Installing 1964 Corvair deck lid letters.

[PaulR]

Does anyone have an easier way to install these? I bought the Clark's Corvair repro clips P/N C721A and am having a tough time putting them in. I know in the instructions included they suggest filing down the individual letter prongs or blades to get them to go into the clips. The paint around the slots in the deck is thicker than "normal" from a strip down and repaint on the car. Or maybe I could just glue them in.

[66vairguy]

Reproduction trim parts can be off. As you said paint around the holes can be thicker, especially with the base/clear coat paints.

You can glue the letters to the lid, but be careful as some adhesives will react with the paint!! That would ruin your day. You don't want adheasive oozing around the letters either.

[aircooled]

I JUST did this on my car (64), repainted also.

The clips can be very hard to seat in. I took a very small file and filed out the slots a bit (as noted, paint piles up and tightens them up). I also put some grease in the slots and the clips (just to help a bit). Some went in a lot easier than others, but all required me to use a small block of wood and a hammer to pop them in. Making sure the slots are big enough
though since this will certainly help to avoid chipping the paint, so don't be shy.

Lets be realistic, you are not likely to be driving this car in the rain, then leaving it outside for 20 years, so rust is a VERY small concern even if you grind through the paint in the slots. Using grease will help with that a bit also. Heck, you could add a VERY small amount of sealer in there if you are really paranoid.

Once the clips are in, the letter are a lot easier. I files down the letter legs a bit to make them "sharp" to go in a bit easier. I also greased them up. The letters all also required a block of wood and hammer. Some easier than others, but they all went fully in. Some of them are in there VERY tight. Getting them back off if I wanted to?..... yeah, that will likely destroy some paint!

[Frank DuVal]

Lets be realistic, you are not likely to be driving this car in the rain, then leaving it outside for 20 years, so rust is a VERY small concern even if you grind through the paint in the slots

Out here in the rusty east, RUST never sleeps and is aggravated by normal humidity in the air. Any bare metal will turn orange in days, even indoors, unless in a low humidity controlled environment. Once orange, then it continues to creep under the surrounding paint, and then that falls off.

And it does rain here too, so if it is going to be driven, then it will get wet, or it will be a garage queen and not be any fun.