Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

[1967 'cuda]

The new headliner has about six inches of extra material on each side. It's main purpose is to give you something to grab hold of as you stretch the material. With the 2 wire hooks holding the back bow in place we proceeded to pull on the front of the headliner. We had been making certain that our centering marks were staying aligned. Once we had the front center hooked on those 'teeth' we had one guy stand outside of the car on each side and stretch the material towards the corners as the inside guy continued to hook more and more of the leading edge of the headliner onto more teeth. If you're not familiar with those teeth, they resemble the teeth on a saw blade and work similarly to those tack strips that are used for laying carpet in a house. I didn't get any good pictures of them. This picture is somewhat similar and is of a Duster.

Some care has to be taken when hooking the fabric on those teeth. Because each tooth makes a small cut in the material you wouldn't want to do much repositioning. I tried to get a nice even unwrinkled stretch going before I hooked onto each tooth.

With the front attached we repeated the procedure on the back tack strip teeth.

With the front and back attached we turned our attention to the sides. As I sat inside the car I pulled the material out over the seam that the little metal clips would lock the material to.

With the perimeter of the headliner secured it was easy to see all the areas where the material wasn't allowed to stretch enough. Some slits were necessary to prevent wrinkles. I was careful not to make my cuts too far. The perimeter where the material would not lay flat was usually around curved openings but I also had to make some cuts in the material that would be beneath the sail panels.

Before cutting off our excess material we attached some of the trimwork. We really didn't need to but we wanted to make sure that we could find all of the holes for our trim screws. By doing it in this order it meant we'd still have enough material there so that we could have a peek beneath the headliner if we needed to.

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[1967 'cuda]

We readjusted our side clips a few times until we had the fewest wrinkles. After we had everything the best we could we went ahead and removed the trim so we could cut off our excess material. These pictures show the worst of the wrinkles we have left. The final step to do is to use a heat gun to get rid of these remaining wrinkles. We didn't have one and tried to use a hair dryer instead. It did help but it wasn't very powerful. I'm confident that when we get a proper gun the rest of the wrinkles will disappear. From all of the instructional videos we've watched, we've seen far worse wrinkling removed after the gun was used.

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[ariffle]

Fantastic job!
also a good writeup.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Fantastic job!

also a good writeup.

It's darn near craptastic! LOL. The upholstery shop told Ray they wanted $375 to do the install if he supplied the headliner. He's a cheap bastard like me.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I forgot to include some of the details of the work we did.

Although there is supposed to be two of those wire-like hooks that locate the rear bow, there was only one on the GTX. Ray had a '71 Sport Satellite that he uses for a parts car. When he checked it he found that there was only one on it too. We pulled the one from the Satellite so that we'd have two to use.

There were only six of those clips that hold the headliner sides in place (three on each side). It helps to use more to keep the material stretched tight. We took all of them off of his parts car so that we had a total of twelve.

There is an adhesive that we used to hold the edges of the material in place after we had everything hooked. The most notable location is on the front A-pillars. They sell a spray on version of the adhesive but we chose to use a brush on style so that we could control the mess.

 

[SNKEBIT]

. They sell a spray on version of the adhesive but we chose to use a brush on style so that we could control the mess.

Because you are a messy guy, we have proof of that in this thread.........
Messy, messy.:cheers:

 

[1967 'cuda]

. They sell a spray on version of the adhesive but we chose to use a brush on style so that we could control the mess.

Because you are a messy guy, we have proof of that in this thread.........
Messy, messy.:cheers:

Maybe that's why Ray insisted on controlling the applicator...

I prefer to call it controlled chaos. My garage is like a herd of cats and I'm the cat herder.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I finally had a chance to get back to the Duster windshield today. BIG BIG thanks to ssba for his advice on installation! Everything would have been OK if I had been more vigilant watching the ENTIRE perimeter of the glass. That left front corner issue could have been avoided if I'd have caught it earlier. I was able to tuck it back into place by pushing the seal farther in underneath the glass with a screwdriver. I was ultra careful not to apply too much pressure against the glass at any single point and I NEVER used any metal tools directly against the windshield.

I cleaned the inside of the trim and made sure that the lip (that is held by clips) was in good shape. I used a silver pencil on the car to mark the locations of the clips. It popped into place easily and I was done.

 

[ssba]

Glad to hear all is a success John. The first time installing glass can be
scary. I once had a customer with a 6 figure 51 Merc watch me hammer his rear
glass into place with a 4 lb hand sledge and a rolled up bath towel due to a incorrect roof chop . He about jumped out of his skin.
But once you know what breaks glass and what you can get away with it isn't
scary at all. I warned him he may want to leave the room for the process to save
the wear and tear on his heart. Didn't heed the warning.
Nice to see your constant forward movement on all your projects. Seems all I get done
is customers rides. Not much room left for my own most of the time around here.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I'm cursed! I was so proud of the fact that I'd gotten the windshield replaced by myself that I decided to give the Duster a wash. There was plenty of sticky soap residue smeared on the front cowl and glass that it needed a bath.

Within a few seconds of the cold water from the hose hitting the windshield, it cracked. :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: Maybe God doesn't hate me. Maybe He just likes yanking my chain...

We work on these cars for the love of it? Knitting is starting to look more and more appealing.

At least the helmet looks good with the car now.

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[1967 'cuda]

Glad to hear all is a success John. The first time installing glass can be

scary. I once had a customer with a 6 figure 51 Merc watch me hammer his rear
glass into place with a 4 lb hand sledge and a rolled up bath towel due to a incorrect roof chop . He about jumped out of his skin.
But once you know what breaks glass and what you can get away with it isn't
scary at all. I warned him he may want to leave the room for the process to save
the wear and tear on his heart. Didn't heed the warning.
Nice to see your constant forward movement on all your projects. Seems all I get done
is customers rides. Not much room left for my own most of the time around here.

You spoke too soon. And despite your advice I still managed to screw it up. I wonder... ... - I had noticed that the new windshield had some jagged edges on it. Do you suppose that was why it cracked?

 

[ssba]

Sounds like a chip of the old glass may have got over looked and left in the rubber channel.
sorry to hear this. Sharp edges are normal, jagged are not. It may have been bumped on the edge before install in that area. It would give it a place to start a crack. Ugh.
By the way I really like your helmet. I hope to do one up 70s someday myself.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Sounds like a chip of the old glass may have got over looked and left in the rubber channel.

sorry to hear this. Sharp edges are normal, jagged are not. It may have been bumped on the edge before install in that area. It would give it a place to start a crack. Ugh.
By the way I really like your helmet. I hope to do one up 70s someday myself.

I'm certain that I didn't have any old chips in the rubber seal. I cleaned every square inch of it prior to using it.

The edge of my glass was sharp of course, but it also had chipped edges when I picked it up from the warehouse. I thought that maybe one of those jagged spots might have spread.

I had actually thought about sanding them down before I installed the glass. I am so unfamiliar with glass installation that I told myself that I was being overly concerned and put it in as is.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I'm n my way to Pender, Nebraska. It's an hour and a half trip each way. Someone advertized a used roll up truck tarp for a short box Chevy truck. I'm hoping that I can successfully modify it to fit the 'Lil Red.

 

[ssba]

It sounds like the crack may have been started before you began being a jagged edge.
Glass installs has a way of making about anyone feel cursed at times.
I've cracked a few for various reasons early on learning.

 

[sireland67]

Sorry you broke the glass.
I have probably put in a 100 windshields.
I only broke one and it was because I got in a hurry. And it did not break until the hot sun hit it.
Glass is fluid and is always moving. It actually needs to float in the rubber.
My guess is your repo glass was too large or some scale in the window channel broke it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Sorry you broke the glass.

I have probably put in a 100 windshields.
I only broke one and it was because I got in a hurry. And it did not break until the hot sun hit it.
Glass is fluid and is always moving. It actually needs to float in the rubber.
My guess is your repo glass was too large or some scale in the window channel broke it.

I was going to joke about it being an inch too wide when I was trying to shoehorn it into the opening. Do they actually ever send them out too wide?

 

[1967 'cuda]

Well, I got back from picking up the roller cover. I paid $225 for it and it cost me about $25 in gas to go get it. I hope I haven't wasted my money. I'll have to do some measuring to see how much I'll have to narrow it to fit my box. A custom made roll cover was way out of my price range. But if it doesn't work, it's an expensive addition to the iron pile.

I haven't cleaned it up yet. I already know that the length should work. It's the width that needs to be changed. I need to be 9" narrower. After I get all of my measurements taken, I'll have to start taking it apart to see what is inside the box (springs, shaft, etc...) and figure out if narrowing it is viable. The aluminum structure beneath the vinyl doesn't look too hard to cut but I'll have to determine how that vinyl is attached to it also.


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[1967 'cuda]

After disassembling the roll up tarp I found that the box assembly is actually the easy part to narrow. It's the tarp that will be more difficult.

The number of components is pretty small. I had expected to see some wild spring assembly inside of that box. Instead all there was inside was a hollow 4" diameter PVC pipe. The spring is contained in one of the end caps. So cutting a 9" off of one of the ends is easy.

The box itself is a black plastic U-channel that has formed aluminum end caps riveted to it. Cutting 9" off of one end will also be simple.

The lid for the box is another matter. It is a formed plastic with an aluminum framework underneath. If I cut off one end it will look unfinished. I most likely will have to section out 9" from the middle and finish it off with a band of some sorts. There was some cosmetic damage to that area anyway.

The side rails will pretty much stay intact. After I narrow everything else I'll do some trial fitting to see if I need to trim any length from them but I think they're pretty close to correct now. The assembly allows for some adjustment.

The tarp is constructed of a series of interlocking aluminum panels. You can see where there is wear on them from moving through the side rails. Cutting them down won't be my problem. The vinyl is stapled to the aluminum. I'm not sure if I can reproduce the same fastening method. There are 98 of those staples on each side. I removed one staple so far. It appears to be made of aluminum also.

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[1967 'cuda]

My first step was to measure and mark the box that houses the tarp. I was trying to be as conservative as possible when I decided on shortening it by 9 &1/4". I drilled out the rivets on the one end cap next. Then I went ahead and used my 3" cutoff wheel.

I took the shortened box out to the truck for a test fit. Although I could get it in place, it didn't allow enough room for the end bolts that will hold the inner tube. Another 3/4" off should be an ideal width.

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[sireland67]

I was going to joke about it being an inch too wide when I was trying to shoehorn it into the opening. Do they actually ever send them out too wide?

Yes I have seen them the wrong size.
I have also seen them with the wrong contour that would cause an instant water leak.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Yes I have seen them the wrong size.

I have also seen them with the wrong contour that would cause an instant water leak.

I'll have to remember to inspect any new glass more closely. I'm still not certain that I didn't cause the break but I was extremely cautious with the way I handled it. The act of slapping it with my palm to seat it made me nervous.

I'm tempted to try one of those glass fixing methods I'd seen online.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I spent the day working on the roll tarp again. It's not done yet but I did get everything narrowed so that I could test fit it. It still needs to be shortened. The overall length is tricky to determine. This cover was originally made to fit a conventional bed so the back end will need some tweaking to allow for my tailgate design. Before I start cutting off any of the length I need to make certain that I can get it to lip over my tailgate. The existing side rails stop the tarp from coming back far enough.

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[ariffle]

COOL, John!!!!!

 

[Abodybomber]

I spent the day working on the roll tarp again. It's not done yet but I did get everything narrowed so that I could test fit it. It still needs to be shortened. The overall length is tricky to determine. This cover was originally made to fit a conventional bed so the back end will need some tweaking to allow for my tailgate design. Before I start cutting off any of the length I need to make certain that I can get it to lip over my tailgate. The existing side rails stop the tarp from coming back far enough.

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Nice find!
You found another option, and are in the action ,of fitting it. '67 ,Kudos for thinking ,outside the box!