Head Liner install

[Guest 63 rivenge]

Hello to all......I am sure this has come up before, just received a new headliner from Clarks, and was going to do the install myself, but since the weather has changed in Pa and no heat in the garage, I went to the local upholstery shop......they gave me a price of $ 450 to do it. (Now mind you this does not appear that difficult with the instructions from Clarks ) plus told me it would take 2 days. So any help or tricks would be helpfull

Thanks in advance

Bob

[alini]

Buy a space heater for the garage and do it yourself like you planned. The cost of the heater and the electric to run it will be cheaper. That seems a bit high for installing a headliner. Are they removing the old one?? I had mine out in an hour and cant see it being more than 2-3 to install.

[Guest Steeleco]

Bob,

I just installed one in my 63, and I do have some wrinkles but its actually kind of easy if your old headliner is still there to see how it comes out and the new one goes in. I think there are about 6 ribs that go in the new headliner. I pulled them all out and started with the one in the middle as to get it out you have to open the little pointy tabs that hold it in. These pointy little tabs poke in to the fletching of the center rib when you are installing it. The rest of the ribs go in easy. In my case there were plastic binders that attached the headliner at the top of the doors and I was able to re-staple the headliner along the front window to the wood strip that is under the metal trim that you will remove. Attaching the headliner around the rear window is the most time consuming part (trimming required). The metal trim will then hide most sins. I think I can actually take out some of my wrinlkes by re-removing the trim around the doors and pulling the headliner a little tighter and the re-attaching the plastic binder. Anybody please feel free to correct anything I wrote if there is a better way or I did not do something properly. I spent most of the day on it. Thanks and Good Luck.

[tenugent]

i was told by a union carpet layer that is retired and teaches apprentice classes to leave carpet in the sun before install-i would think the same would aply to headliner-im thinking headliner would be more plyable in a warm surrounding-just a thought.i put mine in and have slight wrinkles-going to take to upholstry shop and see if they can get out.rivnut said they use steam and not to try heatgun like some utube links state.for the busted plastic channels beneath the door trim i used bath frp board channel-tight but works.....anyone else with ideas? goodluck.t.nugent roa 12969.

[60FlatTop]

I cut my plastic channels into 4 inch sections and the spaced them out a reasonable distance to make up for the split areas. That worked fine.

I did it in 1995 before PIA was a common term. The rear window is a PIA by any standard.

As part of my upcoming interior job I am going to install another. This time I will remove the windshield for replacement and removal of the vinyl top. New tack strips will go in this time. And I will install the headliner with the windshield and rear window out of the car. The front was easy to make tight. The rear really needs the window out of the way.

Be careful about marking the center line with chalk. even though you do the back side the material is thin enough so the line will show through. It takes about 15 years for the faint white line to go away on a black headliner.

I bought roof rail weather strips from Metro rubber when I did that job. There were an extra 2 inches between the molded angle at the windshield and over the rear side window. When I called Metro some surly counter person told me my car had been in an accident and the roof rails, roof, and windows must have been all shortened equally on both sides. I had to cut a piece out of each side and shorten them. I will be throwing them out in favor of Steele replacements. No sense in a mere customer bothering the geniouses at Metro again.

Bernie

[Guest cia]

Bob, $450.00 is the going rate for a professional headliner install. If you are going to attempt this project yourself be prepaired for alot of fun. All vinyl headliners will come with package folds, dont worry these come out as the headliner is stretched and tacked. Take the fabric before you install the bows and fold it in half and mark your center also do the same on the front and rear window or use tape. apply glue to the headliner all sides and in the car also at the attachment points. clean your bows spray with silcone and install bows. look at your roof insulation if it needs attention do it now or upgrade with a dynamat type material. if you chose dynamat make sure the roof is CLEAN and get a roller to install the dynamat it is presure sensitive. install headliner start at center and start stretching, front to rear and be aware of the bows position if it is bias to the rear release the fabric and adjust foward.After the center is tight start on your sides each bow has a list tape sleeve and will need to be cut back, so stretch the sides and peek inside to see if the bow sleeves are gathering up if they are start to make small cuts to allow the headliner to lay out. And now the game of shift-pull-readjust begins, be patient and look what the fabric is telling you, stress marks will tell you everything about what adjustments need to be made. Be very carefull with a heat gun it will burn the vinyl. After you are happy with the fit but you still see packing creases; dont worry mother nature will take them out on the first warm summer day car show. it will take you all day to install the headliner correctly. Good luck.

Edited November 12, 2012 by cia (see edit history)

[Guest 63 rivenge]

Cia, I did as you said, and followed the directions from Clarks, which included the tube of glue.The trick is to get the center# 3 bow with the metal tabs first......also a heavy duty staple gun, since those old tack strips are old and hard.......it took me about 2 hrs to get the old one out, and reference the existing trim holes etc.......once I had it square I took my time and alot of cursing I did have to cut those small tubes back holding the bows back to get it just right.....the silicone spray on the metal bows helps alot. The back window area area is probably the most difficult..........but after all said and done, I took a hand held steamer to it and the wrinkles came out......total time about 5 hrs....is it worth $450, it probably is........will postsome pics, after I get my back in place.....I must have put on 5 miles getting in and out of the car

Regards

Bob

[Patrick91914]

Use a humidifier to get the wrinkles out after you install..set it in the car for about 30 min...