ABS Headliners
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 954
Likes: 2
From: 15 miles west of Venus
ABS Headliners
Re installing Rod Doors headliner. Yes it was difficult and frustrating. The center part is relatively easy to get in but the difficulty is in getting the side parts in. The problem lies in the fact that the center part is a flat sheet of ABS and you bow it to a curve. The shape of the outer edges of the center does not really match the end pieces. The end pieces are vacuum molded to fit the countour of the side of the cab.
You end up sliding the the side parts forward and in to make them fit. (toungue and groove) At this point, the center is still flat against the roof and the side part is trying to bend it to its new contour at its maximum stress point. As I mentioned above, the center and edge pieces are not lapping in to each other on parallel lines.
I am not really explaining this too well.
Imagine putting a straight tongue and groove on a curve. This causes a wedge effect that induces the popping out problem. I cannot tell you how many times it was almost there, only to pop out. The first set of sides I got had very narrow grooves on them. This made it pretty near impossible to make them slide. They also were mis-shapen. I figured that out after trying to install the sides with no center. After shipping them back, Rod Doors said they had never seen them so mis-shapen before. -Just my luck-
I must say the head guy, I forget his name, was very patient with me and they do stand behind their products.
I probably spent 40+ hrs over several weeks trying to install it the first time, without getting it in. Temp was in the 30's and 40's. It worked much easier when I finally got correctly shaped headliner side pieces. After all that and lubing it with Crisco, it went in in 1 day. It was spring by now. I think I might be able to do the next time in 1/2 day.
FWIW, I glued the side pieces into the rear panel cover and do not even have a fabric seam there. One of the -big- difficulties is trying to slide the pieces when they have fabric on them. I wonder if the same might work on the headliner. If you could install the thing, glue it up, pull it out and then cover it, I think it would be alot easier. It might be worth asking them.
As for the fiberglass ones. I bought a single piece one at Pigoenberg in the mid 90's. Hauled it ~915 miles home. Then we moved about 45 miles. Layed heavy stuff on top of it. Last I saw it, it flew out of the trailer and was being crushed by cars in the middle of I35W.
D'oh!
You end up sliding the the side parts forward and in to make them fit. (toungue and groove) At this point, the center is still flat against the roof and the side part is trying to bend it to its new contour at its maximum stress point. As I mentioned above, the center and edge pieces are not lapping in to each other on parallel lines.
I am not really explaining this too well.
Imagine putting a straight tongue and groove on a curve. This causes a wedge effect that induces the popping out problem. I cannot tell you how many times it was almost there, only to pop out. The first set of sides I got had very narrow grooves on them. This made it pretty near impossible to make them slide. They also were mis-shapen. I figured that out after trying to install the sides with no center. After shipping them back, Rod Doors said they had never seen them so mis-shapen before. -Just my luck-
I must say the head guy, I forget his name, was very patient with me and they do stand behind their products.
I probably spent 40+ hrs over several weeks trying to install it the first time, without getting it in. Temp was in the 30's and 40's. It worked much easier when I finally got correctly shaped headliner side pieces. After all that and lubing it with Crisco, it went in in 1 day. It was spring by now. I think I might be able to do the next time in 1/2 day.
FWIW, I glued the side pieces into the rear panel cover and do not even have a fabric seam there. One of the -big- difficulties is trying to slide the pieces when they have fabric on them. I wonder if the same might work on the headliner. If you could install the thing, glue it up, pull it out and then cover it, I think it would be alot easier. It might be worth asking them.
As for the fiberglass ones. I bought a single piece one at Pigoenberg in the mid 90's. Hauled it ~915 miles home. Then we moved about 45 miles. Layed heavy stuff on top of it. Last I saw it, it flew out of the trailer and was being crushed by cars in the middle of I35W.
D'oh!
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 288
Likes: 0
From: Agua Dulce, So. Calif.
ABS Headliners
Roddoors does have a interactive news group at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/RodDoors/
they seem to be helpful I have not got to that stage of my project yet but am intrested in the direction to go Thanks Ed ke6bnl. So.Calif.
they seem to be helpful I have not got to that stage of my project yet but am intrested in the direction to go Thanks Ed ke6bnl. So.Calif.
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