65 Mustang Restoration
(Sorry, a few months late)
(Sorry, a few months late)
The headliner was not an item that I was looking forward to doing. But before I could jump into all of that fun,, there were other items that needed to be done first.
Since this car can't have enough sound deadener in it,, we added a bit more in the B Pillars & then the factory style layer of insulation over that.
You can see where we ran the power wire,, I figured that I'll just tap into the lights that come on under the dash. They say the easiest way to locate the mounting holes once the headliner is in, is to screw the mounting screws into the holes before installing the headliner,, then you just feel for them later. And this goes for all items that screw through the headliner, like the mirror, coat hooks, and sun visors.
Finally, it's time for the dreaded headliner. Prior to this, I have spent several hours researching & watching videos on how to do this properly,,, Brent & I basically used a combination of several techniques. I also pre-ordered a set of new bows & 15' of new windlace (which I cut into 1" & 2" pieces). The pieces will be used as temporary clamps while stretching the headliner in all directions.
A centering line was drawn down the middle & the bows were installed (much trimming needs to be done).
You basically install the bows into their appropriate holes, add the 2 little wires to the back, then stretch it forward, then backwards, then side to side.
Once the four sides are stretched & clamped,, then you do the sail panels,, this can be tricky, but doable.
Once everything is stretched & fitted,,, then you just glue on section at a time and Vwoala,, headliner-b-done!
I admit,, I had to refer back to Post #40 for this next installment,, the rear quarter windows. I had acquired 3 sets of rear quarter windows so I could pick & chose the best ones. Once those were selected, I disassembled the glass section & installed new rubber seals, and polished the stainless rails & chrome frames,,, then lubed the daylights out of the tracks, installed the units, and then adjusted them for proper alignment,,, it all went quite well.
Part of final assembly also includes some disassembly,,, mainly, the front fenders so that we can properly apply several coats of Eastwood's Undercoat/Sound Deadener. I think we used 3 cans just on the fenders alone, with twice as much dedicated to the areas that the front tires might throw a rock and hit them.
After everything was dry, we re-attached the front end parts, got everything aligned properly, then installed the front & rear splash shields. We then applied several more cans of the coating to those areas, along with the areas of the inner fender wells.
We finally got to start adding all of those small detail parts that have been hiding in the closet for several years.
I was worried a bit about installing the rocker panel trim & emblems,,, I found out, you just need to take your time and use the old adage, measure twice, cut one.
With the exception of the headlights,,, all of the lights on this car have or will be upgraded to LED lights,, including the sequential tail lights. FYI,,, when putting all of the parts on, be prepared to spend a bunch of extra time for EVERYTHING! Heck, it took several days to finally locate the style of license plate trim brackets that Looked & Fit very nicely(Autozone,, who knew?). It's the details like that, that will kick your butt,,, even finding the appropriate matching screws that mount them.
One of the safety additions we wanted for the car, was a metal separator that goes between the rear seat & fuel tank. After I fit it into place, I coated it on both sides, added sound deadener to the cockpit side & a black vinyl to the trunk side.
Also a good idea at this time to test fit the new rear seat that we re-did.
We also added 2 new large panels up on the underside of the roof. Notice the red wire,,, since 65's didn't come factory with an overhead dome light (even though the center support beam is already drilled for one), I decided to install a new Scott Drake Dome Light.
You can see where we ran the power wire,, I figured that I'll just tap into the lights that come on under the dash. They say the easiest way to locate the mounting holes once the headliner is in, is to screw the mounting screws into the holes before installing the headliner,, then you just feel for them later. And this goes for all items that screw through the headliner, like the mirror, coat hooks, and sun visors.
Finally, it's time for the dreaded headliner. Prior to this, I have spent several hours researching & watching videos on how to do this properly,,, Brent & I basically used a combination of several techniques. I also pre-ordered a set of new bows & 15' of new windlace (which I cut into 1" & 2" pieces). The pieces will be used as temporary clamps while stretching the headliner in all directions.
A centering line was drawn down the middle & the bows were installed (much trimming needs to be done).
You basically install the bows into their appropriate holes, add the 2 little wires to the back, then stretch it forward, then backwards, then side to side.
Once the four sides are stretched & clamped,, then you do the sail panels,, this can be tricky, but doable.
I admit,, I had to refer back to Post #40 for this next installment,, the rear quarter windows. I had acquired 3 sets of rear quarter windows so I could pick & chose the best ones. Once those were selected, I disassembled the glass section & installed new rubber seals, and polished the stainless rails & chrome frames,,, then lubed the daylights out of the tracks, installed the units, and then adjusted them for proper alignment,,, it all went quite well.
Part of final assembly also includes some disassembly,,, mainly, the front fenders so that we can properly apply several coats of Eastwood's Undercoat/Sound Deadener. I think we used 3 cans just on the fenders alone, with twice as much dedicated to the areas that the front tires might throw a rock and hit them.
After everything was dry, we re-attached the front end parts, got everything aligned properly, then installed the front & rear splash shields. We then applied several more cans of the coating to those areas, along with the areas of the inner fender wells.
We finally got to start adding all of those small detail parts that have been hiding in the closet for several years.
I was worried a bit about installing the rocker panel trim & emblems,,, I found out, you just need to take your time and use the old adage, measure twice, cut one.
With the exception of the headlights,,, all of the lights on this car have or will be upgraded to LED lights,, including the sequential tail lights. FYI,,, when putting all of the parts on, be prepared to spend a bunch of extra time for EVERYTHING! Heck, it took several days to finally locate the style of license plate trim brackets that Looked & Fit very nicely(Autozone,, who knew?). It's the details like that, that will kick your butt,,, even finding the appropriate matching screws that mount them.
One of the safety additions we wanted for the car, was a metal separator that goes between the rear seat & fuel tank. After I fit it into place, I coated it on both sides, added sound deadener to the cockpit side & a black vinyl to the trunk side.
Also a good idea at this time to test fit the new rear seat that we re-did.
A JBL Amp was mounted to the back of the trunk panel,,, the hole below is for the special 4-channel input cable from the radio.
And the last thing that we started to install into the car, was all of the brand new wiring.
As you can see, we also installed the 1" thick firewall insulation pad, all of the new switches, the wiper assembly(do that 1st), the driver's side new vent assembly, brake pedal bracket, and the steering column. Everything else will have to wait until next season.
And the final item for 2015, was to put the car away for the winter. So we loaded up the car and put it into storage.
Right before I put the car away, I saw a show on TV & it showed a bunch of cars stored in blow-up bubbles, so I did my research and was surprised to see how inexpensive they were to own & operate.
You can buy these in several places,, this cover is by Car Capsule. I bought the 16" long version,,, besides keeping dust & other items from landing on it, it also helps with moisture, since the $1.50 a month to operate 12v motor is constantly running. This is a really sweet item & I'm glad I bought one.
CYA until next season,, Season 6
As you can see, we also installed the 1" thick firewall insulation pad, all of the new switches, the wiper assembly(do that 1st), the driver's side new vent assembly, brake pedal bracket, and the steering column. Everything else will have to wait until next season.
And the final item for 2015, was to put the car away for the winter. So we loaded up the car and put it into storage.
Right before I put the car away, I saw a show on TV & it showed a bunch of cars stored in blow-up bubbles, so I did my research and was surprised to see how inexpensive they were to own & operate.
You can buy these in several places,, this cover is by Car Capsule. I bought the 16" long version,,, besides keeping dust & other items from landing on it, it also helps with moisture, since the $1.50 a month to operate 12v motor is constantly running. This is a really sweet item & I'm glad I bought one.
CYA until next season,, Season 6
