how to make/mold headliner

[1971ford]

well i thought i would let you all know how i did this. i never completely finished it, and i probably wont get to it before the beast is sold. so i will pass it on to the next owner so they can play with it

but hopefully you can get some knowledge out of this.

first i bought a board that is called: 1/8" smooth panel board

then i cust it down to a reasonably size that i still knew was too big... measure twice cut once

so i got it cut to shape, very hard to do by yourself so try to get some help allthough i did it by myself. it wasnt fun though

and then after i got the shape (with about an extra in. on each side to allow for the reduction of size when its molded) i got my old iron that i use for waxing snowboards since it is adjustable hotness, has no holes on the bottom and was $1.00 at the thrift store.
and i got the squirt bottle we use to squirt the doggy

so...
here is the board cut to shape

here is why it is best to mold the corners

blue vinyl:

hanging from roof loosely

my weapon of choice, cuts through the board very nicely

iron and spray bottle for molding


i sprayed the board at the corner and got it soaked, then put weight on it to get it to bend. wait 10 min. and it should have a denent bend to it

flipped it over and this is what you get:

did the other side:



like i said, i never got to applying the vinyl (with spray adhensive that i bought) onto the board and installing it so i cant show a finished result.

let me know what you think of my legit craftsmanship

the board is pretty darn stiff so it can support some speakers

[SangerDude]

AWESOME!!! GREAT WORKMANSHIP!!

[Ranchero50]

Pretty cool. On my friend's '65 from way back in high school his dad took a section of wavy aluminum or steel swimming pool liner and did the same thing less the vinyl. Came out looking pretty cool but the truck sounded like you were riding in a 200gal fuel drum going down the road.

Jamie

[1971ford]

i was gonna say that must of sounded like the truck was falling apart until i read the end there. it would look nice though

[Joe Kriston]

Thanks for posting the pics...I gots a question, 'tho...I have a spare headliner--not in too bad of shape other than the surface appearance...Would it make a good backing if I wanted to cover it with an upholstered type material or would it be too flimsy?...

[TheEskimo]

I would think it would work fine Joe, I just did the headliner in my '85 Thunderbird last week and all it had under the original fabric was cardboard. Flimsy at that.

[Joe Kriston]

Thanks, Jason...Now if I can just find some of that precious hyde from the underbelly of the wild Nauga....

[Mohawk]

Good thinking and great Tip.

My headliner is in good cosmetic shape just warped out of shape.

It's a 67 five ton and the center screw had pulled out and there was a chipmunk nest above the headliner that has now formed a permanent belly to the cardboard.

I believe the material to be a multi layered cardboard rather than press board.

My question is.

I was thinking of laying this out upside down on the grass and spraying it with a hose to make it wet and laying a small weight in the center to make the belly lay down.

I may have to use something on the corners to keep them formed up.

After the headliner dries in the sun the panel should now keep the shape it's now in.

What do you think?

I just dont want this material to swell up or come apart.

Or I then will have to do what you are doing. Make my own.

Later.

Mohawk

[Joshpow]

Cool Ryan. I need to copy that myself. I got the vinyl already waiting. I just need to fix a board.