Headliner Installation - A Wild Headliner For Your 'Glass Pickup

Here's the finished header panel that would go over each door. The headliner would be attached to the tack strip, the wind lace to the inside curve. A panel almost identical to this one would be covered in the same material as the interior, covering the entire area to provide a seamless transition from headliner to door panel.

To ensure the shape of the bottom of the headliner flows with the rear quarter of the roof, Lance made a lower panel for the headliner to attach to. This is where the headliner would meet the rear quarter-panels on each side and the carpet at the rear.

The other area to address is around the rear window. The same approach used for the header panels over the doors was used here. Wooden blocks were trimmed to fit and then glued into position.

Since the panel around the rear window would be one piece, completely surrounding the window, the blocks must be symmetrical from one side to the other. This keeps the panel perfectly flat and prevents any twisting and cracking.

A cardboard template was made around the window opening and traced onto the same 1/8-inch Baltic Birch Lance used over the doors. From there, it was cut out on the band saw and sanded smooth.

This time, instead of screwing the panel to the wooden blocks, staples were used to ensure they did not puncture the outer surface of the body.

With everything in place, the rear portion was just about ready for upholstery.

The last panel made was the header panel over the windshield. This was done the exact same way as the previous two panels, with the exception of being glued to the wooden blocks instead of screwed or stapled. This is due to the proximity between the panel and the roof.

Once the headliner had attachment points at the front, rear, and sides, it was time to work on the bows. These prevent the headliner from sagging in the middle and keep everything nice and tight.

The location of the two rear bows is dictated by the rear roofline. A keen eye can determine where to locate these two. In our case, the bottom corner of the headliner provided the starting point, with the bow curving right over the rear window.

The next two bows were marked out in similar fashion, using a simple flexible ruler and a piece of chalk.

The three front bows require a little more forethought to keep them fairly even in width. Lance measured the distance from the header panel to the fourth bow and determined the layout of the remaining three.

When each bow was plotted out and marked on the roof, this is what we were left with. Notice how they all look relative in size and shape--this is the time to decide if things look right or not.

The actual bows were made out of 1/2-inch Baltic Birch, but needed to be cut from a template first...

...Lance started by cutting 1-inch-wide strips of cardboard and applying glue to one side.

He then cut the long strips into many short strips.

Starting from the center of the rear bow, Lance worked his way outward, gluing each piece to the last. This allowed him to follow the curvature of the roof closely without bending anything, keeping the template true to form.

When he reached a tight curve, he simply cut a piece of cardboard to fit and traced from one side to the other.

Here's how the first half of the rear pattern looks in place.

The rest of the bows received the same treatment, going from the center out, until they all ran the width of the roof.

Once all the patterns were carefully removed from the body...

...they were placed on a piece of 1/2-inch Baltic Birch, traced, and cut out on the band saw.

These are the bows once they're cut, trimmed to fit, and sanded smooth. Any nick or gouge in any of the wood found in the car can easily tear the delicate headliner material, so care must go into deburring all wood pieces.

Since gluing the bows or attaching them to preglued wooden blocks could warp the roof, Lance used RTV Silicone to attach the bows to the roof. The foam blocks keep the bows from collapsing during the silicone's rather lengthy setup time.

A healthy amount of silicone and about 24 hours later, and our bows are nice and dry. With everything in place and securely fastened, it's time to get stitchin'. Follow along in a future issue when we cut the material and start sewing up our headliner.