[bubba68ss]

Thought id share some tips and pictures of installing a headliner. I just did this on my 68 today (sedcond one ive done). hope this can help someone.
chris

Tools/supplies:
Headliner kit
scissors
super weatherstrip adhesive (2 tubes MAX)
50-60 paper clips (clamp style)
2-3 hours
patience


get your headliner laid out and warmed up to get all the wrinkles out. also, transfer all the rods into their correct spot.


most likely the cloth channels will be two long. get the bows centered in these channels and then snip back the cloth about 1/2" past the 90* bend as shown


make sure to get about 50 or so clamp-style paper clips from any store with office supplies. they will be your many hands!


take the whole assembly into the car and starting with the rear, put the first bow in whichever holes they came out of. Then make sure the the cloth channel has no wrinkles in it by pulling even on both sides. Snap the bow into the clip. The clips may be very brittle and/hard so dont try anything 'creative' to get them in. Well, actually the way i did it was a little primitive; i layed on my back and pushed it in with my foot. Push on one side of the clip and it should 'open' itself up and feed the rest in. you may need two feet (perhaps a flexible friend/wife) to help get them in. this is probably the hardest part of the entire job! Perhaps new clips are easier but i just reused the originals.


Pull the headliner forward and back to see if there is enough material (just to be sure its the right one). pull the front really hard and lock it down with a few clips. then pull the back hard and secure with clamps. This should set all the bows/clips into their position.


Glueing: I used something different this time, its a little metal red tube of super weatherstrip adhesive (pictured in the next photo on the roof) Starting with the front, start in the middle (about 5" section) and pull it tight (and somewhat a little outwards. if you get wrinkles you can work them out when you get to the sides. But dont pulle TOO much to the sides, just enough to keep the wrinkles out of your 5" section. lay a bead of glue on the bottom side (or top OR both top and bottome depending on how much glue you have) of the flange and 'wrap' it around while keeping it tight. Once its wrapped around throw a few clips on it. Next pick a side and repeat the process then do the other side. dont worry about the a-pillar corners yet...


do the exact same process with the rear. its much easier with the windows out!


Here is a picture of the rear after i glued it down. there are visible wrinkles but they will come out when you get to the sides so dont think its screwed up.


Pick a side, any side. Repeat the glueing process by starting in the middle (where the two large clips are). after taking this picture i notices the seams were a bit loose so i just pulled a few clips and pulled a little bit and worked them out. This glue stays workable for quite a while but is not runny. good stuff


By this time, the front was dried so i took the clips off (becasue i needed them for the sides) and put the front trim on which is basically a BIG, long clip. also, this is when you work the corners into position. By now you understand how to work the material. I used a few screws to hold it tight then piled on the glue.

CONTINUED....

[bubba68ss]

...CONTINUED


Putting the visors and rearview on are just a matter of finding the holes (we all had this problem once, right?). with the visors, just feel for the BIG hole where the springed end goes into and pke an 'x' in it. then just feel around for the screws and mark their position. the visors will actually pull the HL a bit tighter once installed.



last pic i took just waiting for glue to dry up. letting it set overnight. Then its trim and sail panels to finish it off.

Hope this helped you in your first attempt or encouraged you to give it a try.

[DUKE 69]

Chris,

Great pics and a very good narrative! A friend and I put in my h-l. in about 2 hrs. using pretty much the same ideas. The biggest thing is take your time! Instead of the paper clips, we used small pieces of old pinchweld welting. They really held the h-l tight.

[Olle]

Nice, thanks for taking your time to show this!

[Enganeer]

Thaks for the pics and details. I have to do this for my 64 and 70.

[flashflood1951]

Thank you!
I'm just about ready to try this on my 67 Malibu Sport Sedan.

[SS427Rick]

Good post! I did the headliner on my 69SS last month and did pretty much what you did, although I used more clips. Turned out great, although now I have buddys asking me to do theirs when the time comes. The next headliner I do will be much easier.

[1BadBu]

Thanks Chris. Well done. Getting ready to do my 70. Your tips and pics are a great help.

[bubba68ss]

No problem, glad its useful for you all. I'd write up a vinyl top write up also if i had taken pictures... darn

[68Phoenix]

Thanks Chris. nice write up and pics. Almost makes me wish I had a hardtop (NOT!)

[Malibu70]

Thanks for sharing the detailed narrative and the photos. This will help a lot of us when the time comes to do the task ourselves. I'm about to do this install for the first time myself.

Do you have any photos of the roof without the headliner? What do the sockets in the roof look like, where the bows snap in?

The adhesive you used looks like the 3M brand, which is the best IMO. The black adhesive is better than the yellow glue as it is less visible through the headliner. The Permatex number 82 tube also works well. These adhesives are smelly and the fumes will give you a headache, so remember to keep the windows down and the garage open.

[bubba68ss]

i think the adhesive is the permatex brand that i used. im sure others work just fine, i was just impressed with how well it worked on the weatherstripping. i used contact cement on the last one i did. didnt hold as strong but now the molding is holding it in place in case the cement doesnt...

[bubba68ss]

Originally Posted by Malibu70

Thanks for sharing the detailed narrative and the photos. This will help a lot of us when the time comes to do the task ourselves. I'm about to do this install for the first time myself.

Do you have any photos of the roof without the headliner? What do the sockets in the roof look like, where the bows snap in?

The adhesive you used looks like the 3M brand, which is the best IMO. The black adhesive is better than the yellow glue as it is less visible through the headliner. The Permatex number 82 tube also works well. These adhesives are smelly and the fumes will give you a headache, so remember to keep the windows down and the garage open.

only pic i had of the clips came out kind of blurry. but here it is, maybe you can see what you're looking for

http://www.garsworld.com/chev/hlclip.jpg

[jloshotz]

Good write up Chris! I'm about to attempt this myself on my 70....i knew it would be easier with the glass out, but i just had to get the glass in because the car needed to be stored outside for a few weeks....Do you know if the same clips will work with the glass installed? I just got a quote today on having the headliner installed by a local reputable company, and there is NO way it is even close to fitting into my budget. I almost had a coronary...

[bubba68ss]

Originally Posted by jloshotz

Good write up Chris! I'm about to attempt this myself on my 70....i knew it would be easier with the glass out, but i just had to get the glass in because the car needed to be stored outside for a few weeks....Do you know if the same clips will work with the glass installed? I just got a quote today on having the headliner installed by a local reputable company, and there is NO way it is even close to fitting into my budget. I almost had a coronary...

i dont know what you're asking about the clips, but i did the headliner on my 69 with the glass in. it was just harder. its also a lot easier without any interior in!