Ok guys for a while now I was looking for a way to have an overhead console for my stereo to get it out of my glove box and somewhere more practical without mounting it in the dash. After a couple failed attempts i found Broomfieldbum's post about a headliner he made out of FRP and the PDF of the headliner pattern. I still had my old headliner so I didnt use his pattern but i did use his FRP idea. So for anyone who wants to attempt this as well heres a rough step by step walk through.

Before we get started heres a list of what youll need to get going:

-Drill
-Drill bits
-Sanding drum that can be chucked into the drill
-Screwdriver
-Sharpie
-spring clamps
-painters tape
-scissors
-butcher paper (wrapping paper would probably work too)
-FRP fiber reinforced paneling
-heat gun
-jig saw
-dust mask or respirator very very important
-your favorite cold beverage
-music (be a good neighbor and turn it up for everybody to hear!!!!)



FRP is a good material for this as it is commonly available (Home Depot or Lowes), it can be bent and shaped using a heat gun, and its pretty cheap about $35 for a 4'x8' sheet. Also one side is textured and the other smooth so if you want a smooth surface you can put it one way, if you want something textured to paint over flip it over.

1. Ok first off we need some sort of pattern for this headliner. For this we have three options. If you have an old headliner you can use it to make the pattern. You could also use butcher paper and tape it to the roof and mark the pattern out that way. Or you can download the pattern Broomfieldbum posted a while back located here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...r-pattern.html

For this write-up I'm only going to cover the method I used where I copied the old headliner. So if you used the PDF pattern or make your own skip to step 5.

2. There wasn't much wrong with my old headliner, it has a few broken spots but it still works and looks good, I pursued this as a way to get an overhead console. So the first thing I did was lay out the old headliner on the floor on a large piece of butcher paper (36"x60" roughly). And simply traced the old headliner. If your headliner is still rigid and you want to be able to reinstall it for any reason later on I suggest pulling the paper up to match your contour as pushing down the headliner may crack it.



3. Once you have the outside traced simply cut out your pattern.



4. From there i laid the pattern over the back of the headliner and clamped it in place using spring clamps. This serves two purposes, first and foremost being that you can ensure the pattern is correct, second being you can mark the locations of the mounting holes from your old headliner. Be sure to mark the location of atleast the center mounting hole as you will need it to fit the headliner later. I copied over all the existing holes when I made mine.



5. When your pattern is cut out and the holes market simply lay it on top of your sheet of FRP and trace around the outside. I used the painters tape to hold it down as I was tracing it as it was windy when i did this.





6. Once your piece of FRP is ready to go find somewhere it can be supported as you cut it. I used a couple saw horses and a piece of plywood as a table and moved it around as need be to keep it supported. FRP is very flexible as a sheet so it will try to bend and move on you. I clamped around the edges of my table to keep the material from bouncing as I cut it. The jig saw will cut the sheet with no problem but be sure to use a dust mask as dont want to be breathing in the dust.

7. After you cut out your new headliner lay your pattern back on top and double check the size of the final product. Then transfer over and drill out atleast the position of the center screw so you have a way of holding up the headliner as you work with it. I recommend drilling out all of the mounting holes (mine had three per side plus one in the center and one in the middle front).

8. Now carefully move the headliner into your truck. It will help to have a second person help you from here on out as the sharp edges of the headliner will easily scratch your paint. Simply bow the edges down slightly and you should be able to hold up the headliner by putting in the center screw and have your helper hold some of the weight as to not break out the hole.

9. Using the heat gun heat one side of the headliner where it needs to bend and with a little bit of patience and muscle the headliner will start to bend and fit into the lip around your cab. Since I had drilled out the side holes once the first side fit I screwed it in place to be able to secure the second side. If for some reason it doesnt quite fit the sanding drum and drill should make for a pretty quick way to shape the edge.

10. Simply repeat the way you shaped the first side with the second. You may need to loosen the other side to get it to line up at first. Again if something is off slightly sand it down then secure it.

You should now have something that looks like this



11. Once the whole panel is in and secured go around the outside and mark any places that dont quite fit or where the outside can be trimmed down to make it look better. Then remove the headliner and use the sanding drum to fix these spots.

12. Reinstall the headliner and double check the edges if you dont like how they look still shave them down more.

13. Once you like how the headliner fits screw it down all the way and go over the bends with the heat gun while pressing them exactly in shape. I was able to get a slightly better fit this way. Also heat the sections behind the door and pull them in towards the center of the cab slightly so they sit alittle straighter.

Now you should have something like this



Thats it for the main piece. Next up will be adding the console and making the back piece.

UPDATE: Console is built and drying. Will be fiberglassed on in the morning. Stay tuned for updates.


Thats it for now. Working on my console as i post this so that will come tomorrow or the next day. Anything to add or questions just post below. Thanks for reading.

 

Nice Job Dave!

 

Thanks for this but the link does not seem to work. Can you publish it directly....

 

Unfortunately i dont have the PDF of the pattern he used. You would have to get ahold of Broomfieldbum directly.

 

Davewave649

Here is a couple links to get the files

https://www.yousendit.com/download/T...UnEyWGNLSk5Vag (Headliner)

https://www.yousendit.com/download/T...UnF0QTFEZU1UQw (Back pillars and Dome Panel)

http://www.yousendit.com/download/TE...UnFwaFNjZDhUQw (This is a zip file of both PDF's)


These will Stop working on Aug 19th, 2012. So if anyone needs them after that, please just email me.

 

Thank you very much!!

 

When broomfieldbum's links expire i found a way to permanently link them for download. someone just remind me

 

Part 2: Console

When I started this project the goal was to get an overhead console for my stereo so it would be more accessible than it was in the glove box. So now for how I glassed in the console.

Tools and parts needed:

-Sand paper (80 and fine grit)
-Brushes (I used 4 in the first 2 coats)
-Containers to mix your resin in
-Fiberglass cloth (I got mine at lowes)
-Resin and hardener(also at lowes)
-Dust mask
-Scissors
-rubber gloves
-Patience
-More music!!!

The console I used is a single DIN enclosure that was designed to be used under the dash of a vehicle. I picked it up from a local stereo shop for around $25 but these can be found online for $15 after shipping.

1. With the headliner installed in the truck I figured out roughly where I wanted to have the enclosure hang. When you do this make sure that the visors do not hit your box when moving down and that they can swing to the sides without interference.

2. Using double sided tape I secured the box where I wanted it to be and then marked the outline of it. Be sure to mark it just in case the double sided tape comes loose and the box falls off.



3. I removed the headliner from the truck, removed the box ( again be sure its marked) and sanded the area inside the marks and the area 3 inches outside the marks.

4. I re-secured the box back on the headliner using the marks and double sided tape. Now cut some fiberglass cloth into strips and make sure you have enough to cover the entire box, the face and the headliner out to the edges of your sanded sections.

5. Coat the entire box and area around it with a layer of resin and start laying down your strips covering them with resin as you go. When doing the face that has the opening for the stereo I let the fiberglass hang in to the opening slightly to make sure the face stays even.



6. Now I let the resin dry over night. In the morning I sanded the entire fiber glassed area with 80 grit sand paper to smooth out any high spots and find the low spots. Be sure to wear a dust mask as this is not something you should breath in.

7. I repeated step 5 and put another layer of fiberglass and resin over the box to help smooth things out and fix any areas that i wasnt happy with.


More to come this afternoon!!

 

Got the fiberglass all wrapped up today. Sanded it really well then put a coat of resin to smooth things out. Heres some pictures from the test fit. Next up will be a switch panel that will mount to the bottom of the stereo box

 

Now that the box is attached to the headliner, how does this area get attached to the roof? With the weight of the stereo, and driving on a bumpy road (Any road or highway in California) this will cause added weight on the headliner. How are you securing it? Is the roof reinforced in this area to attach screws to?

 

Gangstakr, I have thought about doing exactly what Dave is doing, and I really think that perhaps adding a screw on the center beam of the roof, and then maybe 2 along the front edge where it just has clips in a stock config would take all the bounce you could give it. The only thing that I would have done different is I would have cut a hole in the roof panel and then dropped the radio mount through the panel and let the tabs hold the weight on the top of the roof panel. If you wanted to go overkill with that idea you could mount 2 strips of Aluminum on the center brace in the cab roof and then mount the radio to them, and then just cover the whole thing with the FRP roof panel with a precision hole in it.

 

There is the one screw in the center of the headliner and another in the front center in between the box and the wind sheild along with 2 of the clips moved closer together and it doesn't move at all.

Broomfield, I thought about doing that but I was concerned about how thin the paneling would be in front of the box. So after I glassed it in I cut a hole in the headliner above the box so I can get the retaining parts and wires in and out

 

Hello davewave649,
I am looking for a headliner pdf pattern for a 1961 unibody I’m not sure if you still have them saved but if you do could you repost ? I saw this from a post a long time ago. I can’t believe it’s this hard to find a damn pattern but I’m old and not real good on a computer. Thank you in advance if you can help.
Jimmy824

 

I have a pattern for a 1964-66. I can send it to you and you can see if you can modify it. Other than the panoramic back Windows, I don' t know how different the Headliners would be. Send me an email to randy.stutz@stutzfamily.net, and I will send you the 64-66 pattern. All you will need to do is print it on a 36" plotter and cut it out. I did some reaserch, and unless you have the wrap around window this pattern should work. The rear windows claim to be the same on several sites.

 

does the pattern have all dimensions on it too? Or is it strictly a pattern. I am interested as well!