I’m restoring a 72 Cutlass S 2 door hard top, and I’ve a couple sagging pieces of plastic molding that run along the top of the windows in the interior, between the window and the headliner. Over time they have sagged in the heat and are now hanging below the windows.
Can these be heated and reshaped or can they be ordered? I have looked in the Fusick catalog and does appear to be an item listed…

Anyone else have this problem?
Thank you
Richey

 

Are you talking about the windlacing? The textured plastic that runs all around the inside of the roof? If it is sagging, you should be able to just force it back up into place. It clips onto the edge of the ceilin where the headliner is glued/tucked around. I do not have my Fusick catalog infront of me, but I know they sell it. If the windlace is not what you are refering to, could you elaberate?

 

Richey---The pieces you refer to (windlace) have a steel core inside of them. You might be able to remove the pieces carefully and see if the sags remain in the windlace once it's removed. If so, you may be able to tweak it a little (ie re-form the metal core) so it sits up there more evenly.

I don't think anyone reproduces this window windlace with a steel stiffening core in it like the originals...would cost way too much to repro.

 

Fusick does not seem to have them, but both OPGI and Yearone repro them, with the steel core and correct grain for an exact fit and finish (their words). If you search either of their sites for "windlace" it will come up. They are not that expensive either, around $40 bucks per side.

 

I'll check them out. I have tried pushing the platic strip back into the metal strip that holds it but it just won't stay up. Is the metal actually imbedded or attached to the plastic molding? The origianl seems to be seperate parts. I have not taken it off to really inspect it but I assume that it all needs to come off when I do the headliner..?? I'll do a searchand find the OPGI and Yearone....
Has anyone ever tried screwing the plastic strip in place? I started to try that when it first started sagging but did not want ot mess up the headliner.... It started sagging over the years living in the hot temps of lower California back in the 80s. and I just kept pushing it back in place, until the kids took off to college and now 40 years later it just wont stay...
Thanks
Richey

 

There is actually strips of metal that are inside of the plastic windlace. It is what gives the "lips" of the windlace the ability to mold around the steel "lips" of the roofline where the headliner is stretched around. You can kind of remold the metal that's inside the windlace to give it more grip on the roof. That's probably what happened if it won't stay up. The lips of the windlace could be pryed too far apart so they no longer grip the roof properly. I have also seen the lips rippled and wavey which makes straightening them, and closing them up, a pain in the butt. Hope that makes sense! Best thing to do is to take it all down and you'll see what I mean. Just be careful taking them down, as mos of the time the will have some glue sandwiched in there, assisting the holding on of the headliner. Just take your time, maybe doing it on a hot day when the glue will be softened.

 

Thanks, it makes total sense... I will be changing out the headliner and will have to pull off the windlace sooner or later. I'll hold off on ordering new until I have tried to reshape and get it to stay with the new headline in..Have not tried a headliner project yet either.. all a learning experieind. appreciate the help. before i get to that I have carpet coming and seat covers I have to put on... working from the bottom up...
Richey

 

Good, glad I made sense. I just put in a new headliner into my Cutlass S a few months ago. It was alot more difficult then the first headliner I did, which was about 10 years ago in my first car, a 1972 Monte Carlo. I think it was a combination of the size of the interior, and the material the headliner was made out of. The Cutlass's was a tougher canvas type material, it didn't have a lot of give to it, even after roasting on my driveway for 2 hours. The Monte Carlos was more of a stretchy perforated vinyl that had a lot of stretch to it. In any case, I got it in my Cutlass and it looks....ok. It's a lot better then having a falling headliner, or like my situation, no headliner at all. Granted this is just my driver so I wasen't looking for perfection, but if I was, I definetly would have had a shop put I in. But I'm happy with it. Good luck on your interior!

 

Thanks I let you know how it goes once I get tothe headliner . Everyoe seems to bein agreement that it is a pretty hard job to get right...
Cheers