Good news!!! Three months after starting the installation the headliner is finished! Larry came over Friday and installed the b-pillar cardboard and glued and stapled the headliner down. He installed the dome lights too. It took him about 3 hours so as far as I can tell he's spent about 22 hours the past 14 months on my car including my estimate of the time he's spending on it outside my shop.
We had some discussions about him getting things done so I can get things done and keep the project moving, and what needs to be done next. He admitted that the carpet shouldn't go in yet and he was just trying to get something done for me. He's said he's working on trying to get the dash sewn up to install it when I get back from Montana in about 3 weeks. I need him to get a stitch sample for me to approve with larger thread before the top-stitching is done by Ron.
I installed all the interior pieces that I have finished so far and we talked about some details I need to do to get ready for putting foam on the rear seats. He didn't like the gaps in a couple of places so I have to work on them, and we have to shape the front of the seat bottom and top of the seat back before he installs the foam. Then Ron can cover both the front and rear seats and we can focus on the rest.
I've been working on tying up loose ends so I spent the past couple of days machining some bushings for the seat belt bolts and clearancing the rear armrests and side panels since I installed the sound deadener on the wheel tubs. I checked to make sure the dome lights worked and installed the lenses which for some reason were a pain in the ass. They were original bezels and NOS GM lenses so I don't know why I had to modify them a little to get them in. I'm also installing the upper chrome interior moldings permanently, and the lower ones temporarily to make sure they fit. They will still need paint later. I'm running into some issues with the passenger side where I shimmed up the slider window channel to match the outside stainless....now it's too high for the interior trim so I have to figure out what to do about that.
I need to get Larry over again soon to discuss some details like foam thicknesses on side panels, console, and armrests and the design of the cargo area.
I hope he follows through and gets this dash pad in soon. It will enable me to do a whole bunch more work.
I found this car and I really like the interior, aside from the lights. It even has the same Cadillac seats I have. I think the dash stitching is a little too big for my taste which is why I want a sample to look at.