1940 Sedan Headliner

[mike42]

So....I bought a Lebaron Bonney Headliner Kit last Fall and just today started to tear the old one out piece by piece.

Please tell me that the big gob of cotton from the old seats that I pulled out of the front portion of the roof above the windows was not put in during assembly in May of 1940 !! What an incredible mess of cotton stuffing and mouse poop ! It filled a small plastic shopping bag.

No wonder I had a bad smell when it got warm outside. I'm hoping I don't find anymore surprises like that again !

Mike

[Ken/Alabama]

Yep, rats nest. No cotton up there from factory.

[TagMan]

Hope you were wearing a respirator when you were moving that 'stuff' around. Nasty diseases can be caused by mouse poop !

[corvette8n]

Them little critters sure do make a mess, and we spend a lot of time and money trying to keep them out of our vehicles.

[TJ]

If you can brush some POR15 or other paint(Rustoleum) up there it will help kill the smell and seal up any rust. Try to vacuum as much stuff out of there as possible before painting.

[mike42]

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No I wasn't wearing a mask, as I had no idea it was up here when I cut the liner out. Just a big ass surprise !

Good idea on painting that area.

Thx

Mike

[JSeery]

Found a snake in one of my cars headliner. It was dead, but still not to my liking!

[flatford8]

Mice and squirrels have even got into my modern vehicles. No interior damage but nests under the hood........Mark

[19Fordy]

Mike, When you install your headliner make sure you leave enough "slack" to allow it to stretch to the places where the sun visors screw.

Also, do not trim off the extra headliner material left over above the windshield until after you screw in he visors. Take it slow with patience and you will do fine.

[flatford8]

I've only lnstalled one and I think I could better on the next one. A couple things that I would is try to iron it first and have one of those small hand-held steamers handy to take out the wrinkles. That way you know if you need to tighten a little more or if it's a wrinkle. My car has seven bows and I think I should have trimmed the hole they slide thru a little and I would have been able to tighten the edges. The advice to prep the underside of your roof is spot on. A helper that understands what going on is a big help........Mark

[mike42]

Snake ? Thank God I only had mice poop and cotton badding ! Geez......

Fordy....I still have all the info you sent me last Fall and read it again. I'm taking my time and took some photos too. This will take me awhile, but I'm in no hurry.

Flat....I bought a hand steamer last Fall when I got my Headliner Kit. I just got the nerve to start all this. There is always a lot of things to do on a car, but a headliner is not something I really wanted to tackle, but what the hell !

Lastly....with the headliner out....there is that old tar paper thick material up there for sound. I'm thinking about using the new stuff with aluminum foil on it that you peel and stick. Has anyone had any experience using that ?

Thx all....Mike

[fortyfords]

Mike, make detailed pictures of the areas around the A and B pillars, it will help you a lot down the road. Especially the piping around the doors, if you follow the way the original ones are done, you will be very happy with the results. I put a Bonney in my sedan and it looked good but the last bow came across at the rear window. This prevented me from having the last part very tight, all my bows were 90 degrees to the sides. I didn't have any mice in my headliner but the car lost the old car smell with the new headliner installed. Go slow and it will come out good, listen the other 40 guy who told you about the sun visors, he is right on.

[19Fordy]

Mike:
Forgot to say:

When you are all done. Lightly Spray your new interior with Scotch Guard Repellent,
It repels water and stains. Available at Lowes and Home depot at about $8 a can.
Buty 2 and keep one as a spare.
Doesn't harm the interior at all.
Test on a scrap piece of headliner and don't rub it in.

[TJ]

Originally Posted by mike42

Snake ? Thank God I only had mice poop and cotton badding ! Geez......

Fordy....I still have all the info you sent me last Fall and read it again. I'm taking my time and took some photos too. This will take me awhile, but I'm in no hurry.

Flat....I bought a hand steamer last Fall when I got my Headliner Kit. I just got the nerve to start all this. There is always a lot of things to do on a car, but a headliner is not something I really wanted to tackle, but what the hell !

Lastly....with the headliner out....there is that old tar paper thick material up there for sound. I'm thinking about using the new stuff with aluminum foil on it that you peel and stick. Has anyone had any experience using that ?

Thx all....Mike

Beware of some of the peel and stick insulation. It may lose it's grip from the heat that is transferred from the roof. Also some of that insulation has oils in it that could bleed into the headliner. I've used the stuff that is "bubble wrap" with tin foil on each side. It's light weight and I use a real good grade of contact cement to secure it.
Also clean and sand the metal bows and give them a coat of paint so they don't rust again. This is real important , especially if you live in an area with high humidity.

[mike42]

I'm taking some photos already and I've got a few bows out and number them from front to back. I was told before to spray them and thats what I'm doing now. I was told to start in the rear and work my way to the front. Yes I will leave room for the one visor I have. It smells even better now with all that crap out !! I'm taking out the heavy tar paper also now and I've painted the front roof area over the windows with Rustoleum. I may paint more after I get that tar paper out depending on the amount of surface rust.

I'll buy the Scotch Guard when I get to that point in the venture !!

TJ....I'm thinking of that type of insulation also. I bought a quart of Weldwood as I used it before and it works well.

I'm taking my time taking out the tar paper because of all the rust and crap that is laying on it up there ! Hope there isn't any snakes !!

Thx.....Mike

[mike42]

Now that I have the inside roof finally cleaned.......what is a good roof insulation ? Anyone use Dynamat ?

Thx

[russcc]

Off but on target, or is it topic. Removing mice nests. Very good suggestions about wearing gloves and a dust mask, as the respiratory diseases you can get from mice are very dangerous. Also, I would not use a vacuum cleaner, even with a HEPA filter, as that just gets the spores airborne, and redistributes them. Like the headliner work, take it slow and careful working around mouse crap.

[TJ]

Originally Posted by mike42

Now that I have the inside roof finally cleaned.......what is a good roof insulation ? Anyone use Dynamat ?

Thx

As I recall Dynamat can be heavy and is better to be used on the floor. I still think the foil backed bubble wrap works the best. I used it on a '40 headliner and bonded to the roof with the best grade of Liquid Nails I could buy.

[mike42]

TJ.....do you have a name of the foil for me to look up ?

Russ....I'm for sure taking it slow !!

Thx..Mike

[TJ]

Mike, I don't have a name for it, but you can find it at Orchard Supply and probably other stores like Home Depot, Lowes or Menards. It comes 3 ft wide and is usually on a bulk roll in the stores. You can buy it by the foot. It's approximately 3/16" thick and has foil on both sides.