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Veteran
Posts: 101
Location: Palm Beach County Florida | The local upholstery shop finally installed the new headliner. I will tell this sad tale at a later date. Right now, they are stuck after reinstalling the back glass that had to be removed to replace the headliner. They cannot install the trim that surrounds the back glass and fits into the weatherstrip. The good book (Chapter 3, page 66) instructs the technician to install the moldings using the “pull cord” method. Has anyone done this? What is the trick? They can’t get it to fit.
After the headaches with the headliner and the back glass they are ready to push my car into the street and calling me to come get it.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 649
 
Location: Finland | This is a nightmare to install , ar least it has always been to me. The possibility to get it right depends on the seal and the stainless molding.
I must admit I have a couple of times used a lot of polyurethane glue to hold the molding. It works too but it is not so fun to do.
I kind of understand the shop , it is a time consuming job and difficult to charge for fully . |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
Location: Ponder, TX | That was the most difficult thing to do on my '56 Plymouth. I eventually hired a glass installer from a shop that specializes in old cars. He fought for about three hours to get the glass in place, but wanted nothing to do with installing the trim. I struggled off and on for weeks, even trying to make a tool to help hold it in position. All in all, it was a half-assed job that doesn't make me proud, but the glass is in and at this point, that's all I care about!
The mistake your headliner installer made was removing the glass per the manual. While it's difficult, the headliner pain is far less than reinstalling the glass. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9654
 
Location: So. Cal | You need to have strong hands, lots of stamina, and lots of lube in the gasket and on the trim. I installed the upper trim on my '56 Belvedere by starting in the center and working my way down on both sides. The last bit at the corners is the hard part. It helps to have 2 strong people to get it into place. But I did it by myself, with a lot of effort. You can see what I wrote about it on my thread, midway down on the first page.
http://forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=74478&star...
The rope trick involves putting the rope into the gasket and pulling it out as you push the trim in, but it doesn't sound very easy either. But one thing is for sure, that you have to work your way, bit by bit, to get it in. It doesn't just pop in all at once, except at the very last part; which is hard to accomplish. |
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Veteran
Posts: 101
Location: Palm Beach County Florida | After all this aggravation, I should have just sewed the open seam in the headliner. It would look like an old man who had a heart bypass.
The mechanic who did such a beautiful job installing my A/C last year, said that the easiest way to install the glass was to install the weatherstrip in the opening, THEN install the trim into the weatherstrip and THEN install the glass using the rope method. He also said that he would never do one again.
I spent 2 hours yesterday and only got 2 feet of the trim installed.
So I made the rounds of the local hot rod shops and they unanimously recommended a glass shop two towns over, with an 'old school' owner. He agreed with my mechanic on the installation method, but he is booked for weeks. He appears to be my last hope. |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13045
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | If that trim has the same principle as the 57, then it's a drama. I mounted the trim on a 57 Saratoga. I used rust solvent 556 for to soften and oil up the rubber, and painfully pushed the trim in place. |
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Back Glass Trim Install 56 CRL
