‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

Friends,
Searched with no luck for an answer.
After 40 years, I have ordered upholstery for my ‘55 Crown Victoria. Car was purchased stripped with everything in boxes. PO had marked headliner bows positions with masking tape tags. 20 years ago car was painted and running and ready for upholstery. A fire in the garage stopped any progress.
Life got in the way for 2 decades, but now I am retired and the car is ready for upholstery again.
Now for my question.
All the tags on the headliner bows were destroyed by the fire.
Does anyone have notes as to which length goes in what order or have their bows out and would be willing to measure and share that info with me? Or a picture with positions/ measurements.
Thanks a bunch.
Jerry

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

If you can't get measurements, do this:
Layout the bows on the floor and place the shortest and shallowest bows first and place the longest, deepest bows last.
The shortest go toward the front, then a special one with the dome-light mounting bracket goes in and the remainder of bows get progressively longer/deeper as you go toward the back.
Glue a new roofing felt pad to the underside of the top if need be (if the old one is gone or damaged). Then start putting the bows in (as a test) front first and moving toward the back in the order you laid them out shortest-to-longest.
If they all fit well and the tops of the bows come close to the roofing felt, you have succeeded. Take the bows out, tag each one and install in your new headliner.
If I remember correctly, I got large pads of one inch thick fiberglass insulation and glued them to the roofing felt all across the underside of the top prior to installing my headliner.

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

They had paint markings on them. The bows for my car, the paint is long gone and it was really only a dot at one end from what I have read.

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

All the bows I've seen from this era were bare metal and if there was a white paint marking visible on the end, you could make out what it said as it had become corroded so badly. When I redid my '55 sedan and my '55 Courier bows, I cleaned them using a wire wheel in a grinder motor. After cleaning them down to bare metal, I brushed on acid etch to help prevent the formation of new rust.
And they slide into the headliner loops a lot easier when they are clean and coated.

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

BTW, if you decide to paint the headliner bows, be sure to scratch off paint at both ends of the bow with the dome-light bracket so it will achieve a good body ground connection with the roof structure.
Or, you can run a separate green insulated ground wire and attach it to the dome-light bracket with small screw and star-washer.

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

Take care when putting the bow in for the interior light otherwise the off-on switch will
be on the front side..

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

You might find it in this: https://www.themotorbookstore.com/19...oaAhPEEALw_wcB

Re: ‘55 Crown Vic bow lengths/positions???
 

No measurements, but the 1955 Ford Body, Trim & Sealant Assembly Manual had these diagrams and color codes.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...7&d=1616587167
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...5&d=1616587167
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...6&d=1616587167