How Do You Repair A Headliner On A 1966 Tbird

1966-1967 Ford Thunderbird
Contoured Headliner Repair

How to remove and repair that sagging vinyl headliner

Almost THE MOLDED HEADLINER PANELS

Image: 1966 Ford Thunderbird Town model contoured headliner The 1966 Thunderbird Town Hardtop and Town Landau models, as well as the 1967 Thunderbird Tudor Hardtop and Tudor Landau used a contoured headliner and roof console overhead. The molded fiberboard panels were originally in two pieces, with foam glued to the underside of the panels and a Moon crater textured vinyl glued to the cream. When new, this gave Thunderbird interiors a very clean, spacious elegance that really stood out. After almost vi-7 years, the vinyl on the panels began to shrink due to heat and the glue holding it to the foam separating, allowing the vinyl fabric to sag. The original vinyl material cannot be used over again, even if it's in good condition equally it has indeed shrunk and in that location was no extra material around the edges originally.

This material was used on most Ford Motor Company vehicles during the belatedly sixties, so it is still available, and the colors used from one car line to another by Ford were the same, and so yous can find it in nearly of the original shades as well. When determining how much material y'all need, be sure to allow 4-five inches extra on all sides, as the contoured shape of the panels requires more textile than you might call back. It's ever meliorate to have a little more than you need rather than not plenty.

We recommend you read this entire commodity before you begin, and please permit enough of fourth dimension. This will likely take the improve part of a day to do, plus the 24 60 minutes curing time before installation.

MATERIALS NEEDED

- Moon crater vinyl to embrace two panels (come across 1966 Thunderbird Headliner or 1967 Thunderbird Headliner for right colors for your interior)
- Flat sturdy work surface area large enough to adjust the panels
- Phillips head screw driver
- Heavy duty scissors or very precipitous straight edge blade to trim off excess vinyl
- Agglutinative to bond new vinyl to repaired and prepped boards (to buy, meet Store Online beneath)
- Paint brush* to apply contact cement if that'south the adhesive you lot cull for your repair
- Lacquer thinner* for brush if you lot choose to use contact cement to bond vinyl to panels
- Fiberglass resin or POR-15 to seal coat panels (to buy, see Shop Online below)
- Fiberglass material to repair cleaved panels and strengthen weak areas (to buy, encounter Store Online below)
- Newspapers to protect work area
- A helper to provide aid during removal, gluing, and installation

*Optional, depending on choice of adhesive

REMOVAL

To remove the headliner panels, see if you tin can locate a helper to make the job easier. These panels are quite fragile, and you actually practice need a couple of extra hands and arms for this job. Start past removing the metal interior trim moldings. Be careful, equally the paint on them is hands scratched. Also, brand sure to keep track of the length of the screws as you remove them. Ford used several unlike sizes on these moldings, and they will need to become back in where they were removed. The inside rear quarter trim panels will demand to come out as well. Once the roof moldings are removed, the trim panels are held in identify with clips. Peek behind them looking toward the rear of the car, and yous'll see the clips. Remove them carefully, every bit the clips can be torn out of the behind of the trim panels instead of popping out of the metal roof structure if you are too rough with them.

On the '66 and '67 models with the overhead warning lights, the front department of the roof console is held in identify with four screws. Two in the front where the sun visors attach to the roof console, and ii well-nigh each rear corner. Remove the rear screws first, and support the console while removing the front screws. The wiring for the warning lights must be unplugged, and if you're not careful, the plastic piece on the back of the emergency flasher switch on '66s might come off (it's just snapped in place) as the wiring for the flashers is attached to this piece. The rear department has four screws, two in the front end and two in the rear, and then information technology slides forrad virtually one-half an inch or so and once the tabs on the console clear the roof support information technology can exist removed. (It will exist easier to understand once you've seen how it's attached to the roof panel support.) You demand to employ caution when removing the rear section of the roof panel, equally you lot may impairment the molded headliner panels on either side, or they could fall down when the rear section of the console is removed.

Since it's likely most of these cars have already had the headliner panels worked on at some point in their life, y'all can't be certain they were reinstalled properly. The molded headliner panels sit on tabs along the roof runway, and there were originally 2 clips belongings each in identify in the dorsum. If the clips are still property the console in place, be very careful when you remove the panels every bit information technology's very easy to harm them at this point.

WORK Expanse

Remove the panels from the automobile and place them on a make clean, apartment surface that's sturdy (no folding card tables, please.) If you lot take a couple of sawhorses, a thick piece of plywood can be placed on summit of them to create a good solid work area, or identify them on your garage floor if that's the best y'all tin do. The area must be big plenty to support the entire panel, yous don't want a lot of overhang without whatever support. Remove whatsoever original vinyl that might notwithstanding exist in identify. You may demand to remove stitching, buttons, or any number of other things from a previous repair, equally we've seen some very interesting modifications over the years.

MOLDED Panel PREPARATION

The next matter y'all need to do is remove all traces of the original foam padding from the panels. This cream, even if it appears to be in expert shape, Will Non WORK and must be removed. Information technology is already saturated with the original gum from the manufacturing plant, and has begun to decompose. Nosotros promise if you do not remove all of it, you will non be happy with the finished job. If the new vinyl does stick to the foam, information technology won't for long and y'all'll be pulling the panels out again. It will take yous a while to get all the cream off the panels. Take your time, and make sure every bit of it is removed. Don't use anything metal or abrasive. Often you can start at one corner and rub information technology in one direction until you get to the opposite end. Be patient and do not blitz this office of the repair. You will likely create some crude areas doing this, but they will exist taken care of subsequently.

Once all the old foam has been removed, the panels need to exist sealed due to the fiberboard decaying and flaking off. Sealing it will stop this process. Whatsoever cracked or broken areas must be reinforced likewise. At that place are two ways to go about this:

1. The first selection is to glaze all sides of the panel with fiberglass resin. Apply fiberglass fabric to add strength and support in weak or broken areas. Depending on how bad the panel is, you may need to reinforce the back side of the panel too (remove the outer newspaper layer in this area showtime). The panels will soak upwardly the fiberglass resin, and when dry can be smoothed out using a ability sander to achieve a smoothen surface.

ii. Another style is to use POR-xv (the rust repair paint) to coat the panels. The panels also soak this upwardly, and volition require several coats. In one case the coating has had the risk to set, you tin can employ trunk filler to repair whatsoever severely damaged areas, likewise every bit fiberglass fabric for strength and additional support in weak areas. Do this on the dorsum side also if necessary, making sure to remove the outer paper layer first. You tin can use a grinder or sander on the POR-15 one time it's fix, and basically treat the headliner panels the same as you would an exterior trunk console existence prepped for paint.

Once you have a smooth surface on the interior side of the panels, y'all're gear up for the next footstep. The surface doesn't need to be equally smooth as if it were going to be painted, equally the vinyl cloth will hide pocket-size imperfections, just the (We have constitute that panels in relatively practiced shape, which are completely intact and with no missing pieces or breaks practice fine using step #1 above. It'due south the fastest of the two repairs, and provides a good finished surface for the new vinyl material. Step #2 is best for panels that are more than severely damaged, or accept been handled many times before. It takes longer to complete, but the finish result should be satisfactory. The amount of time you spend prepping the panels to provide a smooth inner surface is directly related to the advent of the finished installed product.)

CHOOSING THE Right Agglutinative

The next step is to decide what type of adhesive to use in adhere the new vinyl to the repaired panels. There are unlike opinions about what works best. Some insist contact cement is best. If y'all decide to use this, get a proper noun brand product and make sure information technology's the strongest they offer, if there'south a option. You'll want to buy it in a tin and you'll need an inexpensive paint brush to apply it with. Make certain to have some lacquer thinner available besides, along with a container large plenty to accommodate the paint brush. (Contact cement begins to set up upwards quickly, and the brush will demand to be put in the lacquer thinner to prevent information technology from getting bonded every bit well!) Others insist automotive trim adhesives in a spray tin are the way to go. 3M makes several dissimilar products. If you choose this route, be sure to go the "super" or "heavy duty" trim agglutinative made for vinyl roof applications, and not the lightweight stuff intended for fabrics.

BONDING THE NEW VINYL TO THE PANELS

Now you're ready to brainstorm bonding the vinyl to the panels. A 2d set of hands is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED at this indicate. Protect the surface you're working on with multiple layers of newspaper or something that tin be thrown away when you're washed. Secure it so it can't slip or slide around. Cut your new vinyl textile, carefully assuasive for extra on all sides. It'south better to have actress that needs to be trimmed off the sides later, rather than cut it likewise short at present. The directions on the agglutinative you've chosen volition likely advise you to coat both surfaces and allow a period of time for them to dry before applying a 2d coat. After the second coat, you may be advised to either wait again earlier assembling, or to do it immediately. Since you're working with a rather large department of vinyl, and it's of import that information technology be positioned properly, You DO NOT WANT TO Coat THE Unabridged Slice OF VINYL Fabric AT ONE Time. You must piece of work in sections. We recommend tending to each panel separately, ane at a time. Later on commencement coating 1 of the contoured panels and waiting the amount of fourth dimension advised by the adhesive manufacturer between first and second coats, y'all'll want to start applying the adhesive to the vinyl material. Lay the vinyl face down next to the panel, and working from the stop of the panel molded for the sun visors, coat about a human foot or so of the vinyl with the agglutinative. Again, follow the directions provided by the manufacturer as to look fourth dimension and number of coats applied.

When ready to bail, begin in the CENTER of the panel in the dominicus visor expanse. Allow the center of the vinyl to contact the centre of the panel, and slowly piece of work from the centre out laying downward the vinyl and smoothing it out. Firmly rub the vinyl in a circular motion to make certain the layers of agglutinative on both surfaces are in skillful contact. If at whatever time, you lot feel in that location'southward an area that isn't bonding well, pull the material dorsum, apply more adhesive to both surfaces, let it get tacky, and and so rebond. Be certain the vinyl is straight, fifty-fifty though there isn't a defined blueprint to this particular fabric, you lot nonetheless want it to exist direct as information technology volition make a difference once installed. Once this critical outset positioning and bonding has been washed, fold the vinyl back over itself and coat the next pes or so with adhesive, and repeat the process, always beginning in the centre and working your way down the console, making sure the material closest to the department that has already been bonded is smoothed out first. Continue working in sections until you've reached the bottom or rear border of the panel. Try non to get any of the adhesive on the face of the vinyl cloth, as it can exist very difficult to remove. Repeat this process on the second panel. Do not worry well-nigh cutting off any backlog vinyl at this indicate. Allow both panels remain face up for a minimum of 24 hours before installation back into the car.

INSTALLATION

When ready to install the panels, carefully cut the textile even with the border of the molded panel. If your panels were still retained by the ii four clips above the rear window, it's probably best to not try using them once more. The rear section of the roof console and the rear window moldings will provide enough support. Other than that, two people are needed to do the installation, and just opposite the removal directives above to complete the process. Accept your time, and realize that surfaces adjoining the panels may fit a bit tighter due to the increased thickness of the panels. Don't force annihilation and be patient, as it seems null ever goes back together exactly the way it came apart, and that certainly applies in this instance as well.

THE Cease Upshot

The finished panels will differ from the originals in that they will not take the slightly padded effect the originals had. Information technology was that thin layer of foam padding between the vinyl and fiberboard that contributed greatly to the failure of the original adhesive. To date, Automotive Mileposts has not been completely satisfied with the longevity of repaired panels where a thin layer of cream has been used to replicate the original padded upshot. Even with today'southward superior cream materials, they all seem somewhat susceptible to breaking down after being saturated with the diverse solvents in adhesives. This is not exactly a fun job, and since most are non interested in repeating it over again, the best style to ensure a more permanent repair is to eliminate the troublesome foam layer.

Fifty-fifty today, people are amazed by the beauty overhead in the 1966 and 1967 Thunderbirds with contoured headliners. They really were quite the affair back in their twenty-four hour period, and this distinctive touch on is only i more reason why Thunderbird has always been unique in all the world.

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