X44 drip rail clip
 

I had no idea I was missing this piece until the MCACN judges pointed it out to me. So I sourced a pair and painted them to match the car and now want to consult the experts here to make sure I get these on the right direction. Which way do they go? Flat side in the drip rail gutter or on the outside? Also, any tips on getting these on without damaging the paint on the car? Front to back, I assume I put the gutter seam in the middle of the clip, correct?

They should be in more a "C" shape. Yours look closer to a "U" shape. The go on kind of like adding drip rail moldings except looser. Mine didn't want to tighten up so the paint shop used some panel adhesive to keep them in place. You will probably have to repaint them after attaching them. The wavey side goes under the drip rail.....Joe

That will be hard to do without messing up the paint on your drip rail.

GL

Anyone got a few pics of one installed? would like to see both the top and bottom side of drip rail viewpoints. Held mine up this morning and the fit is very loose.

I took some off a 69 Z28 we added drip rail chrome to, and it seems to me they were buried in the sealant drip check material along the roof /drip rail inner edge, so it may not be that easy to add them? Hopefully someone else can comment. Good Luck

That's worse than adding emblem holes after paint. They are supposed to be installed bare and then painted. They won't look right with paint buildup separating them, IMO.

I can get a pic of mine tomorrow evening if no one else steps up.

Pretty certain they need to be installed before the sealant and the paint to look correct.

It is one of those things you may just want to live with.

It looks like someone has welded the gap that this is supposed to cover. I think you are going to do a lot of damage to the paint when you install them.

I appreciate all the replies. I'm not sure I understand the original process for these clips. Here's my interpretation: factory added this clip to cover the "joint" in the drip rail from A-pillar to roof. Sealer was applied to the joint area and this clip was snapped across the joint and the excess sealer was smoothed out prior to paint. Finish paint applied when the entire body was done. Is that about right?
Drip rail trim was added to this car in 1978 when it was painted black with gold stripes. I'm assuming this clip was removed when the body was stripped back then so the trim could be installed.
Maybe I should just "let it go" and accept that this detail is not right on the car. I definitely don't want to mess up the existing paint. Still would appreciate a phot if someone can post one up.

Thanks again, Jim

I think you exactly right as to the factory process to put these clips on. I spoke to my paint guy Jerry Beasly yesterday about your situation and he said they should have been put on prior to painting. He said what he’d do is install them and then mask off n paint the entire rail.
The paint on your car looks great so your paint guy should be able to fix this for for you. You’ve got a really nice car man and you just made a little boo boo, fix it n drive on.

GL