I am looking to install a new headliner in a 1972 mustang fastback and need some advice or possibly instructions on how to do it. Any help would be appreciated.
The following was copied from another poster on this forum several years ago. I'd give appropriate credit if I could remember who it was. I'm not sure exactly which year he was working on, but from my experiences with 71-73 it looks exactly right. I personally have only removed headliner, never installed it. Here you go:
Headliner was like $39 or $49 for the kit, headliner, windlace and glue. Yes, the winshield and back glass HAS to be removed for this process. It took about 4 hours to do. This car was totally disassembled, so I am not counting the removal of the old headliner, glass, etc. We are in the process of putting it back together after a 9 month total uni-frame up restomod.
Trick One...lay the headliner spread out in the sun to make soft and stretchy, and take the folds out of it
Trick Two...DO NOT USE the spray on glue, 3M brand for the headliner. This stuff is great for glueing the foam up before the headliner, but don't use it for glueing the edges of the headliner. Go to an upholstry shop and buy (I don't know the brand name) headliner adhesive. They had it in 5 gallon cans, took a pint mason jar and they GAVE me a half pint! This STUFF WORKS. Brush on lightly to the metal, and to the headliner, let it tack off, and IT WILL STICK!!!
Trick Three...The bows go in a certain place!! They are color coded if you look real close. On the drivers side of the bows, the bare steel is first, RED is second, WHITE is third, and BLUE is last.
Trick Four...The two little wires that go from the back bow to the back winshield, about 4 inches long, MUST be reused. They hold the back bow in place so you can stretch out the headliner from the front.
Trick Five...Have lot's of patience and start glueing at the front center and work out the front left and front right, then go to the back and pull tight, starting at the center and back left and back right....keep it tight down the middle.
Trick Six...Then go back and pull out to the door openings and around the rear sail panel.....go slow and work six to eight inches at a time....DO NOT RUSH IT.
Trick Seven...Sunvisor and Mirror and coat hooks...install the screws before starting and install the headliner over them....makes them much easier to find later. Simply find the screws, make a small hole with an awl, and unscrew them. you have a perfect template to re-install the mirror, sunvisors and coathooks.
Trick Eight...Use new winshield and back glass gaskets. Install the gaskets on the glass first. Take a 3/8" nylon rope and press down in the gasket groove thats supposed to mount to the metal lip so that the rope comes together at the bottom center of the glass. Make sure to press the rope in the groove so that the rope has disappeared down in the groove. Spray, no WET the gaskets down with windex, silcon, etc, lay the glass in place, (THIS TAKES TWO PEOPLE), and get someone from the OUTSIDE to gently press down at the bottom center of the glass while you start pulling out the rope, making sure the person on the outside presses down following the rope as it comes out. Do center to left to the A pillar, the center to right to the A piller, in other words, do the bottom first, then work around each side. As you are pulling out the rope, it pulls the gasket edge over the metal lip, and when you pull the last bit of rope out, your winshield is in place. This whole process takes only about 15 minutes!!!
There are other tips and tricks, but I can't think of any more right now.