Have you installed a headliner in a 1950 Ford?

The bows for my headliner are in their proper places but fit too tight to allow the headliner material or insulation. What is the solution?
thanks

 

I left that to the professional upholsterers...it is an art in itself.

 

Dang, hope there was a tip here. I was going with the insulation too and wonder how that would play out. Can't be rocket science. I'm thinking they are going shortened or at least re bent where the hook in the holes to slack them off.

 

What I had seen at the upholster they slide the bows through and hook them all in and pull the headliner to the front or rear and when the bows touch and are tight they stop. The bows I think were not straight up? Hope that helped.

 

Make sure the bows are in the exact same spot you took them out of. If you have a bow not in the right place it will do that. Also "insulation"? what type of material are you using?

 

The bows fit up tight against the roof.

 

Yes but adding 1/4 insulation or thicker will be to tight?

 

I had the exact problem with my '41 Ford. Removed insulation that I installed, where the bows were and the headliner went right in. 1/4" insulation between the roof and bows can make or break you.

 

never installed a headliner before, but shoboxes came with a thing insulation on the inside of the roof. probably about 3/16" or so, however it didnt cover the whole roof it was just a section of it

 

My 49 insulation was sagging, so just removed it. Never missed it

 

Here is some info It says bows tight to the roof but mine are insanely tight. My original insulation is gone I want to put some back but there is NO room

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have never replaced a headliner before, you may think it is a very difficult task, especially based on what shops charge to do it. However, if you take your time and follow some easy steps, you will be amazed how easy it is to replace your headliner, while saving a ton of money.



If you need to , start by removing all of the trim around the windshield and door openings carefully. You may also have to remove the upper part of the rear seat and possibly some trim along the rear package shelf. Also remove the sun visors.

Be careful not to cut any wiring that may be back there.
Number all of the bows.


You will notice that once the headliner is removed, there are toothed-hold downs along the upper door openings. You can remove them with a Phillips screwdriver to remove any headliner material that still remains.

At this point, it is a good idea to inspect the wiring for your dome lights and any other wiring that runs under the headliner, and repair or replace if necessary. Also, you may want to add some wiring for speakers or other accessories at this time.

Put the insulation back in place. You can use adhesive or a hot glue gun to hold it in place until the bows are in. (or Peel and Seal)
Install new wind lacing.



Determine which loop in the headliner is the center, and find its matching bow. Thread the bow through the headliner (carefully!) and put the bow into its holders on the sides. Once it is in, carefully rotate it up so it is tight against the roof. Then, slowly and evenly begin pulling the headliner material to the sides to stretch it. Be sure to keep it even as you go along!

After you get the first bow in, go to the next one towards the front and do the same as you did with the first. However, this time you want to stretch the material towards the front of the car first, then to the sides, then back and forth until it is tight. After you do this, go to the next one towards the rear, and do the same. You want to alternate this front to rear bows to keep things even.

Once you get all of the bows in place, you will most likely need to do some adjustments by stretching it back and forth. If you do this carefully, your headliner will be very tight and straight, and look great so don't rush at this stage.

After you have the headliner installed to this point, begin at the front by pulling the headliner material tight towards the windshield as you replace the front windshield trim. It definitely helps to have a friend help you do this.

After you have the headliner tight in the front, begin to pull the sides tight, alternating from left to right. Pull the headliner taut, and then use a plastic putty knife to push the headliner material into the groove between the body and the hold down teeth along the edges. Work your way towards the rear, going slowly to be sure you get it nice and tight.

When you get to the rear window area, pull the material tight above the window, and work your way around it. You can use the putty knife to press the material tight into the rubber weather stripping, again being slow and careful. After you work your way along the sides of the rear window, you will then work along the package shelf out towards the rear seat.

Once the headliner is completely installed, trim any excess material from the edges, and then re-install your trim and sun visors.

 

You have to understand the bows will touch,sometimes hard.As long as you put in a soft insulation it will be fine. You also may be trying to tip them to far, The og was a thin jute or tarpaper type.Not really to insulate, but to keep the noise of a big metal panel down,also why the bows drag.The bubble type foil seems to work good here. Because you have extreme drag be sure to get your headliner centered on the bow,with all the slack pulled to the side before tipping the bow up. If you do't get the slack out,you will have a hard time getting the listing pocket to slide. Use a little silicone lube on the cleaned bows. Jack

 

thank you Jack!

 

I have the headliner that was in the car and have learned that the seams are parallel. In other words when the bows are 11 inches apart at the place the bows fit into the body, the seams are also 11 inches apart all the way across. I will get some pictures later. Some of the bows are tight to the roof, some are so tight that its not possible to get them to stand up straight. I have seen many cars with a headliner that has fallen down, mine did too. The sleeves rot away first. I put POR15 on the bows hoping they wont rust and rot away the sleeves. I plan to use a durable material for the sleeves. It looks like the old sleeves were about 48 inches long. At that point the headliner is beginning to lay flat against the sides and do not hang from the bows.

 

Great point on coating the bows first. I think i might shrink wrap mine

 

I'd like to see pictures when you get it done! I have yet to master the art of the headliner.

 

yeah, the headliner is scary. My only concern is the bows that fit too tightly against the roof

 

For what it's worth, I've jumped off the cliff and ordered a prefab white perforated headliner from Automotive Interiors and Accessories. For $208 I just decided it was worth it. If it works out, I've saved some money. If not, I just invested(?) an extra $208 for a "pattern" to have my upholstery guy make what I want......we will see.......and I'll keep ya'll updated..

 

I understand bows tight against the roof. I think that at the sleeve/roof contact point the sleeve can be compromised.
I would probably shorten the bows slightly to an acceptable roof clearance. That shouldn't cause any other problem. Friction at the sleeve/roof contact point should not determine bow placement.

 

* even though this is a old thread the info is always needed. do not modify bows for insulation. put insulation in areas that will not interfere with movement of bows when installing headliner. even very thin insulation will be dragged/ torn when tying to install headliner. worried about heat from Sun on roof install vinyl roof - Ha! always can install A/C. have insulation under hood, trunk lid, doors? tinted glass?

 

I recently installed a pre-made headliner in my 49 Ford Coupe . If I can do it , you can do it . Just take your time and you'll be fine . The rear glass needs to be out of the car , the front glass can stay in , although mine was out at the time , so I wrapped the material around the glass flange (like at the rear) and glued it to the header bar as original . The bows do fit pretty tight against the roof , but if you remove the old sound deadener and install something of similar thickness in it's place (1/8 - 3/16 ") , you'll be fine . If you're trying to use something thicker , why not put it BETWEEN the bows ?? That would work fine too . I believe shortening the bows sounds easier than it is as IIRC they've got a special shape on the ends that would be a pain to replicate , just to shorten them a quarter inch .

Another tip I'll give you -
Snip & trim the sleeves that the bows slide through a few inches from each end before you slide the bows in - that'll give the headliner a nice curve on either side . Also very important - clean up the bows before you install them , as they're a bugger to slide through (KEEP THEM IN ORDER !) . I watched a whole bunch of videos about installing "bowed" headliners before I installed mine . That helped a lot .
My headliner turned out pretty darn good , for never having done it before (if I do say so myself) . I wouldn't want to do it every day , mind you , lol !!

 

Thanks, Buddy.... I just bought the headliner and did a trial fit the other day, and it all appears to fit pretty dang well. I have studied the pictures posted by Bertolasi and some Youtube guys.. and here is what I ended up doing: My bows, though snug, surely weren't "tight" as some have posted. I even used a foil (one side) jute type insulation material from Mac's on the underside of the roof, and still, the headliner went in with no trouble. I sanded down the bows and painted with a gloss paint so they would "Slide" a little better. I balanced each bow on a sharp edge to ascertain the center point, then filed a tiny groove in each bow that would indicate the geometric center. The headliner came with a centerline marked on the back of the material, so, I snipped each and inserted each bow and with my fingernail, centered each bow precisely in the center, then trimmed each end back about 1/2" to allow for some stretch.

I'm just wondering, when the headliner is stretched around the rear window edge and glued, what about the sealing capability of the rear window rubber against the car? It seems that you lose much of the seal in this area of the rear window... maybe I just don't understand. Also, how is the headliner secured above the rear windows? Is it to be stretched and glued along the upper edge of the window hole like the rear window is done? I have learned SOOO much from this website, and hope some of my pictures may help others in their build....Thanks everyBuddy........

 

Oh, here are some other pics..
http://49fordcoupe.smugmug.com/The-Interior/i-TDxpQMM

 

http://ciadellainteriors.blogspot.com/2011/10/ciadella-headliner.html Neat video!! Pete

 

GOOD info, PR !

 

I have a 1950 2door sedan how many bows should I have ? Headliner

 

I've been doing interior work since 1976. Headliners are pretty straight forward if you take your time.
I've been using closed cell foam 3/8" thick on all suspended headliners. At each bow location U remove 1" of the foam on each side of bow. After derusting bows, I spray them with dry silicone, also spray roof , at bow locations. Has worked for me for all these years. DIY take your time it will look great when your done. Then all you car buddies will want you to do there's

 

This thread needs to be back to the top. Some great info for those brave enough to tackle a headliner.

 

Everybody says on some models, you have to remove the rear window. I`ve been doing headliners for 30 years. Have yet to remove a rear window yet. Will be doing a 50 Ford headliner in the next couple weeks.

 

...I just had a headliner done in my '40 Coupe (see avatar) and the stitcher popped out the back window. He said that was the way he had done it forever. I was a bit sceptical, but all went well. No broken glass upon re-installment.