I have a "better" headliner someone gave me out of another 1965 truck so I am putting in a used headliner. The job looks really simple. I guess I was just wondering if there was any particular pitfalls to watch out for. Also there are little metal clips that seem to hold the thing in place so I guess there is an order of installation as far as the various sections locking together properly.

I lucked out I think with the virtually flawless headliner for $10. I did not remove it which is why I dont know how it goes back together. Its so simple looking I know I could figure it out but I may save some time with the help of this great pool of knowledge.

I am also wondering about using white vinyl spray paint on the thing. I'm sure the years have dulled the existing color but I am scared of ruining a nice original piece with a cheap looking repair attempt.

Thanks all!!

 

there are metal clips that hold the front of the liner to the edge by the winshield. one screw in the center and a chrome strip aboue each door to hold the sides. the back is held up with the angled piece that goes on after. i have never painted them but i have covered 4 of the with upholstry that i purched from a upholtry shop. kinda a fuzzy lookin stuff. used spray glue adheasive to hold it to the liner and have had very good luck doing this, it also makes a plain looking headliner have a little class. keep in mind that the heavier fabric you use(if you do it this way) you may have to build larger clips to attach the back piece to the headliner because there is not a whole lot of room where it attaches. i also installed 4 - 4in. speakers in the angled back piece before i put it together. just a thought.

 

Thanks! I couldnt believe that nobody was going to lend a hand with this. So last night and this afternoon I went on and did it. First, thank God that my old warped unit had the front and back metal clips because the headliner I bought had none. I am missing a clip in the back but it still looks pretty secure for what (little) it is. To me the setup by design is pretty flimsey, but for a good reason. Back then a truck was a tool, to be well used under all conditions. The emphasis was on producing a good, reliable, durable, product with simple but functional extras that can be cheaply and easily repaired or replaced. Too bad manufacturers have turned full circle from this. No matter the product.

Well those easily replaced trim items like a headliner or a rubber molded floor covering are not so cheap anymore. This $10 job could have cost me $150 easily. Even if I spent the $150 it would be cheaper than doing a similar repair on some late model, plush, beauty queen.

My floor covering is the nice original stuff and I know it will never come out intact when I do floorboard repair. I hate it because what is there looks great. It is black with red specks in the texture and I fear a replacement of similar guality or OEM will cost a fortune. Gotta fix that rust though.

Back to the topic I really ran into no bad snags. The side aluminum screw holes were covered up. After some ignorant frustration I got out the drill. No problem. There were a couple of places splitting near the clips. An office stapler fixed that in a jiffy. I think I can hide the repairs with Liquid Paper. These clips seem to be the weak point of the whole thing. They kind of dig at the fairly fragile paper. Finally, I have heard of people lining the roof with insulation for sound deadening. There is a good thread here on that. I chose not to do this. The original design uses the air gap as thermal insulation and I feared that adding something may somehow retain moisture and warp the headliner. I don't get much noise from my roof anyhow, unless its raining.

 

Sorry Greg for not chiming in. I feel sometimes I post too much here and want to get more guys involved. I read every post here, and if it doesn't get answered I don't reread them on my next visit. It usually takes me a good two hours to get through the forums that I do read everyday.

Glad that you got it in ok.

John

 

Greg
I added a couple of additional screws in the top center of mine to support it a bit better. I found stainless steel screws with the nice fancy washer at my local hardware store that matche perfect. One screw over the driver and one over the passenger evenly spaced. It looks great as my headliner was starting to fall in these areas.
I do plan to insulate mine because here in California the summer sun beating on the roof turns these cabs into an small oven. I also noticed the same thing as you did with the clips digging into the paper. I moved mine about 1 inch to grab fresh paper.

Sorry for the late response haven't visited here in a couple of days.

jd

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. The extra screw trick is a good upgrade. I had one extra screw in my old one to keep it off of my head. It worked really well. I wish I knew where the hole I drilled was. Can't tell with the new headliner. I probably could have measured but to be honest, I forgot. My new stuff hangs pretty good as is so I think I will not drill for now.

As far as those retaining clips go it would be nice if there was some kind of upgrade for that. Ultimately it would look a lot better if the front was screwed in with maybe a nice piece of brightwork like found around the doors on Custom Cabs. I dont know what to say about the back clips but nothing digging into cardboard can be good. I had to manipulate the position of mine like jd_sylvia to get a better bite on good board. The design is just BAD but it sure went into a great truck!

By the way if anyone wants to add the two extra screws be careful when drilling. You don't want to go through the roof! There is a cross brace that runs the width of the roof. There is about 1/4" of a gap between the raised member and the outer sheetmetal. When you drill be sure to not be pushing too hard when you get through the crossmember or you may go through the roof. Last you can get screws similar to the OEM screws at parts stores. They are called upholstery screws.

 

Greg
I used a drill stop when I drilled mine. Good call I forgot to mention that it was real close..

I also like your idea of a molding I might have to see if I can fabricate one out of some old moldings from a junk yard.

jd

 

Speaking of going through the roof. My old 67 Ranger had a serious set of running lights on the roof. Very cool..But whoever installed it used about 2" too much length on the sheet metal screws and they were pointing like daggers inside the cab!! I used a hacksaw to knock em down but I always wondered what they were drinking when that project was going on.

 

just to add a late post reponse; I insulated above my headliner liner with 3 in 1 insluation; I cut out three section's two along the roof on each side of the middle support beam and one long piece along the back strip across the smaller section on the headliner. I initially did this two years ago prior to doing a complete resto and even after those two years baking and freez'in weather seem not to cause any problem with a moisture trap or rust. I recently painted the (exterior) roof cap Raven black, so I'll see if it really makes a difference.

Just add to everyone's reply.

Mitch

 

I don't want to go back with the original cardboard liner in my 64. I've been keeping my eyes open when looking through several parts catalogs and found what I was looking for. Contour has an ABS plastic liner that should be more durable and as a previous post stated you can spray adhesive and add the fabric that matches your interior.

 

I was planning to mount speakers there too. Good to hear someone else had done it. Better than cutting the doors. I mounted the aftermarket stereo in the glove box too - perfect fit.