US3751785A

US3751785A - Tool for removing moldings

Info

Publication number: US3751785A
Application number: US00146681A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Whitesell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-05-25
Filing date: 1971-05-25
Publication date: 1973-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-14

Abstract

A special purpose tool is disclosed for use in removing metal moldings from around the windshield or back light of automobiles in which the molding is secured by means of metal spring fasteners. The tool comprises an elongated metal blade terminating at its outer end in a tip portion curved to form an arcuate fulcrum, the outermost end of the tip being tapered so that it may be inserted between the molding and the automobile metal work. The tip portion forms approximately a right angle with the plane of the blade, and is sufficiently long to extend past the edge of the molding when the tool is in place, whereby upward movement of the handle of the tool will cause the tip to pivot against the metal work of the automobile, with the end of the tip pressing against the fastener and releasing the molding.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Whitesell Aug. 14, 1973 Tool. son REMOVING MOLDINGS [76] Inventor: Morris W. Whltesell, P.O. Box 636,

Waynesboro, Va.

[22] Filed: May 25, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 146,681

2/1928 Germany 254/131 Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Roscoe V. Parker Attorney-Jones and Lockwood [57] ABSTRACT A special purpose tool is disclosed for use in removing metal moldings from around the windshield or back light of automobiles in which the molding is secured by means of metal spring fasteners. The tool comprises an elongated metal blade terminating at its outer end in a tip portion curved to form an arcuate fulcrum, the outermost end of the tip being tapered so that it may be inserted between the molding and the automobile metal work. The tip portion forms approximately a right angle with the plane of the blade, and is sufficiently long to extend past the edge of the molding when the tool is in place, whereby upward movement of the handle of the tool will cause the tip to pivot against the metal work of the automobile, with the end of the tip pressing against the fastener and releasing the molding.

10 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEM 3.751 .785

' sum 2 or 2 INVENTOR H0 MORRIS W WHITE SELL ATTORNEYS TOOL FOR REMOVING MOLDINGS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates, in general, to special purpose tools, and more particularly to a tool for removing molding from around the Windshields and rear windows, or back lights, of automobiles.

When performing automobile body work, such as repairing structural damage, painting, or the like, it is often necessary or desirable to remove the metal molding strips, or brightwork, from around the windshield or back light of the automobile. Removal of this molding facilitates painting, and permits removal of the window glass if this should be necessary. Such molding strips are conventionally held tightly in place by a plurality of spaced clips which are secured to the automobile body in the window frame. As is known, these clips are formed of spring metal, and are formed with a small protrusion which snaps over an inner edge of the molding to hold it in place. In order to remove the molding, it is necessary to force the spring clip away from the frame surrounding the window of the automobile, thereby releasing the edge of the molding and allowing it to be removed.

Since the spring clips securing the molding must be quite strong in order to prevent the molding from vibrating out of position, release of the molding becomes a difficult and time-consuming task. The present solution to this problem involves the use of an elongated blade having a thin hook-shaped protrusion at one end which is designed to release the spring clip. This blade is inserted between the molding and the window glass, and by sliding the tool along the glass the clip can be located. The tool must then be secured on the clip under the molding, and the tool rotated along the plane of the glass about a pivot point to cause the protrusion to disengage the spring and thereby release the molding. However, this rotational motion moves the hook end of the tool in the direction of the molding and window so that if the tool slips it will strike either the under surface of the molding or the edge ofthe glass. If it hits the molding, it produces a small dent, or dimple, requiring replacement of the molding strip. If, on the other hand, the tool strikes the edge of the window, it very often will break the window, and this also requires replacement of the damaged part. In either event, slippage of the tool results in damage to the automobile, and added expense to the person doing the work, not to mention the time lost in locating replacement moldings or in replacing the window glass.

In spite of these problems, and the serious economic losses that can result from prior devices, no suitable tools have been designed specifically for removing thesemoldings. There has existed for a considerable time a real need for such a tool which is capable of removing windshield and back light moldings quickly,

easily, and without damage to the automobile. Such a tool must be easy to handle, and must be adapted to fit the spring clips used on all the various-makes of automobile so that the user of the tool does not have to change to a different tool each time he works on a different automobile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a tool which may be used in quickly and easily removing window moldings from automobiles.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a special purpose tool for removing the molding strips from around the windshield and the back light of an automobile in which the molding is secured by means of a plurality of spaced metal spring clips.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool which may be used to release the spring clips holding automobile window moldings in place without damaging either the molding or the window.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a molding release tool for disengaging the spring clips and the automobile window moldings which they secure, the tool being adapted to fit between the molding and the body metal of the automobile, whereby a pivotal motion of the tool will press the spring clip away from its connection to the molding, thereby releasing the molding.

Briefly, the present invention consists of a special purpose tool which is designed to release the molding around Windshields and back lights of automobiles quickly and easily, and without damage to either the window glass or the molding. This is accomplished by the provision of a tool which is constructed from an elongated, relatively wide and relatively thin metal strip which is provided at one end with a handle, and terminates at the other end in a semi-circular, or arcuate tip portion. This arcuate tip has a relatively large radius of curvature to form an arcuate fulcrum about which the tool may pivot, the tip being connected to the shank portion of the tool at approximately a 90 angle. The

terminal edge of the tip portion remote from its connection to the shank is tapered into a relatively sharp edge to enable the blade to be inserted between the molding strip and the automobile window frame portion. The length of the tip may vary, but basically it must be sufficiently long to extend beyond the shaped edge of the molding, which edge is designed to fit over the spring clips and to snap into position on a shoulder portion formed on each of the clips, thereby to hold the molding firmly in place. By making the tips sufficiently long to embrace this shaped edge, the terminal edge will extend down behind the molding sufliciently far that when the tool handle is pivoted upwardly, the exterior surface of the tip portion will rock on the body metal work.- If the tool has been properly located over one of the clips, rotation of the release tool will force the spring clip away from the molding and will thereby release the molding from the clip. The handle for the tool may carry a fold out locator blade which may be inserted under the molding and moved along the surface of the glass to locate the spring clips; thereafter, the tip' end of the tool is used to unfasten the molding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and additional objects and advantages, as well as the various novel features which are characteristic of the present invention, will be understood more clearly and fully from the following detailed description of the invention and from the recital of the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an automobile windshield with a strip of molding partially displaced;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the window post, taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are illustrative of typical spring clips used for securing window molding strips;

FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation of a typical prior art molding removal tool;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a molding release tool in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tool of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the molding release tool of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modification of the tool of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning now to a more detailed consideration of the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a partial view of an automobile 10, the drawing illustrating the roof l2, windshield 14, left side window 16 and the left front roof support post 18, all constructed in accordance with known manufacturing procedures. The windshield is mounted in a frame formed by the body portion of the vehicle, and in conventional manner the joint between the windshield and the body work is covered by molding strips of suitable metal to provide an attractive trim around the windshield. This trim consists of an upper molding strip 20, a vertical strip 22, and a lower strip 24, with the corner joints being covered by

corner moldings

26 and 28, as illustrated. In FIG. 1, the molding strip is shown partially removed in order to illustrate the location of the

fasteners

30 and 32 which are typical of those used in most automobiles. Typically, these fasteners are spaced around the edge of the windshield, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, are fastened to the automobile body by means of suitable studs. The present invention will be illustrated and described in terms of a typical windshield and molding strip arrangement;

' however, it will be understood that the tool is not limited to use with such a construction, but may be used wherever similar structures are encountered.

Turning now to a consideration of FIG. 2, there is shown a cross sectional view of the upright post 18, the post forming in known manner the doorjamb 34 for the automobile; in this particular illustration it is adapted to receive the left-hand door. The remaining portion of the post is shaped to form a window frame for receiving the laminated windshield 14, the window frame portion being indicated at 36. At the juncture of the door jamb portion 34 and window frame portion 36 at the exterior of the automobile body there may be located a rain gutter 38 which is designed to carry water from the roof 12 down the side post 18 and thence away from the automobile. Window 14 is supported in frame 36 by any suitable means, and a sealer such as

rubber strips

40 and 42 are provided to prevent water leakage around the window. Strip 40 preferably is adhesively attached to the bottom of the window frame and is shaped to receive the second sealer strip 42. This latter strip carries at its upper edge an adhesive layer 44 which may be fastened to the window 14 to complete the seal.

A conventional spring clip fastener 50 is mounted on the vertical portion of window frame 36, the clip being fastened in position by means of a stud 52. Clip 50 is illustrated in further detail in FIG. 3, wherein it may be seen that the clip is formed with a central fastener portion 54 which is designed to engage stud 52. It will be appreciated that the stud includes a shank and a head portion, the shank portion being adapted to extend through the opening 56 in the clip, with the head portion holding the clip in position. Preferably, the central portion 54 is biased outwardly against the head of the stud so that the clip is held firmly in position against the vertical portion of the window frame 36, with the opening 56 being so shaped that the stud holds the clip firmly down against the horizontal portion of the window frame, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The outer portion 58 of the spring clip is a segment of a cylinder having its axis generally parallel to the plane of the blade, the axis extending in the direction of the width dimension of the blade, the cylindrical segment providing curved away from the vertical portion of the window frame, as may be seen in FIG. 2, to provide space between the frame and the upper part of the clip for receiving the edge of molding strip 22. The clip is formed with a rearwardly extending lip or shoulder portion 60 which is adapted to engage the curved edge 62 of the molding strip. It will be noted that the uppermost edge of clip 50 and the top surface of shoulder 60 form a curved surface 64 which facilitates insertion of the molding strip, for the curved edge 62 of the molding will engage curved surface 64, and by pressing on the molding, the outer portion 58 of the spring clip is forced forward (to the left in FIG. 2), allowing the molding to be pushed down behind the spring clip for engagement by shoulder 60. The forward edge of the molding strip 22 engages window 14 when the strip is so positioned to complete the assembly.

It will be apparent that the construction so far described is illustrative of a typical windshield or back light construction, and that the particulars may vary from one make of automobile to another and between different year models of the same make. For example, the spring clip illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is only one of numerous types that are presently in use, all of which, however, are generally similar in structure and operation. These clips, although relatively small, are made of a strong spring steel, and it is extremely difficult to disengage them so that the molding strip can be removed from the window. Even greater difficulty is presented by elongated spring clips 66 of the type illustrated in FIG. 4, which are used on some automobiles. These clips are designed with a forwardly extending central portion 68, which carries an aperture 70 and a slot 72 for receiving the stud 52, whereby the clip is held in position. The head of the stud will fit through hole 70, while slot 72 is adapted to receive the stud shank; the clip is positioned by pushing the stud through opening 70, and sliding the clip to the left (as viewed in FIG. 4). The slot 72 is sloped upwardly so that as the clip is moved, the stud forces the clip firmly into position against the window frame. The outer portion of the clip is formed with a shoulder portion (not shown) adapted to engage the edge of the molding, in the manner indicated for clip 50.

The various spring fastener clips such as those illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 which are in use by various automobile manufacturers are very difficult to release with the tools of the prior art, an example of which is generally indicated in FIG. 5. The tool of FIG. 5 consists of a relatively thin steel blade which is fonned with a transversely extending hook portion 82 which is in the plane of the blade. This blade is designed to fit between the molding 22 and the window 14, in the general direction of arrow 84 in FIG. 2, the blade lying substantially flat against the window. By carefully manipulating the tool, it is possible to engage hook 82 with the outer portion 58 of the spring clip 50, approximately at the bend 86 in the clip. Then, by rotating blade 80 in the plane of the upper surface of the window, with the curved edge 88 of the tool in engagement with the vertical portion of window frame 36, it is possible to bend the outer portion 58 of the spring clip forward (to the left as viewed in FIG. 2) and thereby disengage shoulder 60 from the edge 62 of the molding. However, it has been found through considerable usage of tools of this type that engagement of the hook 82 with the spring clip 50 is uncertain at best, and often the tool will slip off of the clip before the molding is released. Since a considerable amount of force is required to release the clip, such slippage generally causes the hook portion 82 of the tool to strike the undersurface of the molding 22 or the edge of the glass window 14, and this can cause considerable damage. If the tool hits the molding, the molding will be dented outwardly, forming a dimple which cannot be repaired and which requires replacement of the whole strip. If the window edge is hit, it will very often cause the glass to crack, requiring replacement of the windshield or back light. In either event a considerable expense is involved, and, particularly in the case of a cracked windshield, a considerable amount of time is lost.

To overcome these difficulties, and to permit easy, quick and safe removal of molding strips, the tool of the present invention was devised, this tool being illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 to which reference is now made. As shown in these Figures, the tool consists of a blade generally indicated at 90 mounted in a suitable handle 92. The blade portion includes a shank 94 which is adapted to fit into the handle 92 and a head portion 96 which is, in this embodiment, substantially wider than the shank portion. The blade is preferably of steel, and is sufficiently strong to bend the spring clips without itself bending appreciably. The thickness of the blade will depend upon the strength of the material used, while the width of the head portion 96 is sufficient to fully engage both side edges of the spring clip which is to be released. Preferably, the tool is wide enough to engage the widest spring clip used in any automobile, but if desired the tool may be provided in two or more different sizes, one size for the smaller clips such as those illustrated in FIG. 3, and another for the larger clips illustrated in FIG. 4.

The free end of blade '90 is formed into a curved tip portion 98 which extends across the width of the head portion 96. As may be seen in FIG. 6, the tip portion, or the chord of the arc defined by the tip portion, forms approximately a right angle with the plane of the blade, the tip 98 joining the head portion 96 in a relatively short radius bend 100. The tip portion 98 is curved to form generally U-shaped with depending leg portions located on both sides of the central portion 54 with said leg portions being an arcuate fulcrum of relatively large radius, the inner and outer surfaces of the tip portion being generally parallel so that it is of constant thickness. The terminal end 102 of the arcuate fulcrum is tapered, the inner and outer surfaces converging to form an edge 104 which extends the width of head portion 96. This edge 104 may be referred to as a knife edge, although it is not necessarily a sharp edge; preferably, the arcuate fulcrum tapers into an edge that is sufficiently thin to permit the tool to be inserted easily between the molding and its adjacent frame. The terminal portion 102 may be more sharply curved than the main part of the arcuate fulcrum, if desired, but preferably the tip portion 98 will describe a continuous arc.

As has been noted, the tool may vary in size, depending upon whether it is to be used for a single type of spring clip, or whether it is to be used for all of the clips now in use in various automobiles. Thus, the width of head portion 96 may be approximately three-fourth inch for use with clips of the type illustrated in FIG. 3, and up to about 1 56 inch for clips of the type illustrated in FIG. 4. It should be noted that the narrower tool can be used to release the wider clips, although with less ease, and the wide tool can be used with the small clips. In a preferred form of the invention, a head portion 1 inch wide was found to be satisfactory, with the head and shank portion extending about 2 inches out of the handle and the overall length of the tool, including both the blade 98 and the handle 92, being about 6 inches; however, these dimensions may vary, and some users may find a longer blade or a longer handle to be desirable. The tip portion 98 must be sufficiently long to be able to extend past the window molding and to reach below the molding edge 62 so that the edge 104 will be in a position to contact the spring clip which is to be released. Further, the curvature must be sufficient to permit this contact without the tip portion pressing against the molding; if there is too little curvature, the tool will move the molding and the clip together, and will not disengage the two elements. In a typical embodiment, the distance between the bend 180 which forms the be ginning of the arcuate tip portion 98 and the edge 104 is between one-fourth inch and one-half inch, this distance being measured along the chord of the are defined by the tip, and the exact distance depending upon thedesign of the molding strip, and in particular the distance from the upper surface of the molding to the bottom of edge 62. For cars presently in operation, it has been found that a length of approximately three eighth inch provides the desired operability. It has also been found that a degree of curvature which will provide a maximum distance of approximately one-eighth inch between the arc defined by the tip portion 98 and its chord will permit the tool to easily and effectively disengage the clip from the edge of the molding.

Handle 92 may, in one preferred form of the invention, carry a second blade 110 which may be mounted in the-handle in any suitable manner. This blade may be used to locate the positionof the spring clips and is, in the illustrated embodiment, pivotally connected by means of a pin 1 112 to the end of handle 92. The handle is provided with an open slot KM which is designed to receive the blade, the blade being pivotal about pin 112 into and out of the slot. This blade preferably is of a thin flexible metal about three-eighths inch wide so that it may be inserted between the molding and the window glass to locate the various clips. After locating a clip, the loeator blade 1110 may be folded back into the handle while the spring release blade is used to disengage the spring clip from the molding.

A slightly modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 9, wherein the head portion 96' of the blade is shown as being somewhat longer than in the preceding figures and the shank portion 94 of the blade is located within the handle 92'. This arrangement provides added strength to the head portion of the tool, for it has been found that during extended use of the device a narrow shank portion extending out of the handle may tend to bend under the forces required to disengage the spring clips. The head portion 96' thus is preferably about 2 inches long and about 1 inch wide, with the arcuate tip portion being formed as in the preceding embodiment. The blade extends into a handle 92' with the shank portion 94' being secured therein as by

rivets

114, 116. A thin locator blade 110' may be pivotally fastened to the handle by means of rivet 116, or by other suitable means, so that it may be moved away from the handle for use in locating a spring clip. Thereafter, the locator blade may be folded to lie along the handle so that the tool can be used to disengage the clip so located. It will be noted that the form of the handle illustrated in FIG. 9 is slightly different than that of FIGS. 7 and 8, illustrating that numerous variations are possible within the scope of the present invention. Again, the overall length of the spring release tool is preferably about 6 inches, but it will be appreciated that the exact shape and size of the handle and blade may vary to fit the user's preferences.

Although the function of the molding release tool of the present invention may be seen from what has gone before, the manner in which it is used to remove molding from around the windows of automobiles will now be described in order to illustrate the cooperation between the particular shape of the tool and the typical molding construction illustrated in the drawings. The first step in removing the molding strips is to locate the spring clips which are utilized to hold the molding in position against the window and window frame. For this purpose, the locator blade 110 is folded out of the handle whereby the end of the flexible blade may be slipped under the edge of the molding strip, along the surface of the glass. The blade is inserted until its end strikes the vertical portion of the window frame 36, for example, (as illustrated in FIG. 2) and the blade is moved laterally along the length of the molding until it strikes the edge of one of the clips. The position of the clip may then be noted, and the blade withdrawn from under the strip. After folding the locator blade into the handle, the opposite end of the tool is then used to release the molding from the clip. This is accomplished by inserting the edge 104 of blade 90 between the molding strip, for example strip 22 in FIG. 2, and the adjacent window frame wall. Because of the spring characteristics of the clip, the molding, although held firmly against the frame, may be moved enough to slide the terminal portion 102 of the tool down behind the molding to a location below its lower edge 62. The edge I04 is then in engagement with the outer portion 58 of the spring clip, with the fulcrum 98 contacting the window frame and the shank and handle portion extending outwardly over the molding and generally parallel to the window. By then lifting the handle away from the window, the tool is caused to pivot about the fulcrum portion 98, causing the terminal end 102 to move away from the window frame and against the back of the spring clip, urging the clip away from the frame. The curvature of the arcuate fulcrum not only serves to provide this pivotal action, but also allows the clip to be moved without moving the molding with it. By maintaining a downward pressure (as viewed in FIG. 2) on the head portion of the tool while at the same time lifting the handle 92, the edge 58 of the spring clip can be forced far enough away from the wall of the window frame to disengage shoulder 60 from edge 62 of the molding, thereby releasing the molding strip.

It will be seen that if the tool of the present device is properly located behind a clip, it is virtually impossible for the tool to slip in such a way that it would cause damage to either the molding strip of the window glass. Even if improperly located, any slippage will merely cause the tool to pivot on its fulcrum and eventually move downwardly behind the molding without damage to any of the parts involved. However, because of the manner in which the tool is held, it is unlikely that the tool would pivot far enough to enable it to slip down further behind the molding; in addition, because the width of the head insures a firm engagement with the clip, slippage is very unlikely. Thus, the tool of the present invention not only permits quick and easy release of the molding strips from the clips, but also substantially reduces the possibility of damage to the molding and the window, thereby reducing the time required for performing this work and reducing its cost by a significant factor. Occasionally it may be found that the pivotal movement of the tool can cause some minor damage to the paint around the window frame, particularly where the molding is held very tightly in place. However, this can easily be avoidedby slipping a card or a thin piece of metal between the tool and the frame, so that the tool does not come in contact with the paint.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A molding release tool for removing molding strips from around the windshield and backlight of an automobile, said molding strips being attached to the frames surrounding said windshield and said back light by means of a plurality of spaced fasteners, said tool comprising:

a thin, planar, elongated blade having a shank portion and a relatively wide head portion;

a blade tip formed at the free end of said blade head portion and joining said head portion in a shortradius curve, said tip extending across the width of said head portion, forming approximately a right angle with the plane of said blade, and being curved to form a segment of a cylinder to provide an arcuate fulcrum having a relatively large radius, said top being adapted to fit between the molding strip and the frame to which it is attached; and

a terminal end on said tip, said terminal end being tapered to form an edge extending the width of said tip portion and adapted to contact one of said fasteners whereby when said shank portion is pivoted about said fulcrum, said fastener is disengaged from said molding strip.

2. The molding release tool of claim I, further including a locator blade secured to said shank portion for use in determining the location of said fasteners, said locator blade being thin, elongated, and flexible whereby it will fit between said molding and the glass of said windshield or back light.

3. The molding release tool of claim 1, further including handle means adapted to receive and hold said shank portion of said blade.

4. The molding release tool of claim 3, wherein said handle means includes a thin, flexible, elongated locator blade for determining the location of said fasteners.

5. The molding release tool of claim 1, wherein said tip portion is of sufficient length to extend between said molding strip and said frame and to engage said fastener while said arcuate fulcrum engages said frame, whereby pivotal motion of said shank portion of said tool moves said fastener away from said frame to release said molding.

6. The molding release tool of claim 1, wherein the axis of curvature of said blade tip extends across the width of said blade.

7. The molding release tool of claim 6, wherein the degree of curvature of said blade tip is such that the maximum distance between the arc defined by said tip and its chord is approximately one-eighth inch and the length of said tip along its chord is between about onefourth inch and one-half inch 8. The molding release tool of claim 7, further including handle means adapted to receive and hold said shank portion of said blade. 9. The molding release tool of claim 8, further including a thin, flexible elongated locator blade pivotally secured to said handle means, said locator blade being foldable away from said handle for determining the location of said fasteners and foldable into alignment with said handle for storage.

Ill). The molding release tool of claim 9, wherein the width of said head portion is between approximately three-fourths inch and 1% inch, and the length of said arcuate fulcrum is approximately three-eighths inch.

Claims

1. A molding release tool for removing molding strips from around the windshield and backlight of an automobile, said molding strips being attached to the frames surrounding said windshield and said back light by means of a plurality of spaced fasTeners, said tool comprising: a thin, planar, elongated blade having a shank portion and a relatively wide head portion; a blade tip formed at the free end of said blade head portion and joining said head portion in a short-radius curve, said tip extending across the width of said head portion, forming approximately a right angle with the plane of said blade, and being curved to form a segment of a cylinder to provide an arcuate fulcrum having a relatively large radius, said top being adapted to fit between the molding strip and the frame to which it is attached; and a terminal end on said tip, said terminal end being tapered to form an edge extending the width of said tip portion and adapted to contact one of said fasteners whereby when said shank portion is pivoted about said fulcrum, said fastener is disengaged from said molding strip.

2. The molding release tool of claim 1, further including a locator blade secured to said shank portion for use in determining the location of said fasteners, said locator blade being thin, elongated, and flexible whereby it will fit between said molding and the glass of said windshield or back light.

7. The molding release tool of claim 6, wherein the degree of curvature of said blade tip is such that the maximum distance between the arc defined by said tip and its chord is approximately one-eighth inch and the length of said tip along its chord is between about one-fourth inch and one-half inch.

8. The molding release tool of claim 7, further including handle means adapted to receive and hold said shank portion of said blade.

9. The molding release tool of claim 8, further including a thin, flexible elongated locator blade pivotally secured to said handle means, said locator blade being foldable away from said handle for determining the location of said fasteners and foldable into alignment with said handle for storage.

10. The molding release tool of claim 9, wherein the width of said head portion is between approximately three-fourths inch and 1 1/2 inch, and the length of said arcuate fulcrum is approximately three-eighths inch.