C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

C5 A Pillar trim removal

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 14, 2010 | 05:53 PM
  #1  
flynhi's Avatar
flynhi
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,273
Likes: 14
From: Austin TX
Default C5 A Pillar trim removal

Are there any tricks to removing the trim pieces to avoid breaking the attachment tabs?
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2010 | 05:59 PM
  #2  
Kale's Avatar
Kale
Team Owner
25 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 51,504
Likes: 6
From: Sacramento CA
Default

It takes a bit of force to get them out toward the top. The attachment clips are fairly sturdy, but the metal teeth will stick in the car.

The part to be concerned with is the thin bits of plastic at the bottom of the pillar trim. It's extremely fragile, don't bend it. When the attachment tabs are loose, pull it STRAIGHT back.

When I was remolding mine, I dropped one about 6" and busted that part right in half. Fortunately, I was remolding them anyway.



I refer to the thin plastic at the top right...
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2010 | 06:09 PM
  #3  
LoneStarFRC's Avatar
LoneStarFRC
Team Owner
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Default

Originally Posted by flynhi
Are there any tricks to removing the trim pieces to avoid breaking the attachment tabs?
Nope. No tricks really. Make sure your hands are clean and dry (so you won't slip) and grab it with both hands and yank it off SHARPLY. I like to yank it at a (~) 45 degree angle, towards the center of the car when I first break it loose. Just yank it enough to pop the tabs loose. Maybe an inch or two.

When re-installing, push the front end (closest to the windshield) into position FIRMLY and come time to smack it (to latch the tabs back in), keep forward pressure towards the windshield, make SURE your tabs are lined up to the holes, and just give it a good whack on the side.

The key to not breaking any tabs is when re-installing, not removing. Having those tabs aligned with the holes is key. Same is pretty much true for all the interior trim pieces.

HTH
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2010 | 06:14 PM
  #4  
flynhi's Avatar
flynhi
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,273
Likes: 14
From: Austin TX
Default

Thanks Lone Star
Reply
Old Jul 15, 2010 | 12:17 AM
  #5  
jrose7004's Avatar
jrose7004
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 58,501
Likes: 1,827
From: Oklahoma City OK
C6 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Default

Grasp firmly and pull up and out with force.
Reply
Old Jul 15, 2010 | 12:21 AM
  #6  
flynhi's Avatar
flynhi
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,273
Likes: 14
From: Austin TX
Default

Thanks Fellas - I got 'em off OK.
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2011 | 03:23 PM
  #7  
SG Lou's Avatar
SG Lou
Safety Car
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,938
Likes: 498
From: Fords, NJ
Default

Can the louvers be popped out of that trim piece ?
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2011 | 04:02 PM
  #8  
mcgilles's Avatar
mcgilles
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,786
Likes: 7
From: Iowa
Default

Originally Posted by SG Lou
Can the louvers be popped out of that trim piece ?
I ended up breaking mine! once you get the pilar trim off look at the louvers from the inside, you can see the tabs that secure them. just remove them carefully. I broke a couple of the tabs that hold it in trying to remove mine. if that happens some hot glue or anything of the sort will hold it in place. I took mine out so I could mount it directly to the opening in my gauge pod. glued it in place with something that could be removable if I ever needed to, works perfectly.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Oct 25, 2013 | 09:47 PM
  #9  
Red Devil Z51's Avatar
Red Devil Z51
Drifting
10 Year Member
Photogenic
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,286
Likes: 206
From: nixa Missouri
Default

Any 1 know where u can get a new driver side a pillar cover I am in need of a good 1?
Reply
Old Oct 26, 2013 | 02:58 AM
  #10  
SG Lou's Avatar
SG Lou
Safety Car
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,938
Likes: 498
From: Fords, NJ
Default

Originally Posted by james howard
Any 1 know where u can get a new driver side a pillar cover I am in need of a good 1?
James, Are you looking for a Brand New OEM piece or a good one out of a wreck / part out?

Did you check the Classifieds? Lots of guys are always parting out Cars.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...ale-wanted-53/

There are also a few guys who have Vette Recycling Yards
Marc @ Vette Nuts is a great guy to deal with and has good quality 2nd hand stuff.

http://www.vettenuts.net/index.php

Here is one of his threads :

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...-99-coupe.html

Last edited by SG Lou; Oct 26, 2013 at 03:06 AM.
Reply
Old Oct 26, 2013 | 03:10 AM
  #11  
LoneStarFRC's Avatar
LoneStarFRC
Team Owner
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Default

Originally Posted by SG Lou
James, Are you looking for a Brand New OEM piece or a good one out of a wreck / part out?

Did you check the Classifieds? Lots of guys are always parting out Cars.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...ale-wanted-53/

There are also a few guys who have Vette Recycling Yards
Marc @ Vette Nuts is a great guy to deal with and has good quality 2nd hand stuff.

Here is one of his threads :
Marc is a good man.

The new ones are still available from GM AFAIK, just a bit on the "spendy" side. The current ones are being made by a different vendor for GM and have much stronger "egg-crate" reinforcing ribs on the inside and a better quality (a little thicker) covering material. I just installed one recently.
Reply
Old Apr 10, 2020 | 03:33 PM
  #12  
jetx11's Avatar
jetx11
5th Gear
 
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Likes: 2
From: Beaver Dam Wisconsin
Default

I just pulled mine out...very easy...started at the top, then middle, then lower...i then reinstalled from the bottom up...i found it helpful to pull out the door sill upper push pin enabling the lower tab on the A pillar trim to fit in easier...i also sprayed the 3 tabs with white lithium grease to make removal easier...
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To C5 A Pillar trim removal





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:26 PM.

story-0
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 11:09:53


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-8
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE