pmsjr

Out of the ordinary, but does anyone know what the original interior panels, the one between the t-tops specifically, was made from, and if it can be molded back into shape? Maybe with heat?

I have a 1980, with that original panel. Towards the rear, the curved part, where it gets painted black to blend in with rear window surround, it has gotten a bit warped/started to flatten. Not massive, but while I have it apart I’d like to tighten things up, and also some re-dying. I’ll get a picture attached shortly.

I don’t know how it got that way. The car has sat for quite a while and had some minor water leaks. I am assuming some combination of a little moisture, a little sun/heat, and 40+ years of gravity, are to blame.

Before I risk doing more harm than good, does anyone know if you can gently reform that material?

Eliredandblack

I have had decent reshaping and bending of the removal the original hard top( vinyl covered egg crate ) liner. If your trim part is the same material you may employ this method. The oem headliners are paper (like old egg crate material covered with vinyl and then injected with foam. Use a heat gun set on the lowest setting and heat up sections of the trim you want to reshape. The secret is to KEEP the heat gun moving all the time. Once you get an area hot, then use padded clamps to hold the trim piece bend the way you want it. I used pieces of cloth to wrap the clamp pads to avoid marks on the vinyl. In your case I would set the trim on a plywood sheet and have large shims underneath to give you the desired bend you want, when you place the clamps. Go slow and make small bends at each sitting. Leave the clamps on for two hours.

pmsjr

Eliredandblack,
That’s basically what I was thinking, but was going to try a piece of larger conduit as the form to clamp to and get the curve. I’ll give it a shot later this week.
New versions of that piece are nearly $300, so I figure it’s completely worth trying something first!
Thanks,
Pete