I was about to put my new headliner into my '69, when my hand brushed against the old padding under the roof as I was attempting to install one of the bows. Much to my dismay, the padding under the headliner, which I thought was in descent condition, started to fall out in chunks. "Oh great", I thought, "another project." 20 mins later I had used my shop vac, and completely vacuumed out all the old padding from the underside of the roof.

In my quest to keep my costs down, I came across a crazy idea. Instead of putting back nasty jute padding back, why not try something else. I thought about buying two $5 accordian-style dash protectors (the ones that look like aluminum foil on the outside, are semi-thick, lightweight, and fold up for storage), cutting them up and then using contact cement to glue the pieces where the old padding used to be.

Does anyone see any problems with this approach? Will the contact cement not survive in the heat in south Texas as eventually it will drop the new pad into my headliner, or should it hold?

Also, if anyone has a better idea for what I should use for padding up there, I would love to know.

Thanks,
Thomas

You've spent 25K on your restoration and you think this is a good idea?

LOL Hush Q!

You got any better ideas?

You need a convertible. Then you won't have to hassle with the headliner.

the bars that run across should keep it from coming down.if you had a convertable,you would have many different problems...

Thomas, on our old Volvo (`54 tp21) we had 1/8" styrofoam glued to the roof under the headliner, no problem in Texas heat....insulated ,sound and some heat..
of course as Q says , you`ve spent $xxx on it...but its not going to show!
on the other hand , he`s right , you need a convertible! LOL

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> You've spent 25K on your restoration and you think this is a good idea? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> You need a convertible. Then you won't have to hassle with the headliner.
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yea, Thomas, go spend another $25K

Kel

1st let me tell you what WON'T work - Dynamat. Tried it on my '80 Trans Am. The glue is not strong enough.

I got that sheet jute fiber material with the single layer of aluminum on one side. Everyone sells it - Eastwood, Classic Industries, even J.C. Whitney.

Cut it to fit, sprayed one side with 3M super uphostery glue, and it worked like a charm. I even used it in my old Ford pickup where it serves as THE headliner. That truck sits outside and bakes in the Phoenix sun. Never had a problem.

Thanks for the good info.

Any of you hippies that want me to "just get a convertible" willing to give me yours?

Yeah this car cost me a lot more than I originally estimated, but don't they all? In the end thought, it will be worth it. There will seriously not be a bolt left untouched on this car, or a mechanical piece not refurbished or rebuilt. For less than the cost of many new cars nowadays I will be driving an essentially new classic ride.

The only problem is you can't FINANCE your restoration on your classic car.... monthly payments over 5 years would have been REALLY nice.

The ONLY way I will ever get to spend money on a classic car again in my life is if I get my wife a 1967 Corvette Stingray, or some convertible. (I am trying to get her interested in a 67/68 convert Bird...)

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Yeah this car cost me a lot more than I originally estimated, but don't they all? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">answer: YES!
and they`re never "finished"

Thomas -

I saw your pictures. If my car EVER looks as good as yours does, I will consider it a miracle. Your attention to details, and your tenacity to get it done right, is very impressive. My attempt at the back-handed compliment might have been out of line.

I was going to suggest exactly what Salmon did - but I don't have the experience with it to back it up.

By the way, if I give a convertible to you, do you promise to do as good a job on it?

Q,

Thank you for the complement. I didn't take offense to anything you said. (Although seeing the $25k on the screen really drives the wooden stake in... OUCH!)

Trust me, there are days when I just get so frustrated at little things that want to scream and throw in the towel.

BTW, seriously, I would HAPPILY take on your convertible project, I just don't know if my wife would let it leave the house once it got here.

Relax.

I have an Excel spreadsheet all detailed out with the parts and services I need (will need) in order to complete my car.

Including the purchase price, the bottom line on my spread sheet is just above $40,000.

And you COULD finance your restoration. You could take out a home equity loan or line of credit. But good luck convincing your significant other that is a good use of that money.

Point out that it is an investment, and unlike the stock market you can INSURE your investment! The interest rates for home equity are low, and the pleasure derived from your car is priceless!

And don't let the bottom line make your decision for you. In 1984 I bought an original 440-6 pack 'Cuda (actually traded for a $225 parts car I needed to get rid of). I pulled a running engine out of another car and Frankensteined some wiring harnesses to get it on the road, then set out on my quest to assemble a numbers-correct, date-correct drivetrain. $1300 later I had the engine done (a whole lot of money at $3.35/hour!) and started on the interior.

By then, good interior parts were getting harder to find, and repro companies like Year One were just starting to offer parts. They were also expensive. My spreadsheet showed that it would take about $20,000 to finish the car, and when done it would be worth...about $20,000. So I caved in to demands and sold the car I couldn't afford to finish in 1996, for $4500. Financially I did great, I made a significant profit and had a great time.

In 1997, prices skyrocketed, and the car AS IT SAT would have brought over $15,000, and now, if restored, would bring well over $50,000. I can never replace it.

Vikki,

Will YOU marry me? LOL!

Or at least come talk to my wife!

Vikki defines "Car Gal!"

Thomas,

Something else you can use....same stuff as the jute sold by the auto places....got to home depot and get some water heater insulation. It's jute with the foil bonded to one side. I used 2 rolls to do me floors, firewall, and roof.

Drew

I'll come and talk to your wives if y'all come and talk to my husband...he is NOT a car guy, but he does like driving the 'Bird!

First day on the road! Spring is officially here! (Slow brake job )

After hearing how much a few here have invested in their bird restoration, I got to wondering, what is the resale value for a fully restored 68/400 Coupe with automatic, PS,PB no A/C?

Those who did a speadsheet up front are cheating, but that's the smart way to go, I guess.

What you put into restoring a car is NEVER what you will get out of it if you sell it.

They sell thin insulation by the sheet for about $5. It is coated on one side and flexable that will also work.
I would put the right stuff in it myself,but that's another choice if your looking to save money.

I think that it's a darn good idea to find ways to save money, especailly in areas that aren't visible.

Don't use 3M Spray glue. It sux! Use contact cement, such as carpet glue.

I used the same stuff as Drew used on my floors. It's excellent as far as making it conform to the floors. It's one heck of a lot lighter than the thick tar paper that's used on "correct" restorations, and it provides tenfold the insulation qualities. The only downside, however, is that it doesn't offer the noise barrier of the tar paper.