1983 caprice wagon headliner finished!

Discussion in 'Cosmetic & Restoration' started by CarpenterCruiser, May 24, 2021.

  1. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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    I pulled everything out after holding out as long as possible. The headliner was so beat. After pulling it I scraped the headliner clean and that was quite the job. Got it clean and headed over to a fabric store to find my new pattern. Had to make it my own. 10 - 12 feet of headliner is a hell of a lot of real estate so it had to be right. After I did all this just about every YouTube clip and thread I read on here basically said have a professional do it because these long wagon roofs are the biggest PITA to get right. Guess I should have read those first haha. I broke some retainer clips pulling everything out and never had any luck finding new ones. I searched hi and low even on here with pet numbers I never found them. I got help from the whole family and we got the new headliner glued and secured. After that I gave up and the wagon sat for about 8 months due to not finding the clips I needed to complete the job. It seemed insurmountable. I finally called an upholsterer and asked if he could finish the job because I couldn’t bear to see the wagon sitting there doing nothing. I sent him pictures of the clips and he told me he’d have to rig something up because they don’t make them anymore from what he could find. Well I figured if he was gonna rig it then it might as well be me! So this weekend we finally finished it! It’s not perfect and there is a little sag due to the headliner cardboard being warped but I think overall it looks great! What do y’all think?


    It was a family affair.
     

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  2. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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    Headliner attached
     

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  3. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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    And for the win...installed and family fun pics. Also found this awesome wagon shirt. Perfect commemorative shirt for the era of covid haha
     

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  4. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    Nice pattern! Are you also going to do the upholstery in that pattern?
     
  5. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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    No, I don’t think so. The upholstery is holding up well so far and the brown in the pattern matches the brown in the upholstery. I think it would be too much if I did the whole thing like that.

    I really think next is breaks and exhaust.
     
  6. wagoninsane

    wagoninsane Well-Known Member

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    That looks awesome! Nice to see the whole family lend a hand to get your project complete!....Longroofs Rule!
     
  7. wagoninsane

    wagoninsane Well-Known Member

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    Oh by the way where did you find the cool t-shirt?.....Longroofs Rule!
     
  8. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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  9. wagoninsane

    wagoninsane Well-Known Member

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    Dang ! Wouldn't you know it, all they have left in stock is small and medium! I was able to "backorder " a larger size......Longroofs Rule! Oh yeah thanks for the info.
     
  10. HotRodRacer

    HotRodRacer Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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    Great job on that project, it came out really nice!

    Do you have any of the broken retainer clips still lying around that you could send me? I'd like to try and make a mold and cast some from resin and see how it goes.
     
  11. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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    Thanks!!!

    I'm not sure if I still do. I will look. If I do I'm happy to send you some. If you make them I'd love to purchase a few from you!
     
  12. HotRodRacer

    HotRodRacer Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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    I have no problem sending a few back to you to test. I have nothing to test them on, but I like playing with obsolete parts. If you find any PM me and I will PM you back my address.
     
  13. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    In this vein, does someone have a 3D printer? One of the cast pieces could be scanned to make a rapid prototyping file (I think that's what it's called), then a 3D printer can turn new ones out quickly.
     
  14. CarpenterCruiser

    CarpenterCruiser Member

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    that’s actually an awesome idea! The era we live in. Ain’t all crap I guess lol.
     
  15. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    I'm finding out that rapid prototyping is getting used in so many fields. I'm a model railroader, in HO scale, and some of the things I've seen made are astounding.
     

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