Headliner

[miniceptor86]

I drove my ‘39 Tudor into the shop with intentions of replacing the saggy baggy headliner. Two weeks later I haven’t touched the headliner. I’ve carpeted the trunk including making cards for the wheel well area using Vetter CAD. I’ve torn into the dash to get the vertices chrome pieces from the side of the speaker louvers, most anything but the headliner. I’m having my usual hard time making decisions. The biggy is the material. Foam backed flat knit which is what’s saggy baggy or upgrade to a brushed cotton fabric? So any advice to help me out of this decision making rut would be appreciated. Not doing a correct restoration just a driver, mild hot rod.

[miniceptor86]

With 89 views and no comments maybe I need to rephrase my question. Any advice on headliner fabric, bushed cotton vs foam backed flat knit? Installation ease, has the longevity of the foam improved?

[TJ]

O.K. I'll be the first to comment. I would do the brushed cotton. The foam will eventually sag again. If you live in an area where the weather is hot at times the foam will start sagging sooner when parked in the sun. If you have an original style interior the foam would look out of place.

[alchemy]

Yeah, why would you use foam backed fabric on a hanging headliner?

[miniceptor86]

Thanks, brushed cotton then. I have the old torn out and only three of the bows needed painting. The #1 bow was the worst so it got a trip to the wire wheel, two others got only the rattle can. I have two new kick panels made but am having trouble finding fabric to match the seats and doors. I have no idea if they were cartouche or Labarron Bonnie or custom made but way too nice to replace and I like the look of them.

[pistonbroke]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I had a foam backed headliner in my 69 Mach one . It seamed to work fine for the 8 plus years I owned it. However, the cotton is much easier to install, just stretch it as best you can and hit it with some moisture from a spay bottle and you have a perfect installation. Tim

[TJ]

Kick panels (original style) were generally embossed cardboard and not covered with cloth. I would suggest you find some vinyl that is close to the color of your interior and glue it to the panel.

[19Fordy]

TJ makes a true and valid point. You wouldn't want to cover kick panels with cloth.

[miniceptor86]

Not headliner but everyone knows how things expand. Taking the seats out in prep for the headliner install led to filling the springs of the front seat with carpet padding to firm it up which led to a hardware cloth bottom to make sure they stayed put. With the seats out led to ripping out the nasty carpet which led to putting down a substrate for the carpet. I had the hardware cloth and carpet “pad” laying around, you know how that works. The carpet pad I had to buy, $15 for the end of the roll, twice as much as I needed. Now carpet selection. I have some black outdoor/boat stuff but not sure I want black as all the upholstery is shades of grey (or gray if you prefer).

[miniceptor86]

Maybe carpet on the kick panels. Buy the way SMS fabrics has been a big help trying to locate matching fabric that I have on the door and rear seat cards. Haven’t got a match he sent in a sample but from the printing on the foam backing they know who and when.

[miniceptor86]

I put some photos in my photo album under interior if there is any interested.