finally got the headliner from Car's

[ilike55s]

Well, the headliner from Car's finally showed up Fri. I had been looking and bugging a lot of people on different forums trying to get some info on headliner installation for a Hardtop, but there is just not one to be found that explains how to locate the headliner to the stainless bows or vice versa. Everything I found was for a sedan.
So, I am goin to " seat of the pants" this one. The problem is that when the contractor sandblasted the interior, he sandblasted all of the old tack strip away and there went the screw hole locations that would have located the stainless bows for me.
Does anybody, by chance, have the inner roof reveal moldings removed on their Hardtop and want to share some info??????? Many thanks for any help.

[56-210Sedan]

Ilike55's have you tried looking at you tube? sometimes you can get tutorials there, now warning not everything you see there is the correct way so be careful.

[smooth 56]

I am building a 55 hard top will try to get you some pic's. I think every thing is still there haven't had it sand blasted yet.

[ilike55s]

Hey 56-210Sedan, yeah, I checked out youtube already and there is one done on a 55 Hardtop but the video starts AFTER the stainless bows had already been installed and both ends of headliner just hanging off them. Can't figure why they did a tutorial that way, but,,? If you have the existing tack strip, you are pretty much home free as far as locating the stainless bows first. I'm trying to decide whether to install the three wire bows, first, then position the stainless bows. That should work, huh? Can't figure why the two rear wire bows on my car have metal tabs on body that keep them straight up and down,,, but the front most wire bow does not. It just kinda flops forwards and back.

Hey Smooth56, does your front wire bow have those tabs? I looked real close and does not appear to have been any tabs there. I'm thinking of building some and tack weld some in there,,,?? I read on several write ups for sedans, that all the wire bows have these tabs. Don't know why this car does not have em on front bow. Thanks for your help. Joe r

[NickP]

Tabs?

[jim '57]

The 55 headliners have cardboard tabs sewn in for the chrome bows. These are on the underside, can be seen inside the car, they attach to the bows.
Jim

[ilike55s]

" TABS?" maybe tabs was not a good choice of words, let me try again. At the 4 locations on the inside of roof where the two rear wire bows attach, there are some metal tabs, (pieces of body metal), that are kinda pointed and triangular shaped. They are located on each side of the holes where the ends of the wire bows are inserted and keep the wire bows in a straight up position.
Whew,,!!! clear as mud? I'm sure there is a word that accurately describes these dang chingaderas but the word just slips by me.
Anyway I'm curious why the front wire bow doesn't use these,,,,,,,,",tabs",,,? sorry Nick, not poking fun at you. Got to go find my thesaurus. I'm wondering if the front wire bow is supposed to be able to "move" slightly in order to take out any slack in material when stapleing at front tack strip?????
Jim 57, I took the headliner out of the box and laid her out. I see the three cardboard "tabs" where the 3 stainless bows go. I had no idea the stainless bows were attached this way. And here I always thought the stainless bows were there strictly for looks.
I'm goin to give her a go soon as I hear from Smooth56 on his hardtop.

[smooth 56]

I got you some pic's but after reading you'r last 2 post I understand what you are looking for now. So the pic's that I took wont help you. When I get home from work I will take some more for you and post them up soon as I can. Sorry for the delay.

[ilike55s]

Hey Smooth56,,, what I'm actually looking for is a dimension from a specific point on the A pillar to the screws that hold the stainless bows on the tack strips. That will locate the stainless bows.
After giving this much thought,,,I think this would work;
1. Install the headliner on the two rear wire bows. (since they have the "tabs" that anchor the bows in the straight up position)
2. Pull headliner (back) and Shoot enough staples into tack strip to leave headliner snug.
3. slide rearmost stainless bow onto cardboard "tabs" on headliner, pull headliner forward to "snug" and install 4 metal screws to anchor stainless bow into tack strip.
4. Do same for next two stainless bows.
5. Slide front wire bow into headliner listing and install into it's hole in car.
6. Pull headliner forward to "snug" and shoot staples into tack strip.
7. Starting at center of headliner, work on both sides to pull, snug and staple headliner to side tack strips.
This ought to work,,huh?
Any upholsterers out there?

[smooth 56]

Ok I will get you some close up's of that area. Man I wish that I could help you out with the idea you have it sound's good. I have allway's done it the easy way lol take it to some one. This time I had no intention of using the bow's am going to have him put it on a board just like what they can do if done that way. The car in my avatar is done like that and look's awesome.

[chevynut]

Nomads have a cardboard strip sewn to the headliner for the bows to attach to. Sounds like your headliner is supposed to have them too.

[jim '57]

ilike55s you should watch this vid before attempting your headliner. I did not do mine the way you suggested I followed the video best I could. It is for a sedan so I adjusted the technique some on my HT.
http://ciadellainteriors.blogspot.com/2011/10/ciadella-headliner.html
Jim

[smooth 56]

Here are some pic's for you hope they help. This is the way I got the car.
2387
2388
2389
2390
2391
2392
Hope this help's it look's like there mite to be some sort of keeper for each bow by the screw holes in the tack strip.

[ilike55s]

Hey Nick,,,Pics number 4 of 6 and 5 of 6 show the little "metal tabs" on the body the keep the wire bows in a straight up position. Those "tabs" are only on the two rearmost wire bows, same as my hardtop. Don't have an idea why the front wire bow doesn't have the tabs,,,,,?
Thanks for the pics Smooth56.
Hey Jim 57,, checked out the Ciadella video and well presented. the sedan IS very different from the hardtops in that the sedans have the wire bows all the way across and looks like they all have these tabs.
Goin to give her a go today,,,

[ilike55s]

A bit of an update on the headliner project.....
I have not had time lately to work on the car due to wife's health issues, but did manage to do some "getting ready time" . I was back in the boat shed looking at how the rear view mirror attached to roof on the parts car. Just trying to make sure I didn't get the cart before the horse with the headliner installation. I cannot believe what I found on the parts car,,,,,my toolie-wak is the blackest on this one!!!!
I had spent sooooo much time looking, searching, BOTHERING people trying to get details on how and where exactly to place the three dang &*()*&^%$$^ stainless bows on the tack strip...!!
After making a sketch of the attachment bolt pattern for the rear view mirror,,I turn around and looked at the original tack strip on the sides and,,,,and,,,I am looking at the three sets of screws on each side that mount the stainless bows to the tack strip!! AND even better, after removing the screws, I see where the screws go all the way into the metal behind the tack strip!!! Talk about Minerva!! or holy shit or a few others like that. I was estatic, I could not believe what I was seeing.. I had been told the screws for stainless bows screwed into the TACK STRIP, so I assumed they did not go into the metal, and when the sandblast contractor blasted all the old tack strip out of there,, I thought I was SOL! I made a sketch of dimensions from the A pillar to each set of screws for both sides, and ran back to the car to transfer the dems. Since I had already installed new tack strip on the car, the screw holes were covered up! Using my sketch, I used a 3/16 drill bit and drilled thru the new tack strip to expose the screw holes,,,more eureka,, they are there!!!

Hey smooth56, can you look at the tack strip on your 55 to see if the holes are in the tack strip? I looked real close on the pics you had but could not see em... I'm gonna be taking pics as I go on the headliner and hope to do a little write up for the next guy starting from scratch.
Many thanks, Guys,,,I'm gonna tackle that sob soon,,,,