The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Headlinner Installation

I have purchased the headliner cardboards for a 53 chev 1/2 and I have heard that watering down the back side of your headliner would help with the install. But my question is this! Has anyone had any luck doing this or does it all come out looking like c&*p? I tried to search some posts but nobody really says how it turned out? Lots of sugestions on how to purchasing the more expensive molded plexi linners, but I have these and would like to try!
Thanks for any replies!

I've done two but I'm not happy with either one. I'm going to try it again one of these days when I feel like punishing myself again!

My 54's headliner is sagging BAD. Granted - it hasn't seen the inside of a garage since the new headliner was put in 10 years ago. The guy who installed it for my father didn't get the liner all the way forward. You can see 1/2 to 3/4 inch behind the rear trim. It looks like he needed to push it farther forward, or farther up when he did it.

Does anyone who has installed a headlinner properly have any detailed instructions on how to place it in? Maybe even some good old advice here might be helpfull!

What did you do that you think you should have done diffrently? Did it turn out not bad ? Was it really that bad..."when I feel like punishing myself again!" Sounds like I would rather a dentist apointment...

Well...it is a difficult fit to start with and then you have to deal with creasing the cardboard and the moving floating center bow(my 51). I used the water wetting suggestion and got somebody to help me the second time, but I still cut it a little short and put a small crease in it before I was done.

Most folks don't even notice to mistakes but frankly everytime I get in the truck, I see that darn crease...

I explain doing mine about haff way down in the following log entry, jason.


Cab Capers and the D-train


It was my third time and it went well compared to the first two times I did it.

Awesome, LAROKE now that’s what I call a description I’ve highlighted the area from your web site and made a “How to instruction sheet” using your descriptions as well as photos. I’ll pass it on to anyone that needs it and send you a copy.

Thanks alot!

i was told to do it as follows, "install front piece first. install bow, then rear piece and install rear molding.
if it was only that easy but then it wasnt that hard. the main thing here is to be patient! take your time, test fit it and dont force it. i installed mine dry. what i noticed is that you have to get both pieces centered(left to right) properly to have it slip under the rubber moulding on both sides. i had to trim mine on both side to get it to fit. my mistake was i was getting frustrated and cut 3/16's to much off on the pass. side. the other thing i didnt like was that the rear piece didnt have the holes drilled out for the rear molding. i had to locate them and drill them which was time consuming. even though it didnt come out perfect i was satisfied with the job. i used the plain black headliner and touched up my mistake with some carefully applied black rtv. the truck i did it on is a work truck and total perfection was a goal with satisfactory results. compared to what was up there when i got the truck it's a 100% improvement

im sure larry has a much better method than i just described.

Installing my headliner was easy. I took it to the upholstery shop & wrote a check when it was done....easy. OK, OK, I'll leave now.

Figure I would post: Cardboard Headliner Installation

1.The two pieces of headliner cardboard were unrolled (the way they ship) and weighted down flat to straighten them out.

2.Allow some time to make reasonably flat. (A week isn’t irrational)

3.Prepared by taking the rearview mirror off the top of the windshield. As well as all interior trim.

4.Use a plastic glass installation stick and run it between the top of the windshield frame and the windshield gasket because the leading edge of the headliner cardboard goes here.

5.The headliner bow is S-shaped in section, the lower recess points forward and upper facing rearward.

6.Lay out the flattened front headliner cardboard on a worktable and work the rearward edge into the headliner bow recess.

7.If you have to use some duct tape on the backside to keep it in the slot.

8. Mist the back of the cardboard with a 50/50 water/ammonia mixture to make it pliable.

9.Get it wetter in locations where it has to curve the most and kept the cardboard dry at the edges.

10.Began to work the leading edge of the cardboard under the windshield gasket with the assistance of the glass installer stick.

11. When you have all the leading edge under the gasket, work it as far forward as you can under the gasket before snapping the bow up into place.

12.Began to work the leading edge of the smaller rear cardboard panel into the upper slot of the installed bow.

13.Use some caution you might have to slightly wet down this piece, as the compound curves are not as radical as the front.

14.This panel has slots in the rearward edge where the trim strip screws are located. Place the panel inserted in the bow recess as far as it will go.

15.Scribed a line and trimmed it with heavy-duty scissors. Rear slots can be a good quarter inch or more off from exposing the screw holes

16.Remember that this edge is not straight, It is curved slightly

17.If necessary use A box-cutter to trim the other slots enough to expose the remaining holes

18.Now place the trim piece back on be cautious to not lose any screws

19.Finally finished up by trimming off any small amounts of cardboard sticking out behind the rear trim piece.

20.Reinstall mirror and inside trim.

21.Time for several beers…

I seem to remember something about a change in how the headliner bow is fastened during the AD years.

If there is a difference between some years, does anyone have any details on this, and does it affect the above instructions?

Thanks,
Grigg

I believe the earlier years, I would think before 1950 (you can check by the different part number in vendor catalogs) had a center bow fastened with screws. After that it was a floating center bow.

Jayson, Ive tried twice to install the headliner in my 51 and twice Ive failed, In fact the first time I ruined the new headliner I bought.. and had to get another one.
Im thinking about making a one piece for mine and ditch the stock two piece set up, OR do like Tiny said "Take it to the upholstery shop & Write a check when it was done....easy"

I wish there was a easy way to install it BUT I SURE DIDNT HAVE ANY LUCK.

Hey guys,
My 1/2 t '48 truck the center bow mounts with screws.

I have been straightening my headliner for about 2 weeks now and I think I am ready, but on my 1948 the side ws is mounted with a metal track and screws. Do they have to be removed and the edge of the headliner goes behind it? That is the only way I see it for it to stay up unless you glue it. This means I have to tuck it in the front around the windshield and around the sides? I'm sweating bulletts already.........
Iam now thinking seriously about my full width overhead console,it might work out ok without the front part of the headliner and just paint around the top of the windshield and visor mounts and my mirror mounts into the center of the windshield, so no problem there. I'll install the console and center bow then the last section of the roof headliner will match up ok.(sounds good)

Skip the cardboard liner & go with a fiberglass unit.

Have a look at the way I did my '47. Clean and simple and looks great - the reflections of the light make it look like it's warped but it isn't.

http://members.shaw.ca/fatfenders/images/left.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/fatfenders/images/right.jpg

I purchased a 2 piece ABS set from Quiet Rides Truck Headliner, They match up exactly with the cardboard pieces. They will be painted the interior color with a flex additive - at least that is the plan now. As an FYI, the were pre punched with mounting holes, and notches for install undert he gaskets, but they also have holes cut and drilled for sunvisors on both sides - for me this answered the question of whether or not I was going to put in sunvisors.

My $.02, your mileage may vary.

Mike

We (my dad and I) put the headliner in my '48 half ton today. I've been dreading this job, but it went well. On the '48 the center bow is attached with 11 screws, and the front piece goes under it, so you have to start with the front piece. I've heard a lot of people say the headliner has to fit under the windshield rubber, but that's not the case with my truck. The only pieces that had to go under the rubber were the two short pieces that fill in the windshield posts.

The first thing we did was remove all the screws from the door windlace down to dash level and the equivalent height behind the door. It really hurt to do this because of how difficult it was to get them in in the forst place. This has to be done because the headliner goes under the windlace, and removing that many screws allows the windlace and trim to be pulled out enough to work on everything.

We put washers on four of the screws that hold on the windshield trim and put them part way in across the top of the windshield. These were just to hold the front of the cardboard while we adjusted things. Oh, and we also sprayed water on the backside to make it more pliable.

We put up the cardboard, then held the back in place with four screws and washers where the center bow goes. Then, after making sure everything lined up, removed the holding screws from the driver's side of the windshield header and installed the trim on that side. We repeated it for the other side.

Of course, not everything lined up, so we had to enlarge a few slots so we could get all the screws in. With the windshield molding on, we remover the rear screws and put up the center bow, then made sure everything was tight. Now, I don't know if others faced this problem, but there's no way we could get the end screws on the center bow. They weren't even close to lining up, so we left them off.

On to the rear headliner piece. Here's where the fun was. This piece was too large. On the '48, the leading edge of the headliner piece slides into a slot on the center bow. This wasnt easy to accomplish! Remember the missing screws on the center bow? Well, having them missing alllowed the bow ends to spring toward the rear somewhat, which made getting things lined up rather difficult.

Like others have noted, the cardboard wasn't cut right. We centered the notches with the rear trim screw holes, and made new holes. We had to keep pressure on the rear of the cardboard to keep it forward enough, then I used a Dremel tool with a cutting bit and elongated two of the notches, one at roughly the center of each side of the cab, so we could put up the trim.

Our intention was to put in a few screws, mark a line, take it down and cut the cardboard. What we wound up doing was a lot easier. The rear of the trim fits inside a slight channel at it's rearward edge, so we could line up the trim piece with the channel, then use an awl to punch through the cardboard and into the hole in the roof wher the screws go. It worked perfectly. We worked across and got all the screws in the rear trim.

This left about a quarter inch of cardboard sicking out behind the trim. I trimmed it off with a utility knife, changing blades frequently to make it easier. It came out very well.

We then went through the frustration of getting the windlace and trim back up.

The only things left to do is install the "T" trim pieces over the junction of the center bow and the windlace trim, which should allow us to push the ends of the center bow forward and into place, plus figuring out how to make holes and install the sun visors.

im trying to install my cardboard headliner . I took the bow out and tried to put the cardboard in the bow. but it will not stay in. any tricks to keep it in. looks like a punch was used on the ends and middle.thanks