...in this case in a '46 Ford Tudor. I am referring to the part above the door up to the windshield where the headliner is tucked up inside a metal strip that is fastened from under the headliner. How is it done? There must be a simple procedure for this, but obviously more than my brain can handle. Many thanks in advance!
Ok, don't totally hold me to this cuz I haven't looked at that in some time...I wanna say that you need to use a stiff putty knife with some nice smooth edges, or something thin but strong, insert it between the headliner and wind lace (if that's still intact), and gently pry toward the inside. You'll see that there's barbs in there that hold the fabric in place. To re-install, you'll hook them on the barbs and gently tap the metal flange down to pull the remaining mat'l snug. Now, the only other thing you may find is that it's held in by tack strips nailed to a fibre or wood insert. At that point they simply pry of, being carefull to save them for re-use. I hope one of these is correct for you. Good luck.
Hmm, I think I got it, at least the installation part. As the headliner won't be re-installed I can just cut it out. So if I got it right, I push the new headliner under the barbed metal strip with a putty knife to re-hook it to the barbs? Thanks for the help, Highlander!
It's sort of like getting your house cat's claws out of your wife's new fine weave Cashmere sweater without snagging it... (Went through that one last Thursday.) I usta love working on them on new cars whan I worked at dealerships.... They were never designed to be removed and then re-installed, just replaced. Us all the precautions and suggestions listed above. Maybe practice on a "parts car" to see what works best for you?
Cut that sucker out with a razor blade if your puttin in a new one. Remove the old headliner. Remove the metal strip and dig out the rest of the headliner. Replace windlace if the car has windlace, reinstall the metal strip over the windlace. If it is a bow headliner I spray each bow with silicone spray so I can easily slide the new headliner on the bow while its in the car. Usually the new listing (listing is what the bow slides into) will bottom out at the end of the bow where it attaches to the car and you cant pull the wrinkles out.Trim the listing by cutting it horizontal between the bow and the headliner so you get plenty of pull. I use a tool called a tucking tool. Basically like a putty knife but edges are rounded and it is a bit flexible so you wont tear the new liner, to tuck it behind the metal strip. Youll have to trim the headliner usually because you can only stuff about 3/4 of an inch of material behind that strip. Dont trim where the seams are untill your ready to tuck the seams in or youll pull the headliner apart. Good Luck
That was lots of good info, Gill! I think I get the whole picture now and should be able to pull it off. Cheers, fellas!
Btw Roger, I really enjoyed the work you showed on your web site. I even have a pic of the bagged Chevy p-u's interior saved on the hard drive, taken from somewhere else, as inspiration!
Id like to see the pic if you get a chance and where you got it from. And thanks for the +feedback. I appreciate it.
Hey, Somethin ya gotta remember about headliners of old-OEM- is that they were usually installed before the windows went in. Bein able to pull that fabric/vinyl from all directions, made all the difference in the world, so the job didn't wind up lookin like a shlub in a cheap suit. Workin from the header rail toward the back light/window, and than pullin side to side will help fitment. A hair dryer, left over from your 'Disco-Days' ,will help ya to stretch vinyl headliners.
Good tip, thanks! Roger, I found the pic on the Classic Trucks' web site: http://classictrucks.com/features/0509cl_65ford/
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