Headliner Shipping Methods
 

Getting ready to order a headliner for a 73 Firebird. Vinyl with foam glued to Plastic backer board. Ames says their item is rolled up and sent in a box. They say to roll it out and heat is needed to make it lay flat. Classic Industries says their item is shipped double oversize but they don't specify if that is also rolled or sent flat. I tried to call them and the 2 people I spoke with didn't speak enough English to get an answer I can rely on. I just hate to send a big part like this back with all the associated hassle when it arrives all crunched-up or rolled so tight it would take 3 years in a giant oven to relax it enough to install it. Does anyone have any experience with purchasing a complete headliner like this and how was it shipped? I would like to buy from our Host, Ames. But I want it to look as close to perfect as possible once installed. To make this even more complicated, Ames shipping in a box is $60.00. Classic Industries double oversize shipping is $61.20 So basically the shipping is the same. So I don't know what the deal is actually. Is Classic Industries just charging double oversize and rolling it and putting it in a box? Hard to get a straight answer from anyone. Thanks

Get it off Ames at an event their at. No ship. And you could get it flat if you ask ahead of time.

That is a great idea and would be my #1 choice. But kinda hoping to have the car at Norwalk this year done if possible. Timing isn't the best.

I'm in the same boat except I can't figure out if they are selling the one-piece solid headliner or just the material...

I would prefer this one from TMI for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j17qJBjvdE

All the vendors sell them both ways. Raw material, material bonded to foam backing, or as an assembled unit, material foam and a plastic backing. The plastic replaces the fiber board OE stuff. After 50 years, my cardboard is awfully dry and crumbly.

I wonder if there is a way to restore the cardboard with a spray on resin?

I have a plastic one piece headliner in my car now, it was bought 10 years ago and was shipped to the guy I had helping me restore the body so I didn’t see it arrive but I think it was shipped flat.

However it is rather poor fitting, does not want to bend very well into the rear corners, needed hole(s) punched into it for trim screws and shoulder seatbelt bolts( I used a soldering iron for that), the provided sun visor holes were a little off too.
A recovered cardboard headliner would fit much better and likely look better too. if I had a very original SD car, I’d be trying to rescue the original part if I could.

How close is the nearest supplier ?

I wouldn't trust it to ever retain the correct shape, if it ever had the correct shape to start with. And then you are start with an overly expensive piece of junk you can not use or pass on to another sucker.

Thanks for some good ideas. I will remove the OE headliner and cardboard next week and evaluate more carefully. Your right, none of the aftermarket stuff fits just right in my experience either. For some reason, they just can't get it quite as nice as the original. The material with foam backing is about half the price of a complete one so may be worth a shot. Has anyone worked with one that came rolled up? What was your impression and success rate installing it?

Mike, can you photograph your headliner/board when you carefully remove it? And let us know what to do/not do.

POR-15 sells a brush on clear that’s made for preserving cardboard and similar materials. I am considering purchasing some to topcoat and preserve the cardboard sun visors on my ‘64 Tempest along with the molded cardboard glovebox on my ‘57 VW.

You might be able to use it on your headliner board to add a bit of strength and keep it from crumbling.

I have a plastic one piece headliner in my car now, it was bought 10 years ago and was shipped to the guy I had helping me restore the body so I didn’t see it arrive but I think it was shipped flat.


Any idea what brand it was?

The common PUI headliners are shipped rolled up but not tightly in a box. Summit had the best prices when I bought mine, they have free shipping over $100 and I think I recall the oversize charge was only $15. Was still much cheaper than any of the catalog or website type firebird/pontiac sellers, which is usually the case for most of these parts from weatherstrips to carpet & headliners, summit sells the same PUI or OER parts as other places.

Mine wasnt rolled tightly & layed out flat within a day or 2 out of the box, take it outside in the sun for a couple hours & it will lay flat... but it does have a slight curve on the back sides to fit to the roof better. Havent installed it yet, plan to do that this season. Factory cardboard with new material glued is the best option though if you can get a good cardboard liner or save yours.

I used the 1 piece PUI ABS with perforated vinyl for my 72 since I didnt like or want to mess with teh original bow style headliner, PUI sellls a "early" 73 headliner that does not have the seatbelt cutouts for the ealry 70-73 cars but has correct cutouts for later 73-81 cars.

I will be happy to take some pictures as I go. Interior, body and paint are not my area of expertise in vehicle restoration. Parts that don't accelerate, burn gas, and make noise are my weak areas. Just a general hobbyist on those items. I will try and be careful.

Just had a one piece headliner from Classic Industries delivered a couple days ago, not sure if it's PUI or ACME. Haven't opened the box yet.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1712425553

I can’t be sure but, I believe I bought it from Classic at the time..

If this product is just thin enough to penetrate the cardboard a few layers while being applied without going too far to cause everything to fall apart, that would be ideal. A few light coats with time to fully dry in between.

Might even want to try to do the first couple of coats while the board is still in the car, if the vinyl cover can be gently removed first?