47-55.1 carboard headliner distorting

[leegreen]

I recently installed a repop carboard headliner. Got it in with no issues and if fit well. Fast-forward a week of sunny weather and we just had 36 hours of rain.
Now the headliner has got some bulges and dips. My truck does not leak but I did get in and drive with damp clothes a couple times

Anyone else had that experience?

Curious to see if it flattens out again with dry weather. This carboard one may just become a template to cut some out of fiberglass or something.

[dsraven]

if you're gonna make a new one maybe try sheet plastic? it comes with a textured finish if desired. if there is an industrial plastics location nearby you could stop in and take a look and quiz the staff on what would work best being that close to a hot or cold surface of the roof. possibly sheet fiberglass, like found on the sheathing of delivery truck walls and roofs? just a thought.

[nvrdone]

I found a precut one piece abs one from one of the online vendors. I can dig thru my file & find the source if you like.

[e015475]

I have an ABS plastic headliner I bought from Rod Doors.





If you can get the old one to come back into shape by letting it dry out, you might try fiberglassing it on the back and see if you can stiffen it up and make it moisture resistant. I'd start by coating it with some resin. Since it isn't structural, you could use some polyester fabric from the fabric store and wet that into the resin and it'd probably be stiff enough to hold its shape.

[mr48chev]

Was the cardboard one molded to shape or pretty well flat? Snooping yesterday the vendor I found had them listed for 47/eary 49 and late 49/53. Then 54/55.1.

[leegreen]

Carboard one I have is 2 piece. 1952. It came rolled up in a box so it was flat in the sense that there are no compound curves molded into it. It came from our local truck & tool place, I did not keep the box or receipt but I think it is made by Counterpart. I was happy with quality until it started bulging and sagging.

It has flattened out a bit, but I suspect will never be flat again. And based on the lack of dimensional stability with humidity changes I suspect it will start to look crappy in a few months. I'll try to grab a picture in a couple hours.

[leegreen]

capturing the waviness seems beyond my cell phone photography skill level. You might have to take my word for it that you can both see and feel it





I'm willing to accept that my capturing the front edge with screws to overhead console may exasperate the issue, but the rear edge with factory screws is just as wavy.

If it stabilizes the way it is now I'll probably live with good enough. But I'm also looking at what plastic sheeting is available and considering laying up some 'glass. Maybe find a discarded patio door to make some fiberglass sheets on. And stick down a wood veneer before the resin kicks off, hmm.

At least I know these can be cut from flat sheets now and I have some for templates. Too bad I don't have a really big scanner, could get something cut on a waterjet.

my suggestion for anyone about to install one of these carboard sets is to spray-paint the back and edges to seal it up a bit.

[leegreen]

After a few hot days it has flattened out again. Time will tell