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Hello all,
I have been off the board for awhile doing color sanding, carpet and mostly waiting for the summer heat to go away. Now the winter cold has set in. It was only about 56 Deg. here in SW Florida today. Ya just can't win.
Anyway, does any one have a suggestion for headliners? I have looked at a few in the internet but I see only a couple. I am not sure a cardboard headliner would last too long or look very good, so what other choices are there?
What headliners have you guys been using?
Thanks for any info you may have.
Bob
I agree - rod doors has an excellent product and is fairly easy to install. They roll up the headliner and tell you to open the box and put it out in the sun to allow it to relax. You can paint it or cover it with vynal or cloth.
Hello all,
I have been off the board for awhile doing color sanding, carpet and mostly waiting for the summer heat to go away. Now the winter cold has set in. It was only about 56 Deg. here in SW Florida today. Ya just can't win.
Bob
Good to see you back, Bob. I had to laugh, though, about your dismay of winter, given the Arctic Blast most of the country is in currently. As I write this, it's 10F with a -5 chill factor and sideways blowing snow. I dream of 56 degrees. It's not expected to be above freezing here for at least another week.
I agree - rod doors has an excellent product and is fairly easy to install. They roll up the headliner and tell you to open the box and put it out in the sun to allow it to relax. You can paint it or cover it with vynal or cloth.
Highly recommend them.
I'm interested in the RodDoors headliner, but I wonder how difficult it is to fit vinyl covering into the rear corner double curve, especially in the 48-52 as it looks deeper than the 53+. Does anyone have personal experience with that?
Thanks 52 Merc......We left Michigan 22 years ago for just that cold cold reason. My blood is pretty thin now so anything below 72 is way too cold. We are glad the brutal heat of last summer is gone for now though.
What is used to cover the plastic? I assume it is just glued on. What kind of glue is used?
Is the plastic nice enough if you don't want to cover it? Is there any trimming needed to get it to fit?
They're ABS plastic with a pebble grain-like texture. You can leave them plain, paint them or cover them. My personal feeling is they look unfinished if left plain and need painted or covered to look right. It's all personal preference. Fabric/vinyl is installed with a good quality contact cement made for upholstery. Reviews I've read say they do require minor trimming to fit each cab individually.
I, of course, used the grey stock style cardboard headliner. I say stock style because it is not as nice as original cardboard headliner. The original had a pebble brain look to it. The reproduction is simply smooth cardboard.
Anyhow, I put the cardboard headliner in back in 1999. It is fine even in humid central PA but my truck sits in our garage and I don't drive my truck in the rain, except at Truckstock.
The Rod Doors headliner for my 51 f1, did need some triming. I used tin snips to cut the plastic and a dremil tool to clean up the edges.
Like all our Korean War era trucks, nothing is the same from front to back or side to side. My headliner had to be installed and removed 4 or 5 times times get it trimmed to fit. Goes in and out quite easily. I painted it with SEM Color bond paint. Haven't put it back in yet or I would send another photo.
At Rod Doors. is the correct headliner for a 54 F-100 the Ford McMahon Truck Headliner 1953-1955? The Ford Truck Shaffer looks to be just for the 56 F-100.
I have seen lots of headliner material out there but is any one any better or does the thickness matter as far as installation goes? Has anyone used the 3M spray
mastic. It all looks pretty easy to install.
Another vote for Rod. Here's my 51:
ABS Headliner, covered in vinyl, at back. ABS Headliner, covered in vinyl, at front.
I used a bowling ball to stretch the vinyl into the corners. I laid the vinyl over a milk crate, heated it with a heat gun (carefully!) The placed the bowling ball into it to stretch. Took a few trial fits but I am happy with the end result.
I bought headliner vinyl and brush applied contact cement to both surfaces. I can look up the supplier if anyone wants.
That turned out great! I don't see any screws, what did you use to retain the edges? What do you have going around the rear window? I'd love to know where you got your material. I have thoughts of trying to recreate the deluxe cab headliner with perforated material in the center and solid on the edges, above the doors.
