headliners

[dan barber]

anyone out there no how to fit /make headliners. my bus at present (early bay) has a bowed headliner which is pretty ropey. They look fairly dear to buy let alone pay someone to fit.
id appreciate info on either fitting a new replacement or lining it with 4mm ply. I think il end up doing the ply method, but how do you fix it, shape it etc, it looks like a right pain in the a*se.
ta

 

[birchyman]

you would need the westy metal edging to hold it in place and the board to draw around you could get a freindly westy owner to let you cover theirs in masking tape then pull off to make a pattern if you get your sizes and measurements all ok they are not that hard to fit

 

[dan barber]

ta , can i get the edging from the usually places, justkampers etc

 

[Tiki-Al]

Sorry to hijack guys but if you go the material route don't you still need to have a ply roof? it's just covered in a fabric?

looking to do it myself see! and i have the metal ridges to hold the ply in place so was just planning on covering the ply?

 

[dan barber]

suppose you could do it that way, my headliner at present is hung of bows, dont think theres any ply up there but havent had a close look yet.

 

[Tiki-Al]

oh right interesting, i have a pop top so i dont know how that would work for mine... do you have a picture of it?

 

[dan barber]

different altogether then mines a tin top.

 

[Harlequin]

Have a look at Ego Trippins resto . replaced birch roof lining is excellent
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5048&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=30" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Pete B]

Sorry to hijack guys but if you go the material route don't you still need to have a ply roof? it's just covered in a fabric?

looking to do it myself see! and i have the metal ridges to hold the ply in place so was just planning on covering the ply?

Headliners are not just fabric covering ply! The standard method is to use 'bows', sprung metal rods spanning the width of the vehicle about 12-18 inches apart,so without looking would say perhaps 7 or 8 in a bus. This is the recognised method of fitting fabric headliners (by all motor manufacturers) and has been certainly since the 40's. Look at the headlining, and you will see several seams running from side to side, each one of these will have a 'bow' behind it. Bit like the poles on a dome tent if you get my drift.
So, after sounding like some condicending smartarse, have to say I can't offer any more help, mine needs some repair work and from what I have heard and read it is a specialist job to sort/replace a fabric one.

 

[alikat]

If you're brave, pull yours carefully and remove stitching. This will give you a template to use on a suitable piece of new vinyl (try Martrim for samples - you used to be able to send them an old piece and they would send nearest matches to choose from. Perforated is best, but there are many colours avail ). Next, find someone with a sewing machine and stitch as per factory (loose running stitch I believe they call it-too tight and the vinyl will tear when stretched). I have used standard machines to make my bug ones, and for about 10 quid you will get one that fits like it's supposed to, not some "one size fits all" piece of cheap vinyl. I would assume the bus ones would stretch to 30-40 quid depending on how much you want to cover, ie. side window pillars. Fitting best done on a warm day. Attach to the front or back window frame and then pull to the other end of the bus and attach. Starting one end pull the sides out and glue in place. It helps if you mark the body where the bows/seams are to aid alignment. Also mark centre of cloth and center of body to avoid getting it crooked.

Good luck - be brave.