The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors '59 Headliner and rubber

I recieved a headliner and the rubber retaining strip I had purchased today. I spent a few minutes this evening trying to wrestle them into place. I was soundly defeated. I think I will want to glue the head liner up first and then deal with the rubber. Does anyone have any tips on methods and tools to install the rubber they would like to share? Thanks in advance, Joe

the headliner must be glued in, and before the rubber is wrestled on - just need to get it started at one end [at the back middle] and work your way around - has to be tight to do it's job and stay in place

Bill

I found that it was a bear of a job and required patience. I recently installed a headliner and new rubber in my 59 GMC.

Get some water and some dish detergent soap and keep the metal and rubber wet with the soapy compound. Cover your seat with a cover if it is in place or, remove it first.

I made some small blunt pine wedges and placed the wedges about 5-12 inches ahead of the rubber that I was working onto the roof and metal bead. I then used another set and placed those on top of those wedges and in effect used the second wedge to pry apart the sheet metal from the roof enough to slip the rubber into the formed metal bead etc. I used this process all around the perimeter.

It was much easier this way to use the double wedge process to hold the metal apart enough and use my two hands to slip the rubber onto the metal and then seat it.

The lead hand positioned it, the second hand then forced it into the bead. Sometimes I had to use a small block of hardwood (I round it over to prevent cutting the rubber) and with a no-mar mallet and block drove the rubber in place...especially around the corners. It tended to pull away from the corners and each corner required several attempts by pulling it off and starting over at the corners. The rounded block of wood really helped drive the rubber into those corners and you cannot go further until it is seated into those croners.

After awhile it was done and the process got easier as I figured it. Don't be timid pushing those wedges in to open the gap. I found that the metal was tough enough and it did not damage the roof because the wedges were blunt enough.

They were (about) 1" wide but maybe wider ones would work even better. The hardwood block was (about) 2 inches wide and I rounded it over on the sander to mimic the corners (but with less radius).

HTH. Good luck.

tom

My two cents;

Took me three evenings. I used WD-40 for the slip and used a plastic wedge. Just be patient and go slow. I wondered how the heck they did that job on the assembly line, I pictured some poor new guy out in the parking lot put in the headliners after the truck was completed.

Thanks, everyone. I'll get some supplies tomorrow and re-join the battle this weekend. Joe

When I put in my headliner I used spray glue from an aresol can and glued the headliner in first. Then delt with the rubber and I think I used dish soap to help slip the rubber in place. It's a tough job