All right! ok! yahh... so.. uh. long time, I know, but gettin to work on the '02 isn't exactly easy-bake-oven these days. So, I've been working on gathering the rest of the waistline trim needed and seeing how feasible it is to attatch a decent set on a small budget. Anyone who's unfortunate enough to have a degenerate or (like me) imaginable set of this trim probably knows what a set will set you back if you buy re-pops.. over $300 including clips. SO, if you're like me and have more time than money, I'm here to tell you.. it can be done for under $60 dammit! but there are downsides of course. like sore throats from aluminum dust inhalation and other minor health issues.

1. take a wide putty knife, pry bar, and small open end wrench set (can't recall if it's 6mm or 7mm but it's small) to your local Pick-and-Pullery.

2. Look for any year 2002. If you find none, return to step #1 until you do.

3. Remove as many trim pieces as you can find. make sure you remove any small nuts from behind the trim before using the putty knife to pry them off. they're real easy to bend. I kept track of which pieces I had using a box drawing on paper. (Don't forget the corner collars (the small joint pieces). You need a full set without cracks, tears, holes, anything worse than dents basically. I paid $15 all together for a set and I have doubles of a few pieces.

4. buy these tools. if you have an anvil or vise with a flat pad, i wouldnt waste the money on the small anvil. you wont be able to work the trim on the fingers of the anvil anyhow. round off the ends of a small chisel and round punch and smooth them as much as you can. the flat file is a must.. the removable tip hammer in the back, not so much.

5. Clean the trim thoroughly and get to hammering out the dents. The most important thing to remember is that the aluminum is thin and stretches easily so tap a little at a time. You do not want to go too far and then have to tap from the other side. the sharpie and flat file come in hand here. Mark the dent from the outside, taparoo, then use the file length-wise, at a 45deg angle or so and go over the work area. the marker will show you the low spots. repeat, but keep the filing at a minimum for obvious reasons.

6. I used 120 grit sand paper and a foam pad to sand down the small imperfections. Use the light and marker to show you the way.

7. glass beads. I used our blastbox at work using glass beads to remove the factory anodizing/clearcoat.

8. I used the 120 grit sand paper again to bring the trim to a uniform luster. time consuming? hell yes. In my case I decided to stay @ 120 grit but you could work your way down to a polish with nothing but more paper and elbow grease.

9. Use a good quality clearcoat. I did not.

10. Attatch. This is where you can make or break the budget. I'm sure the stainless fastener kits out there are great, but I bought a set from I BavAuto and it includes everything you need for $35 and the parts are zinc/cad plated so they should last at least as long as it'll take me to fireball the car.

viola!

Sure, it's nots as shiny and cool as a new set, but with a good polishing and good clearcoat it'd be BETTER than new. The important thing here is that it all costed less than ONE new piece of new re-popped trim.