headliner installation : Bertone GTV, part 1 - preparation

["dion fields" <noid@domain.elided>]

here by popular demand ! today and tomorrow only !
headliner installation !  get yours while they are available !

WARNING ! i am not a professional upholsterer, though
i did talk to one once . . .

my headliner consisted of a one-wrung main piece with
the "snake bite" pattern and a non-perforated rectangular
insert for above the rear seats.  i would recommend having
all the seats of the car removed for easier access, but i imagine
its possible with them in place.  also, the front and rear windows,
stainless trim across the top of the door and quarter window,
the quarter window clasps, the dome lights / rear grab handles,
the front passenger grab handle, the visors, and the rear view
window need to be removed.  take note of where all the
mounting screws go, it will make them easier to find later when
they are covered up.

next i ripped out the old headliner, noting the locations of 
adhesive as i went.  under the old liner was thin styrofoam
sheeting glued the the ceiling, and thin foam along most of
the edges.  this car had a previous " restoration " done, so
i dont know how original these were.  the ceiling had a coat
of loose rust under the padding ( and this is a southern
california car ! ) , so i used a rustproofing paint like POR to seal 
things up.  

i bought a pint of contact cement and many cheap paint brushes
from the local hardware store.  this glue is designed to apply to both surfaces to be adhered, let partially dry, and then assemble. it is amazingly strong in shear, and once fully dry, very strong in tension as well.  my car was a naked shell when i installed 
mine, but if your car has a carpet and/or seats, ALSO get a 
plastic drop sheet to cover everything up.  contact cement WILL
drip all over.  a can of contact adhesive remover will help
to remove any drips or cemented fingerprints once everything
is done.

i went to a local upholstery shop to pick up some new foam
padding and to get advice.

after removal of the old, i discovered that the dome lights
were wired individually to their respective door. these never
worked since i bought the car, so this was a revelation to me.
i added a ground wire between the dome lights, across the
ceiling with the hot wire, so that both will now work when either
door is opened.  not too stock, but seemed convenient.

finally, prior to installation, i spread out the two new headliner
pieces on the clean carpet in my house and grabbed a
heat gun, though a hair dryer would work.   i heated and 
stretched out all the packing wrinkles, one by one, so i had
a clean smooth fabric to start with.

say tuned for part two : installation - coming tomorrow to a 
computer screen near you.

dion fields
'73 GTV
los angeles


____________________________________________________________
Get 25MB of email storage with Lycos Mail Plus!
Sign up today -- http://www.mail.lycos.com/brandPage.shtml?pageId=plus 
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided