W Guy

My friend's '64 convertible has a drooping headliner on the hardtop. What is the proper way the vinyl & foam should be attached? What is glued to what? Is the foam piece available?

Thanks
Verne

frankturbo

look up " The Hardtop Shop " in Pennsy and ask for Matt , these guys are the best for all c-2 top issues

wombvette

If it is a 64 it had a hard liner, the 66,67 had the soft vinyl. The only way to fix those is to get a new one.

W Guy

That's interesting. I have no reason to believe that it isn't the original hardtop and he said it started drooping down when driving with the window open then it all just peeled away. Saddle color matches the interior.

Verne
I just checked Corvette Central and Paragon and they say it's vinyl bonded to a plastic base. Shouldn't it be possible to reglue the vinyl back on the plastic?

5thvet

New ones are only about $200. I wouldn't mess with the old one because chances are it will separate again. i got my headliner from The Hardtop Shop.

Don

W Guy

He's on a limited budget. Could someone actually answer my question?. 3M 8090 upholstery glue has saved many a car's vinyl from having to have it all replaced. I'm just asking if it is possible to reglue it to the plastic base from owners' previous experiences, or will it NOT take.

wombvette

I can assure you, if it has a soft vinyl liner , it is a 66_67, or has had the liner replaced. If that is an original liner, you have almost no chance. The vinyl is so sensitive to the glue it wrinkles and will not look good. If you try it, brush away all of the old celulose foam before you glue it, or
it is useless to do it. If it is a reproduction, you might have a chance if you keep the glue light and dry.

W Guy

Thanks. I haven't seen it yet, only heard about the issue. I'll know more about what I'm dealing with after I look it over. It's a mystery for now because I'm darn sure it's the original hardtop.

Verne

dkleather

The rear window should be dated in the lower left corner under the word " Plexiglas" and will tell you if it is in fact a 64 top. The date will be a number for the month followed by two digit year number. For judging purposes, the date should be within a year prior to the manufacture date of the car. Dave

W Guy

Thanks. That helps.
Verne

dkleather

Interested to hear what you found as the date of the hardtop....

65 Pro Vette

No matter what the date on the top is, it won't have a vinyl headliner in 64 from the factory. All headliners in 63-64 cp or convertible where a fiberglass material (like a old ceiling tile but thin) with a film of some type of paper material (also like a ceiling tile) and no one reproduces the original, no one. Not repairable either. All repros are like a hard cardboard.

W Guy

I'm waiting to hear a reply from the owner as to the numbers (dates) on the rear window.

Verne

kingwoodvette

When I restored my '63 hardtop a few years ago it had one the fiberglass insulated cardboard faced liners as described above. It had a leather grain impressed on the surface. The replacement was a stiff plastic backing with vinyl glued to the surface. Don't see how the original could be repaired.

W Guy

Heard from the owner. Dating is unreadable on the rear window. I'm waiting for photos of what's there (left) now of the headliner.
Verne

W Guy

Well, it took a while to get photos. What do you think? Is this typical of a '64 hardtop? The material has been removed.
Verne

W Guy

Well, after some people telling me it had to be a later hardtop, I was hoping for some positive identification based on those photos. Is that trim painted the same Saddle as post-'64 Saddle?

Thanks
Verne

dkleather

Can't help you on that. Someone chromed all of my interior trim on the hardtop.

W Guy

dkleather

That looks like a fabric headliner. The 63/64 liners were a hard molded cardboard type material and not fabric. Dave