TF Headliner

[LDO]

I'm planning on replacing the headliner in my 57 TF. The previous owner just had a piece of carpet held up with some 3m spray so I am purchasing the original type headliner and rubber seal from Classic parts.

Can someone tell me how this is installed/held in place. Is the original piece also glued on there or does the seal actually hold it in place?

I was thinking of having the headliner covered in the same tweed material as my seat.

Thanks for the advice.

[oldcouple]

As I recall the chunk of vinyl is glued to the roof, the trim seals the edges.
With a little work you can make a luan filler piece and upholster it, just leave room around the edges. It will hold just fine, mine as been in there nearly 20 years. Just use contact cement to be sure all surfaces are covered so you get no sag. You may need to replace the trim as it might be too brittle to reuse, try soaking it in hot soapy water to bring it back to life.

[LDO]

Oldcouple,
that sure looks nice!!
Is the 2nd picture how it looked before you customized it (first picture).

If so, would like to know how you got the raised bowtie design like that. I would like to buy the material myself and recover the stock pieceI am ordering.

Also,
where did you purchase the parts from? Reason I ask is because the seal doesn't look like the one in the classic parts catalog.

My old seal (trim) is 'dead'.

[oldcouple]

I think the original is still under there. The trim is the original for the 56. Lots of folks laugh at the bowtie, but it is my truck and I like it.

Just cut it out of a second layer of soft foam, center it, spray glue one side at a time, when you put your fabric on, tweed is forgiving, fold it in half one side at a time and work it into the edges. I think I used the handle of a plastic window scraper. You could also do a reverse, inset design, I have seen flames, ribs, tuck and rool, you name it, I just wanted the extra padding, because I have bumped my head on that roof too many time. Slow and steady, if glue is still moist works best. Hot day it will dry as you go.

[LDO]

thanks!
And by the way, I'm a fan of the bowtie!!

[LDO]

By the way, it looks like you came in a little from the edge of your board with the foam?
Did you cut the board big enough to fit inside the metal lip?

I tried to glue the plastic headliner to the metal roof and that lasted about five minutes before it all came down.

I am thinking liquid nails for holding the luan board up there next time. The plastic piece is crap, going to try and do my own thing with board foam and some left over material from my seat.
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[oldcouple]

Well its been twenty years, so as I remember, the luan was cut to fit just inside the metal lip, I think I made a pattern, but I may have used the old liner that was hanging down in places. The first layer of quarter inch foam was cut back about and inch and half, then the bowtie piece and then the fabric. Pretty sure only the rubber is holding it in place. Sorry my memory is not better about it.

[OKGMC4]

I made mine from scratch. It's held in with steel bars with nut inserts so it won't come down. It's a thin board cut to cover the lip, with foam glued to it, then headliner material glued to that. You could use any material. You could sculpt the bowtie in the 1/4" closed cell foam. Just an idea to work with.

[LDO]

Thanks for all the advice. The wife took me out to JoAnns and I picked up some foam and material. I'll have about 50 bux invested by the time I'm done with it if it works out. Old Couple, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to try and duplicate your design and see how it goes.

Wish me luck fellas!

[oldcouple]

Best compliment is to be copied,by the way I rebuilt the stock sun visors as well with the same fabric, and added the extension to fill the area above the mirror where the sun always came in.

[DransportGarage]

If someone laughs at that bowtie they must be a Ford lover. I think it looks great!

[4DSEVEN]

Originally Posted by DransportGarage

If someone laughs at that bowtie they must be a Ford lover. I think it looks great!

X2 Bowtie looks awesome!

[ET56]

This is why I joined this Forum. Great info and help. Its always better when you can do it yourself. Bowties are always good.

[_Ogre]

ldo:
i glued 1/8'' foam and material that matched my seats to the roof
easy peasy

[Old Crow]

Hi guys, hate to dredge up a 6 month old thread on my first post, but I think it applies.
I own a small restoration shop in Arkansas and at the moment we're doing(among other things)a '58 3100.
Owner wants the stock appearing headliner as in oldcouple's second picture. I've got the board and the rubber, but I can't figure out how it goes together.
I tried to put the groove in the rubber around the opening in the roof, but there isn't enough room between the inner and outer roof panels to push the hollow tube part of the rubber between them. I'm wondering if somewhere along the line the roof got pushed down, kinda closing the gap between the inner and outer roof panels or maybe I got the wrong rubber(came open in a box with the headliner panel when the owner brought us the truck).
Oldcouple(or anyone else), would you have a pic of that stock headliner either half way in or half way out so I could see how the rubber is supposed to go?
BTW, I'm another fan of the bow tie headliner, OC.

Thanks guys, be gentle with me.

[_Ogre]

i couldn't get a new rubber in the space either. i knew that the roof had been pushed down at one time. plus i had 1/8'' foam and material to match my seats glued on the roof that was thicker than the stock headliner. i ended up using black door edge molding, looks fine.

a little soapy water might help to get the rubber in, if it won't hurt the headliner. i couldn't try this on mine.

[oldcouple]

No other pictures, that was nearly 20 years ago, but it did go right on after cleaning the crud off it, used dawn dish wash and lots of hot water, sat in a bucket in Vegas at the time so it was plenty hot. There is a curved side and flat side as I recall, flat goes up. My roof had pretty big dent in it, but the edges were still open, plastic Ice scraper helps.

[oldcouple]

Went out and pried the end loose and took some photos of the rubber at the end, hope it helps.

[Old Crow]

Thanks for that OC, gave me just what I needed. I think I may glue the headliner piece up in there with several dabs of urethane and let it cure over night before I put the rubber on. Looks like it'll go on with the abs piece already in place.
That'll give me a chance to go by Wally World and pick up another bottle of dish soap, just noticed mine's gettin' kinda low.

You guys are a lot nicer than those blue oval guys. I almost got banned over there for calling my '61 F-100 a step side instead of a "flare side" . Tried to tell the guy that that flat piece between the back fender and the cab sure looked like a step to me.

[OrrieG]

Yes, we are. If you want I real working over go to the HAMB board and start posting about your billet or ratrod rig. I am a member over there but have not gotten brave enough to post my truck. I have posted my Chevelle.

[Old Crow]

I'm a member over there too, but I havn't posted much. Their cutoff is like '65 and most of the cars I've got in the shop range from '66-'75 except for this truck. I did get me an Old Crow Racing shirt from the guy with the belly tanker, though.

I may be driving Jeeps and old Fords now, but I bled bow tie blue for the General for 23 years as a dealership mechanic and I've had 2 '54 Chev p/ups, a '52 GMC p/up, a '61 GMC Carryall, and an '84 S-10 4x4. Overall I just feel more comfortable with Chevy guys.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by oldcouple

As I recall the chunk of vinyl is glued to the roof, the trim seals the edges.
With a little work you can make a luan filler piece and upholster it, just leave room around the edges. It will hold just fine, mine as been in there nearly 20 years. Just use contact cement to be sure all surfaces are covered so you get no sag. You may need to replace the trim as it might be too brittle to reuse, try soaking it in hot soapy water to bring it back to life.

No offense, but I dig how the original headliner looks in post #2 above. In that good of condition; nicely treated with some kind of dressing, I'd have left it as it was. Looked great.

[oldcouple]

My original had a big hole in it from the military antenna, that and it was burned from where some guy tried to weld a patch to fill it, and warped it as well. But mostly I wanted to add some pad to it and a little custom.