivets after the paint job should not be difficult. This is a good time to consider whether you want to stick with the side moldings - if not, ideal time to get the painter to have the holes closed. The badges aft of the quarter windows will have to be pried off, just go slowly and don't try to do it with one bite. Look at some pics of badges on ebay to get a feel for what they look like on the back side and where the pins are located. The more you remove (such as door and hatch locks), the better quality potential for the paint job.

Thanks for the feedback....yes the badges were easy to remove just like you said. Still have to tackle the side body molding but i’m not anticipating any issues.. I think i’m going to keep the side body molding to keep the look original so i’ll have to rivet them back into the existing holes...any tricks of the trade or special tools for that process ? 

Glad all went well with the badges. Regarding the "original" look - you do know that side moldings were dealer add-ons, right? Not offered by Nissan from the factory. Anyway, installing pop-rivets should be pretty straightforward, probably go with aluminum rivets as opposed to steel. A pop-rivet tool should be available most anywhere, very inexpensive.

17 hours ago, jfa.series1 said:

you do know that side moldings were dealer add-ons, right? Not offered by Nissan from the factory.

Haha.. yeah dealer add-ons,  VERY UGLY  add-ons if i may say..   and one can wait for a lot of rust behind those ugly things!  My view.. it's damn ugly and rust inducing..  (Just my opinion!)

Putting the bodyside mouldings back in place will avoid the need to weld up the mounting holes (probably a couple of hours of shop time).  Suggest you consider using steel rivets rather than aluminum, so as to avoid dissimilar-metal corrosion issues.  Plain-steel rivets will have their own bare-metal corrosion issues, though.  Check to see whether stainless or galvanized types are available.  If not, the rivets can be phosphate-dipped to provide at least a degree of corrosion protection. 

23 hours ago, Namerow said:

Putting the bodyside mouldings back in place will avoid the need to weld up the mounting holes (probably a couple of hours of shop time)

Come on.. a few.. 24? holes i weld them in 15 min. and some grinding in another 15 min.. thats half an hour..   (Those old rusty mountingholes are to wide anyway so they need attention anyway.. ?)

9 hours ago, dutchzcarguy said:

Come on.. a few.. 24? holes i weld them in 15 min. and some grinding in another 15 min.. thats half an hour..   (Those old rusty mountingholes are to wide anyway so they need attention anyway.. ?)

Git 'er done!

Sorry, couldn't resist the urge. ?

12 hours ago, ETI4K said:

Sorry, couldn't resist the urge. ?

Yeah.. i got those also sometimes..   (I just asked someone here on "a sort of graigslist" we have here in Holland.. about some rims he's selling if this ad is for 4 or 2 ? AND do they come with the covers? He ofcourse replied:  there are only 2. greetings..

I replied with..  (sorry ,short fused today?)  Reading IS difficult hey?    i guess i can forget those rims  HAHAHAHA...

Edited September 5, 20204 yr by dutchzcarguy

Those body side moldings were very common back in the day.  Z seems to be very sensitive to different add ons based on the color of the car.  Personally, I don't like the look of them on most cars.  I have a 905 red car that I thought really needed them. So I put them on it.  But they were adhesive type.  No rivets.  My wife and I both like the look but my younger sons don't.  I have a 918 orange car that I wouldn't dream of putting them on.

If it were me and I was going to send the car in for repaint, I would get those holes filled and install adhesive based moldings.  Then the holes in the sheet metal are taken car of and if you ever change your mind and decide to remove them, it wont make you sick.