My neighbor is working to restore a 69 Charger for for a fellow Mopar guy here in the area. He came over and asked a question that I honestly had never thought about before. So I thought I would post it here for the experts to weigh in on. In the below pictures you will see the trim around the rear side windows.The questions is about the trim:
1) First, what purpose does the rivet in the corner of the trim serve? It does not appear to be attached to the body. Is the rivet used to simply hold the trim together?




2) Second question is about how the trim fits the body. My neighbor noticed on the car they are working on (not in pictures) did not fit snugly against the body and there is a gap.

The attached pictures are of my unrestored 70 charger. The gap is clearly visible on my car. So I am wondering about this. Was there a gap and if so how is the water kept out of the car. Is there seam sealer or some type of gasket back there? Anyone know?

Drivers side.


My car is a vinyl top charger and the passenger side shows how the top would have fit, however the car he is working on is not a vinyl top car.




Pics of finished cars would be appreciated.

This post must be the redheaded step child or something. I really would have thought this was an easy question for some of the guys here that have done this type of work before on these chargers.
Anyone got any advice.

What I recall from mine years ago is:
The rivet attaches the molding to a backing for the lower molding, not to the body. There's a flange that the inside of the molding goes over. Inside the car attached to the inner quarter panel is a plastic "dam" whose purpose appeared to be keeping water out of the interior.
I believe that's called a buck-rivet or just plain rivet, as opposed to a pop-rivet that draws a nail though itself.

I'm starting to think that is the case. I guess now a days it is hard to believe they would design a car where the water was directed into the car then out of the car. But Im guessing that stamping those quarters would have been tough to get a tight fit repeatedly so they probably just went the easier route. Is there any kind of sealer behind that trim?

The only purpose that rivets serves is to cover up a hole! Don't even know why it is there in the first place. FYI it is in the same spot that a regular b body has a hole for a screw. even if it were not there and water could run in the hole, all the water would do is run into the door channel area just like water hitting the window and running down the cat whiskers and out the bottom of the quarter drip holes.