Headliner

[justinj]

I ordered a headliner from Kanter a month or so ago and they called yesterday to tell me that their supplier didn't make them for my '62 full size coupe.

This doesn't seem right.

Any other suppliers that sell pre-sewn headliners, or has anyone here bought a headliner from Kanter for a 62 full size?

-Justin

[rocketraider]

Does the car have a sewn vinyl or fabric headliner, or that StarFoam molded foam mess? Starfires and Ninety Eights had the foam and I think Super 88 coupes did too. Nobody makes it.

That said, a headliner for a comparable body style Chevrolet, Pontiac or Buick will fit and look right, and should be available in Olds interior colors. If not, use white or off-white as it goes with all interior colors.

Though it IS strange that Kanter didn't offer a substitute for approval.

[justinj]

Originally Posted by rocketraider

Does the car have a sewn vinyl or fabric headliner, or that StarFoam molded foam mess? Starfires and Ninety Eights had the foam and I think Super 88 coupes did too. Nobody makes it.

Yeah it has that foam stuff that is kind of falling apart. It is a super 88 coupe.

I'm not bothered what kind of headliner it has and I don't mind vinyl or fabric headliner. Cutting and sewing is not something I want to do, so I was hoping to get something pre-done.

-Justin

[Texascarnut]

As rocketraider says, if it has that funky molded foam mess no one has made that junk since 1962. People restoring Starfires have come up with some interesting alternatives. Some look decent, some great, and some look like hell. Whatever you do, if your car still has the back boards for the foam crap you will need them or need someone to make new ones using them as a pattern, each one is slightly different than the others. There is a similar pattern to the original foam backed cloth headliner material for newer cars that can be bought by the yard and comes in a variety of colors other than white. It can be glued to the board using the appropriate 3M upholstery adhesive. The sunvisor mounting surface is in the front most of the headliner boards and a must save.

Do not loose the chrome accents that actually retain the boards. There are issues with these cars in putting in a conventional wire bow supported headliner. The biggest issue being your car may not have the necessary retainers for the wire bows. The second is coming up with correct wire bows that will fit. Hint: The '62 Chevy Impala wire bows would be correct and would work if your car has bow retainers.

[justinj]

Originally Posted by Texascarnut

Do not loose the chrome accents that actually retain the boards. There are issues with these cars in putting in a conventional wire bow supported headliner. The biggest issue being your car may not have the necessary retainers for the wire bows. The second is coming up with correct wire bows that will fit. Hint: The '62 Chevy Impala wire bows would be correct and would work if your car has bow retainers.

I'll take some pics this weekend. Not sure what the difference is between the types of retainers.

Anyway, not looking for correct for the vehicle, but I do want it to look correct for the era.

-Justin

[Texascarnut]

Originally Posted by justinj

I'll take some pics this weekend. Not sure what the difference is between the types of retainers.

Anyway, not looking for correct for the vehicle, but I do want it to look correct for the era.

-Justin

Wish I had a photo or illustration of what you need to look for would make things a lot easier.

Over the years GM has done some pretty interesting things when it comes to headliners and the use of bright metal trim accents. My '56 Cadillac Eldorado Seville has the commonly used white star pattern headliner held in place with bows, but the seams in the headliner below the bows are hidden with bright metal strips much like the strips that hold the boards in place in your car and my Starfire.

I will comment that if there are no bow retainers along both sides of the lower edge of the roof turret you will be limited to doing something with the boards as in scraping the foam crap off and gluing something else in its place.