The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs Headliner

OK burb and panel guys need advice. Bought a set of headliner bows from MT. Nice ones. Also have the cardboard headliner kit from CD. What I need to know is the sequence in which the sections are installed and how to do it. The rear cardboard section looks a little tricky. Also the cardboard is very stiff. Will it bend and conform without kinking? Need help from someone who has done this. Tim, 54, any other burb guys? I know you're out there. Weeds

I won't offer any advice because I haven't done mine yet, but I'm all ears.

Weeds,

Search in this forum for some old descriptions. I will be unable to post anything new until late tomorrow - but I will do so, if no one posts anything.

The short answer is that you start at the rear and move forward.
Here is a little pictorial I made and posted about a year ago. Unfortunately, I did not take photos of each step of the installation process.

Tim

Tim, did a search , not much there. Saw your tutorial where you say JCs parts are a little short in some places. I bought the headliner kit from Chevy Duty some time ago but sent it back because it seemed too stiff to conform to the contour of the truck. I wonder if it is skimpy also? What did you finally do on your sub? Weeds

Pardon my jumping in slightly off subject. Are the earlier Subs the same? I have a '46 and am just getting started on doing all this stuff. Mine has some sort of upholstery type material in it now. Is that correct? And does anyone make a kit for it? thanks, Richard

Weeds,

Since the worst piece of the headliner was the last piece installed (the front piece), I left it installed. I then purchased a set of the same color/year pickup headliner (from JC) and hope that it will match in color, and I hope that I will be able to trim the front piece to fit in the Suburban. That was three years ago - I am a little lazy and I have also moved onto restoring two other trucks.

Regarding Chevy Duty's (Classic Parts of America's) Suburban headliner being too stiff, was it stiffer than the side cardboard? JC's material is the same (side and headliner cardboard). It bent into place very easily.

Tim

To install the headliner you work from the back to the front.

I have a 54 Chevy Shop manual. In chapter 1 there is a section on replacing the upper hinge for the clamshell type liftgate.

The 16 step process starts with removing the sun visor and then removing the headliner from the front to the back.

I'm going to have to get a new headliner for mine. The original is too messed up. Good luck with yours.

Tom

From 1947-1949 and part of 1950 the headliner was installed from front to back then sometime in 1950 they changed to installing from back to front. This also changed the bows.
Mike