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Newbie with 51 Packard. On a tight budget. Car needs headliner - fabric heavily soiled, torn, and rotted a little.

Kanter's got them for $250 (with freight) plus "windlace" - I don't know what that is. I'm assuming/ hoping I could install it.

Might it be cheaper if a local upholestry place made one themselves ? I'm trying to keep original as possible -but not perfect.

Anyone ever try to make their own ? Maybe that's nuts.

Thanks !

Any decent automotive Upholstery shop should be able to remove the old one, use it as a pattern, and then install a new one they make.

Nothing look worse that a sagging, wrinkled headliner. So sometimes it's worth the money to have someone install it correctly.

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.

IF kit is available for your model, that would be the most economical way to go. Paying a shop to fabricate one from scratch can get VERY costly paying them by the hour to make and instal it. The liner kit can be tricky but it's not impossible if you pay attention when you take the old one out and take your time. When I did one last year on my '41 I added roof insulation too (tar-backed foil) and it does seem to help with heat and noise. I put the stuff everywhere; doors, floor, roof.
GOOD LUCK!!

Thanks for comments !

What is "windlace" ? Did 1951 Packards have windlace ?

I think it is some kind of trim around doors. Upholestry shops I call ask if I want windlace with the headliner.

Car I bought has interior removed - I cannot tell what kind of trim, if any, goes around doors.

Thanks !

Windlace is the little round solid rubber piece that's covered in headliner/door panel fabric that goes around the door opening. You want this on your car for two reasons, it looks correct, and it helps stop wind noise.

You can make your own headliner at home if you have a sewing machine. It is one of the easiest things to make. You don't even need a heavy duty sewing machine, an ordinary home model will do.

If you do not have a machine I see them all the time in thrift stores $20 to $50.

First take out your old headliner carefully. Take off the trim around the edge. Don't forget to take off the dome light. Unhook or untack the edges of the material. Now you will see how the headliner is held up by wire bows. Take the wire bows out of their sockets by bending them slightly. Take out the whole headliner bows and all. Watch out for mouse nests.

Lay the headliner out on the ground and you will see how it is sewn together out of flat pieces of cloth and pockets sewn in for the bows.

Measure or trace a pattern. Measure the bow sockets, if they are 1" wide allow an extra 2" of material for each one. Make any seams fall in the bow socket area and they will not show on the finished job.

Pull out the bows, if they are rusty clean them up with steel wool and paint them with 2 or 3 coats of rust proof paint.

Make the new headliner larger than the old one by a few inches. Keep in mind the material has shrunk since it was installed. If in doubt make it a little bigger, you can always trim off the excess after it is installed. In fact this is the secret of a perfect fit. Make it bigger, fit it in place then trim off the extra. Do not cut the dome light hole until everything else is done.

If you want to get fancy you could use some brocade or something to suit your taste. Or just get the original mouse fur.

I'm not exactly sure where to get the material but you should be able to buy enough to make a headliner for under $50 bucks.

Try your local upholstery supply shops (not upholstery shops) . They are in the yellow pages. They don't mind selling small amounts of material to an amateur. A lot of their customers run small businesses out of a spare room or garage and buy materials in small quantities.

If you make a headliner or if you buy one come back and I will give you a few tips on how to install it.

I installed my own headliner (pre-cut, of course, from Fry's Auto Uphostery) last year.

The very best advice anyone gave me was "Get your wife to help you." She provided the attention to detail that I needed.

Most of the work was removing the old headliner and cleaning everything up. Mouse nest, rust, etc, etc. Yuk. I wire-brushed and painted everything I took out, and glued foil-backed insulating panels up onto the sheet metal roof. The glue may let go, but the bows still hold them up quite well.

The job turned out OK. Not the best one you'll ever find, but I find it acceptable for a first timer.

I was scared to death to do it myself. Now I'm glad I did, and feel confident I could do a second much more quickly, with better quality.

Jay

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Probably the best advice for anything that requires attention to detail. Women seem to have that gift to "nitpick" anything that they see, and sometimes it actually comes in handy!

Thanks for everyone's comments ! I'm going to look for kit or cut-my-own.

Have a great day !