I'm putting the 78 280z back together that I purchased from an estate.  One of the stainless trim pieces for the drip rail was not installed on the car.  I don't have the "clips" that fasten the trim to the body.  I'm not sure what they are called because I haven't found any reference to this trim in the body section of my FSM.  Any idea where I can find these clips.  If I remember correctly, they are made of spring steel and each side trim piece has four or five clips. 

What clips? If you're talking about the gutter trim, I think you just press it on.

 The late 71 that I disassembled used no clips.

3 hours ago, mayolives said:

I'm putting the 78 280z back together that I purchased from an estate.  One of the stainless trim pieces for the drip rail was not installed on the car.  I don't have the "clips" that fasten the trim to the body.  I'm not sure what they are called because I haven't found any reference to this trim in the body section of my FSM.  Any idea where I can find these clips.  If I remember correctly, they are made of spring steel and each side trim piece has four or five clips. 

The drip rail stainless steel trim is designed to be installed without any clips or mechanical devices to hold them on. They simply snap on over the drip rail.

 

 

Having the luck to look at many of these, I have seen some from the later 280’s that DO have clips in them. 

Now as to why anyone thought you might need them, I can’t imagine. Assuming they are not bent or deformed or twisted, they snap on VERY firmly. About the only problems I’ve had installing them stems from a fresh paint job where too much paint thickness on the gutter pinch weld.

I am fairly confident that the factory would not spend extra money on these if they hadn’t had reported issues that these clips addressed. I can go look if any of the rails I have contain these clips to show what they look like.

And here is my hot tip for drip trim removal

https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/65066-new-way-to-remove-stainless-drip-rail-trim/

. 

I stripped down another 78 280z a fews years ago in order to have it painted and there were clips on that car's trim.  When I look at the underside of the uninstalled trim piece that came with this car, I see several darker areas, about an 3/4" long, where the clips originaly sat on the trim.  When I try to install this trim over the drip rail, it's much too wide to hold in place, from one end to the other.  Perhaps the trim could be flattened a bit to help it pinch the drip rail and stay on, but I'm reluctant to do this and end up with a wavy and dented trim piece.  But if I can't source what I want, and as a last resort, this may be my only option.  I do have some time to  locat the clips due to the long list of other, under to hood items that need my attention.  Thanks for the replys but I'm still lookin'!    

zKars   ouote:  "I can go look if any of the rails I have contain these clips to show what they look like."                               

I photo of a clip would be nice.

@mayolivesIs your car a 2+2? The parts book lists drip rail clips for 2+2 models but does not show them in the illustration. They are not shown or listed for the 2 seater.

I know that the stainless steel roof trims (see image below) on late model coupes (01/76 on) are fitted with clips (see image below), certainly to part number 73812-N4425 and 73813-N4425, for example. In NOS examples, they are normally contained in a little bag (see image below) as part of the roof trim assembly itself, but not clipped into it (I say normally, as a couple I purchased didn't have them).  

Edited May 28, 20213 yr by jerz

Yep, There they are. Propably as easy to find as unicorn's teeth. Thank you for the research.