Headliner installation "can i do it myself?"

Hey there, have a 63 dart gt. Headliners toast. Bought one off ebay. Wondering if this is something I can accomplish myself or will it be so much a pain in the a$$ that I should just bring it somewhere and fork out the $300.
Any tips or tricks on headliner installation on this car? Thanks for any info. :headbang:

I installed one in a 69 Dart many years ago, it went pretty well except for the rear panels where it comes down the sides. It was wrinkled, and since then I have learned that a hair dryer helps to get them out. It was also tricky getting it glued under the rubber around the front and rear windows, take it slowly and keep all the roof bows in order front to back. Not much help but my 2 cents. Good luck!

I've never tried to do one but the good thing is they're fairly cheap. If you screw it up you're not out a terrible amount of money & you can try again. You'll surely do better the second time! I've read that it helps to have a bunch of clamps handy to help hold it in place while you position it.

Check out this site:

http://www.hotrod.com/howto/76318_headliner_installation/index.html

Never done it either but from what I've read, it's best to pick a fairly warm day to do it. It's easier with the seats removed, the fronts at least. Label the bows so you don't get them mixed up. And those black metal clips from the office supply that hold stacks of paper together are really good for holding the headliner up as you install it.

Here's another site that I used:

http://restorick.com/tech/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5

I did it but I will never do it again. If you can get it done for $300 I would take that. I thought I could do it in 8 hours but by the time I got the old one out, everything off, and the new one stretched and in- I was out 40 hours. And I still have to get the dome light and rear view in. I do most of my own shop stuff and have been doing that kind of DIY for 30 years- but a headliner I will never do again. JMO

Thanks for the info. I guess it will come down to if I have the extra cash. Dude said it would be cheaper if I take the old one out and clean up the roof so I will start there.

superslant said:

Thanks for the info. I guess it will come down to if I have the extra cash. Dude said it would be cheaper if I take the old one out and clean up the roof so I will start there.

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The removal of the old one and the old insulation is the very worst part of the job. After that part is done and you start installing you're more than 3/4 of the way finished! Start from the back and work your way up.

Yeah, being the cars from Arizona the interiors pretty rough. Clean body though. The headliners in pretty rough shape so will just have to put a mask on and start cleaning it out. Cant tell if its the insulation or a mouse nest. Then the previous owner glued carpeting to the dash so I dont know what to do there. Would be nice if it was nice underneath and I could remove the glue with some sort of chemical. Time will tell.

Try a hair dryer or heat gun on the carpet.

Well so far I tore all the old stuff out of there. What a mess that was. Will update the progress. Chipping away slowly.

I tried to do mine myself. It wasn't too bad but needed to be tighter.
I took it to a pro and he finished it up for $150.00

I'll never do one again.

I've done more than a few in my time, and I personally have no problems with them. All of the suggestions above are good advise, don't mix up the bows, have a hair dryer handy, and do it on a warm day so you can lay the headliner out in the sun for a few to warm it up. Do the job in the shade though as you don't want it to get too hot, for you or the headliner. Start at the back and clip the small tensioning wires on first and make your way to the front and side to side smoothing and evening out the headliner as you go. Don't glue anything until you have successfully straightened and tightened the material from front to back and side to side. Here's where the clamp suggestion really comes in handy. I use the little orange spring clamps when i do it myself, or better yet have a buddy help.

When I have it where I want it, I turn down the edge of the material and paint on the glue with a small brush and set it on the gripper teeth. Then I turn to the sail panel area last and smooth them down from the top, although I do give them some atention when getting the headliner centered and tight. I don't want to go back and readjust anything because of a wrinkle in them, but if you have the headliner located and tight, the sail panels usually come out pretty well. A hairdryer will help take out small wrinkles at the finish line. Elapsed time from start to finish....about 2 hours not including tearout and prep.

A note... when I did my GTX headliner it had a split in the seam but was still soft and pliable, and because the color is not available (copper) I had to remove the headliner, have it stitched and reinstall it!!! Talk about nerve racking. Everything had to realign the exact same way because of the fading, but by some miracle of divine intervention it is all back in place, save for a small amount of reveal around the visor mounts!! Whew, saved another one and $380.00 just to have a custom made headliner with NOS fabric!!! OUCH!!!

Good luck with your install, you can do it, I have great faith in you!! Geof

alot easier if you take the glass out, ask me how i know!

I did the one in my Dart. Turned out ok. Sail panel area is the hard part to get smooth. Heat is the trick. They don't like to stretch unless hey are hot. I did mine in the summer and let it lay in the sun for a while before I put it in. Now that I have done one I think I could do an even better job on the next one.

I used the end of a flat paint string stick to push the liner over the barbs in the front and back window area.