headliner install advise...tips, tricks, etc

[esty]

i've never installed a headliner...for one reason or another i didn't want to do it but i'm about to bite the bullet and install one in my 76....

where do i start...front...rear or doesn't it matter...

i have the bows laid out & marked so i know the correct reinstall order

[jerry]

start by gluing the headliner to the fiberboard that's attached by the rear window. have on hand a box or two of those nifty paper clamps available at any office supply store. they work great to secure the headliner to the edges while the contact cement dries. i used a hair dryer to soften the vinyl up a bit while i stretched the headliner. take your time. you can trim to fit when the glue dries then install all the trim along the doors, etc. it's gotta be easier than painting the car... oh yea, the sunvisors and rear view mirror will help to snug it up a bit so don't be too overly concerned about tautness up front.

i did one back in '94 with absolutely no instructions, and just a lick and prayer and as i recall, i did it at night in december in atlanta in my autopainters yard. he kicked my out of the heated shop for lack of space. it turned out just fine.

just dive in.

[Mitch]

I'm doing most everything myself on my car, and this is one thing I'm having done by a pro. I have no patience whatsoever, and I don't want to pull a Michelangelo and do it in my cramped car, my car seriousely, is more cramped that a 50-year old, 400lbs woman going through menopause.

[DukeRimmer]

Keep it even, like torqueing a head. Not sure about hair dryer, heat gun is a good investment.

[JohnN]

at least I felt like one when I did this on my car.

First off you need to pull both the front and rear windscreens. No option there, you wanted to replace that leaky gasket anyway, didn't you??

Take your headliner and with a hot iron and a little water, iron it smooth and get all the wrinkles out. It will never be easier to get it done than when it is off the car.

Go to your local car upolstery shop and get 6 feet or so of pinchwelt and cut it into 6" (or so pieces). This is absolutely the best thing available to hold the headliner in place as you stretch out the wrinkles. Start in the middle (front and back) and work to the outside. When you have everything nice and tight and the sewn seams straight, carefully start glueing a small bit at a time (again work from the middle out). I used contact cement, I'm told there is a vinyl spray adhesive that sets up faster.

Replace the font and rear gaskets on the glass and you're done.

Good luck, take your time and it should look good when you're done.

Regards,

John N

[esty]

thanks guys anymore tips will be appreciated....all the glass is out out of the car...nothing inside car except the hump, steering column & gear shift lever...so maybe it'll be as easy as i imagine it to be..

glue the rear cardboard panel 1st then insert the bows and get it up, i assume...then start stretching and fastening?...i'm not to sure about ironing a piece of vinyl though...maybe i'll let it lie in the sun a few minutes to relax

again....thanks