Bow Headliner for my '54 Pontiac. The hardest decision is whether a napped cotton or foam back polyester. I'm not finding much info on the installation differences. But I will guess the cotton is more original but could rip while installing. The foam backed is close looking and seems more durable. Can anyone share their experiences with installing either or both? Thanks!
My wife made one years ago out of plaid flannel! It looked great. Didn't last long as the car got hit by a tree during a bad storm.
Not an upholstery guy, but my buddies that are, talk badly about the polyester/ vinyl. They like cloth. Say it's easier to get the wrinkles out of. But what headliners I've done have came out fine. All in being patient
Explain what you mean by foam backed polyester. If it`s the kind used on modern cars(glued on Cardboard or Fiberglass). Then don`t use it. The foam will deteriorate and fall to pieces. It will then stretch out of shape and wrinkle like crazy. Had to fix one last year that was put in a 55 Chevy.
Thanks guys. I'm forced to go with the foam backed for price. The cotton material with all the add on's put me near $1,000 bucks Canadian after currency conversion and such. I've checked with a few places. The polyester for me is under $500 and I'm sure after time the foam will deteriorate but that will be long after the car or myself are gone. It's just my daily driver and I want to get rid of the rotting, stained liner that's in there now.
Are you looking of a presewn kit or just the material? If it's just the material have you tried JTS Outdoorfabrics? They are in Barrie. I have used them and pricing seems comparable to the US given exchange and you don't get dinged with duty and brokerage and huge shipping bills. https://www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/
I'm going with pre-sewn kit and installing myself. I'm lucky enough to have the border 35 minutes away. There is a border store we all get stuff shipped to. $3 US to pick up and the usual duty coming back. I remember the day when we were dollar for dollar on exchange. Sure bought a lot of stuff back then!
I used these guys for my 39 Ford. I measured all my bows (lanyards) and what I got was spot on. Also got extra material for side panels and sunvisors. All in all very well priced and I'm actually looking fwd to installing it soon. It's the foam backed (very thin foam) but it was the exact color, and from experience I know I can stretch and steam with no worries. Got it fast too. Go here if you haven't already bought elsewhere: https://wlsheadliners.com/classic-car-headliners.html
Exactly where I'm getting it! Had them send me samples. They seem pretty durable. I'm sending my visors there next week for them to do and ordering next week. Ordering extra for door pillars. I probably won't be getting everything back for a couple weeks. I plan on taking my time doing the install. Car can't go on the roads for months yet. We should touch base again and see how we're doing! Thanks for sharing.
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