Hey gang: I am sizing up my two part headliner to get ready for my weekend installation job. I can't figure out what the middle strip anchors into. the length of the strip and the headliner material makes me think it would anchor into the weatherstriping portion over the door, but there just isn't room under the rubber, with the strip quickly hitting metal. Yet it couldn't go behind the roof frame.... I know this can be a tough job, but I didn't think that the placement of this metal strip was supposed to be what is hard. Anyone familiar with this, or could you take a quick peek and see what the strip runs into? You folks are the best. Many thanks! Eric
The center strip clamps between the 2 halves and is a floater. It all tucks behind the weather stripping on the sides. Be aware that the headliners tend to be a little short on the sides, try to split the difference. Put the center strip between the halves, then duct tape the seam to keep it together. Lift the headliner in place, then install the rear strip to line up the holes eaisier. Now install the windshield trim. This can be done by yourself, (I did) but another pair of hands helps a lot.
Russ is dead on! I bought a headliner for mine that was too short all around. I called the vendor and they sent me another one (which, by the way, was worse). Long story short, I bought material and cut one using the others as a template. The middle bow is a floating bow that basically holds both pieces together and tucks under the weatherstriping. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so...
Ken You're right, a picture is worth a thousand words, and two pictures are worth two thousand words. How about three or four thousand words. I think I understand a lot more with the one picture but a few more might shed a lot more light.
Not To Forget I hate to mention this but it's the reason my '49 has a cloth headliner : The original cardboard typ headliner began warping in a few years , sooner if the truck was used in a swampy climate..... It won't fall out but big gaps are likely to appear . I'd imagine painted Masonite would last nearly forever and the mice don't like chewing it as much as the cardboard
Floating mid support Guys - I liked Russ' recommendation about duct taping across the center bar...however, my '48 mid support is not "floating", as I attempt to show in the attached photos. The '48 door opening weatherstrip details appear to be different than Ken's 50 as well. Larry
Don't quote me on this, but I think that the floating support came out in the late '49 models and carried through to the end of the AD series. Prior to that, the middle support screwed in.
