Interior: Headliner installation

[PeterHawk]

Getting ready to install a new headliner in the 62 GT Hawk. Headliner kit supplied by Rene Harger.

What are the obvious and not so obvious things I should do for this installation?

[SN-60]

I'm all for do-it-yourself.....but some jobs are best left to the pros....and a headliner installation may be one of them. Good luck!

[JoeHall]

Ideally, remove front & rear windshields. Plan to install new windlace, and re-do the dome light wiring while you are "in there". Fabricate new fiberboard pieces to replace the rotted ones, between the rear quarter windows and rear windshield. (When you get the headliner out, you'll see what I am talking about.)

Gut the interior, or cover it up well, then scrape/wire brush all the rust and tar paper off the inner metal roof. Then paint it with a thick coat of sliver colored Por 15, or your favorite rustproofing paint. Then paint the sliver over with black "Herculiner" truck bed liner, or your favorite other brand of bed liner (The sliver & black is for contrast, so you can see to cover everything.).

Finally, install the headliner, per the Shop Manual instructions. Use 15-20 office "aligator clips" to hold the overlapping liner in place over the lip for the windshield seal; trim later. Whatever, you do, do not assume the liner is too large and cut any of it off, till everything is in place, glued and dried.

Mark the holes for the bows before installing the liner, or plan to drill new holes later (not a big deal).

[JoeHall]

I forgot a couple things: for glue, use the very best you can find. IIRC, I used some 3M, available from SI.

Lots of luck getting all wrinkles out perfectly, and be satisfied if you only have a few small ones. For small wrinkles, hair dryer works well to shrink them out.

Plan on looking closely at Stude headliner on ebay for the next several years, in attempt to critique yourself. You will find yours came out better than some, and not as good as others.

Best of all, it will look "new" even if there's a wrinkle or two. Also, it will go a long way toward getting the "old car smell" out of the car.

[rockne10]

Ray-Lin Restorations had a detailed tech page in his web site about installation in a '62 GT. Apparently, his whole web site is currently suspended.

[JoeHall]

One more thing: Neurontin is an excellent, OTC pain medication now available at WalMart; go ahead and pick up a bottle before you begin, because you are gonna have an early onset of neck pain that will get worse each day, and continue for a couple of weeks after you finish the job

[RadioRoy]

I have installed headliners in 50-51 Studebakers and it can be done without removing the glass. It's actually much easier to do without removing the glass. These were cloth headliners that are more forgiving than Vinyl ones. I have to replace the ones in my 54 and 56 wagons, which are vinyl, so that may be different.

[JoeHall]

I have installed headliners in 50-51 Studebakers and it can be done without removing the glass. It's actually much easier to do without removing the glass. These were cloth headliners that are more forgiving than Vinyl ones. I have to replace the ones in my 54 and 56 wagons, which are vinyl, so that may be different.

I agree doing it w/o removing the windshields would be easiest by far. Maybe modern adhesives are available that will permanently bond cloth to cloth, or vinyl to vinyl. I have had several Studes that someone had replaced the headliner in, and without removing the windshields; usually the job was many years old. Everyone of them were experiencing separation at various points where the glue was used to stick the vinyl together. This includes the 63GT I recently bought. I am dreading the headliner, and it is such a PITA hat I may never get to it.

When doing it the factory way, with windshields out, once in place and the windshields re-installed, it ain't ever going to come loose. (The windshield seals help hold the headliner in place.) That is why I said "ideally" the windshields would be removed. If someone knows a softer, easier way, that will hold up 10-20 years, I would love to hear, so I can hurry up and do the GT.

[bezhawk]

[QUOTEWhat are the obvious and not so obvious things I should do for this installation?[/QUOTE]
Remove the old headliner first!

[PeterHawk]

[QUOTEWhat are the obvious and not so obvious things I should do for this installation?

Remove the old headliner first![/QUOTE]

What about the not so obvious? Does the rear seat need to be removed? What else...

[bezhawk]

Yes, removing the rear seat will help. Remove the rear arm rests, to get the back cushion out. After the head liner is out, I remove the side stays, and wind lace cord. Lay the stays out as they install so you don't mix things up. Take some good flat pliers, and bend the teeth straight or ever so slightly outwards (to grab the fabric better).
Back up a bit.....first and foremost, mark the headliner bows!!! and where they attach. They are different shapes and lengths.
Sand and paint the bows, so they don't bleed through rust on the bow loops and cut the fabric. Re-install bows in new headliner in the order of your markings.
Replace the wind lacing, and then re-install the tooth stays. Now you are ready for the headliner installation. Use a plastic body filler spreader to stuff the headliner up into the teeth of the stays, and start in the middle of the roof, and work your way outwards to the front and rear. If you start at either end, you will have trouble getting wrinkles out . Leave the last 6" untucked from the sides, and get the glass areas glued to the pinch weld. Use 3M Super weatherstrip adheasive. It has to say super on the label or it won't be strong enough. After the front and rear is properly stretched and glued, do you tuck the last bit of the sides in place.

I hope this helps.

[SN-60]

Best re-read post #2 !!

[bezhawk]

Best re-read post #2 !!

True....he could pay me (a pro) to install it, but I thought the gist of his question was how to do it himself.

I almost forgot, the bows will want to rotate as you pull the fabric towards either end. The end bows should have a stiff wire or two near the center of the bow to prevent them from trying to flip downwards. This wire attaches to the edge of the roof header, and hooks over the bow.

[PeterHawk]

True....he could pay me (a pro) to install it, but I thought the gist of his question was how to do it himself.

I almost forgot, the bows will want to rotate as you pull the fabric towards either end. The end bows should have a stiff wire or two near the center of the bow to prevent them from trying to flip downwards. This wire attaches to the edge of the roof header, and hooks over the bow.

What would it cost to have a professional do the job with the customer supplying the headliner and windlace?

[JoeHall]

What would it cost to have a professional do the job with the customer supplying the headliner and windlace?

If you built stuff with Legos as a kid, you can do this job. It is not complicated. Just plan on a couple of weeks, due to paint drying, parts procurement, and just plain needing a break once in awhile.