Help with headliner now fitment please

[UKPlymouth]

Hi guys, received my '73 Roadrunner headliner bows from Dantes. The invoice inc ten bucks for now retainers but non were supplied and the packing notes states 'no retainer needed'.
I can live without the ten bucks but can anyone help with how the bows stay in place without swinging around 180 degrees?
When fitting the headliner is that what retains the bows in place and stops them spinning; by tension?
Appreciate any guidance.

 

[daytona71]

Hi UK
Your 73 Roadrunner should be very similar to my 73 Charger. Once you slide a bow into the sleeve on the backside of your headliner and put it in place, it should not flip over. As the next bow is installed into position, the tension from the headliner will also help keep the bow in the correct upward direction. Also you will find that the bows are all not the exact same length and need to be in the correct order.
Hope that helps

 

[UKPlymouth]

Ok Daytona thanks, so it's essentially a tension 'thing' ! Looks like it will be important that I maintain real tension when gluing the front and rear sections to hold that tension.

 

[sleepar]

I looked at some YouTube videos... most were on Ford's but it's the same idea.... it's not easy and you will look like a clown but if you keep at it it will get done....

 

[red72]

This link was very helpful when I replaced mine. Step by step instructions for a Roadrunner.
www.moparmusclemagazine.com/howto/mopp_0608_mopar_car_headliner_replacement/

 

[UKPlymouth]

Thanks guys, that article helps.,I reckon it's one of those jobs that makes you very much wiser once you've finished it!

 

[Bruzilla]

Hold the phone a tick. I'm assuming the tensioners are the two wire hooks that attach the rear-most bow to the car? If so then Yes, you definitely have to have these and they are mentioned in those instructions that were linked to by Red72. When you pull your headliner forward, those hooks stop the rear-most bow from coming too far forward, which holds the rest of them in place and allows you to pull the headliner tight at the windshield "hooks". Without those tension wires the bows will just keep on rotating.

If you don't have any, you can make your own using some heavy spring wire. Put the fourth bow in place and rotate it up until it is tilting just a bit to the rear. Take a measurement of the distance from the bow to the two oval shaped holes you will find cut into the framing above the rear window. Make two lengths of wire that are that length and have two hooked ends. Place one end around the fourth bow and the other end through the oval hole and make sure when the hook is in tension the bow stops at a point where it is leaning slightly to the rear.

One other thing to remember is the cutting of the retainers for the bows. The instructions usually say to cut away 3-4" of material, but I found when I was putting the headliner in my 74 Roadrunner that having that cut too short causes a lot of wrinkles along the sides, and the best way to get rid of the wrinkles was to tug down on the headliner just below each retainer and tear it an inch or so, then pull the fabric to the left and right. If there are still wrinkles repeat the process and tear another inch or so until you can get the fabric tight enough to get rid of the wrinkles. I don't know where that 3-4" guidance comes from, but the correct length varies from bow to bow and I found closer to six inches works better.

 

[UKPlymouth]

Hey, Bruzilla, thanks for adding the voice of experience, really helpful.
However, just one confusion I have. You seem to be suggesting that it is the 4th bow that needs the spring retainer fitted rather than the 6th bow. Is that correct?

 

[Bruzilla]

It's the last bow before the rear window. The retainer acts like a brake to stop the forward movement of all the bows by stopping the last one.

 

[TekHousE]

Also, do not panic if you get a few wrinkles, spray some plain old water on the headliner with a spray bottle. Then leave it, preferably in the sun, the heat will evaporate the water and most times will firm up the entire roof liner. I wish the last owner did that to mine, since I have a few wrinkles in one rear pillar area.

 

[Bruzilla]

I don't know that heat from the sun removes wrinkles. I know guys who've had wrinkles in their headliners for years and those are in cars that sit in the Florida heat. I think it's best to get every wrinkle out that you can during install. And from what I've seen of the pros, they used hair dryers or heat guns to heat the headliner.

 

[sleepar]

Hair dryer would be more forgiving... I'm insulating my roof and the sun won't touch it once it's installed.... but before it's in I can leave it out play with it and put it a in wrinkle free.:3some::3some:

 

[WP29440SE]

I just did mine on a 74 charger. no glue , no retainers, no wrinkles . 4 bow headliner. as Bruzilla stated , you need the rear wires on the rear bow, start from there and work your way forward , back to front , side to side. I used a blow dryer on low heat to remove wrinkles. and also , most importantly, when your bows are slid into the headliner, cut just enough material to expose the ends of the bows where they attach to the body of the car, make sure they are in the right order. the headliner will shrink over time, but you need to get all the wrinkles out now the best you can. I also used more than enough clips for the sides . take your time . mine came out beautiful

 

[Bruzilla]

The biggest thing I found is those holders for the bows. That fabric bunches up where it makes contact with the sides of the roof, and that causes wrinkles in the headliner fabric that won't go away. That's why I cut six inches off each end and then would tear the opening further as needed to keep it from bunching up.

 

[UKPlymouth]

Wow guys, really solid advice which makes me a little more confident now.
WP, you refer to lots of clips at the side. Can you clarify?
I thought the idea was to use use clothes pegs to pinch the headliner at the edges whilst any contact adhesive/glue set.
You said you used no glue. What holds the headliner at the edges?

 

[daytona71]

UK
Here is a picture (off ebay) of the clips used to hold headliner material to the side edge

 

[UKPlymouth]

Thanks, that adds up. Job for this summer then!

 

[Bruzilla]

I used a bunch of those spring-loaded paper clips but clothes pegs will work too...we just don't have many of those stateside.

I used plain contact cement to glue the sides of the headliner in place.