Re: Headliner on a budget...

Posted by HH56 On 2009/6/27 13:04:35

No idea of upholstery shop prices as compared to Kanter.

I installed one of Kanters in a 56 Patrician some years ago and was not terribly difficult. It did fit & was a generic color but not very close to the original--either in fabric or color--but did the job. The generic windlace available then was also not a very close match in texture but did the job--maybe things better today. I would do it again but would have a helper the second time around.

The instructions with the kit were somewhat adequate, and an upholstery how to book filled in some blanks. Important thing is to mark and keep track of the bow locations as they are different and go in a specific spot. They will be rusty and need painting otherwise the rust will inevitably stain the new liner. Tack strip will probably be OK to reuse unless it has gotten wet. There will be some wrinkles around the rear quarter when done which will probably need to be steamed out, but all in all not the worst job to do.

You might also think about installing some better roof insulation at the same time. There are several very decent products available now to control both heat and noise as compared to the original asphalt felt stuff.