Chevrolet: 1998 chevy blazer, chevy blazer, elbow grease

Question
Hi I was wondering if there is a way to remove the body moulding on a 98 chevy blazer without ruining the paint.

Answer
Tom,
   When I have done this kind of stuff in the past I have heated the moulding up to get it to peel off. I use an electric heat gun to heat it a little at a time, then peel it as I go. You have to be careful of a couple of things though... Don't get too hot to damage the paint, don't go too fast, and don't burn your fingers. It is a pretty slow process. A couple of things to consider are; if you have a two-tone paint job that meets at the moulding, often times the paint line underneath is not perfectly straight; if you go too fast or get too much heat you could pull the paint with the moulding; and you are more than likely going to have to spend some time and elbow grease getting the adhesive off when you are done. I would say if you really want to do it, get a heat gun and try it on a spot around the bumpers first, or if you have access, try it on a junker or an old fender first, just to get the hang of it. Once you get the moulding off, there are a few good clearcoat-safe adhesive removers out there, just check your local parts store. Don't use anything too strong, or you will damage the clearcoat and end up with dull spots in the paint. Once off, you should be able to buff up the paint underneath and it should shine, just remember you will probably have a "phantom line" where the moulding was, because that paint has not been subjected to fading due to elements like the rest of the paint has. Good Luck!