Hey, my upholstery guy wants to start my interior but niether one of us really knows how the back package tray area is suppose to look.. Mine has the stock package tray frame and the PO just built a big plywood box around that and covered it with carpet. I didn't like how that looked so it's all gone, all I have is a big hole to fill. I'm looking for ideas and/ or pics on how to finish the area behind the seat. Fwiw I've used some early Bronco low back buckets and there will be a roll bar as well. The upolstery guy would like to see how the headliner is suppose to tie in around the package tray as well, was there originally a cardboard panel or something below the back window the headliner attaches to?
Try going on the LeBaron-Bonney site They have pictures of their upholstery installed in various cars
No pics like I want on the LeBaron site. Googled 39 Ford coupe interior images and almost all show the front, only ones showing the back are very street roddy, no help. Funny, be around different fat Ford coupes all my life but really never paid much attention to how they are finished behind the seat.
Are you using a bench seat or buckets The stock tray was just a piece of flat wood With a 90 degree 4"x 3/4" front piece that kept things from rolling off. Do not do pictures so I can not help that way. There is a bulkhead un.derneath to keep the trunk and the storage area behind the seat separate. The bulkhead starts at the step between the cab and the trunk
Just like 39 Ford says. This is a pic of my old '39 Deluxe - never mind the velour, just remember this was the 1980's! You can see the package tray, and as I recall the headliner was glued and stapled onto that and a trim panel was made to fit down into the tray and up against the lower edge of the headliner. I have no idea how close that would be to Ford's original upholstery setup, but it worked for me.
The headliner comes down past the rear windows and is tacked to a tack strip that runs from side to side below that.This strip is also where the package shelf sits under the window. There is a wire 'bow' that runs from each half of the rear window that goes out to the little quarter windows behind the door post. This all that holds it on.
Where might one get a replacement tack strip and the wire bows? The wire bows shouldn't be hard to fab up though. Anyone have pics of them uninstalled?
does the tack strip have a curve to it that blends in to the sides? because I've seen some cars that install just a three sided frame to attach the upholstery to, and it doesn't look right without the curve in it. a person could make the curved piece without much trouble using 1/8" bender board and glueing it up 3 or 4 thicknesses. you would have to first make a former to glue it up against.
The bows are just wire, less than 1/8th thick. They just have a little bend on each end that fits into each window. These run through a small 'tunnel' that is sewn into the headliner material. The tack strip is kind of a flexible rubber strip that is self adhesive, that goes along the edge of the metal framework that runs from one door post along the back under the rear window and over to the other door post. It's about an inch wide and high. Hopefully this is still in your car. This rubber strip is the same stuff that runs down your door post to attach the rear side panels to. It's about 3/8s thick and wide. It comes in different sizes. Mine was supplied by the guy who i got to install the headliner for me. Also, make sure your windshield wipers work before installing the headliner! Hope this helps.
Thanks for the help guys! Terry, the picture helps a lot, with it and b-bob's info we have a game plan. Green73, no pics of the bows out of the car but here's one of the bows in the car with no headliner if that helps any. fwiw the wood panels under the window was added by the po, already figured out they don't belong.
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