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MG MGA - Coupe Headliner

I would appreciate any guidance towards installing a coupe headliner. Specifically, where to begin, where the glue points are, what glue to use, how the front attaches using the spring clips. Does the headliner install before or after glass is installed?
Tom Balutis

Hi tom, i have the same question, i'm just about to install mine too.

Cheers,

Jean Marc
Jean Marc

The headliner is installed before any glass. The rubber gasket lip covers the edge. It is glued at the edges of the front and rear glass openings and the door opening. See Workshop Manual Section S.16. The factory recommendation is to use rubber cement. Put it in place on the wire lists and test fit it before doing any glueing. Then just brush glue on the metal panel and about 1" of the fabric edge and follow the manual's instruction of working from the centre to the edges(it is much like contact cement). To keep things in place while working you might want to temporarily clip the unglued edges to their openings. I think I used those spring type paper clips for this. You could probably use contact cement or spray adhesive, though the spray might be a bit messy and I am not so sure of the compatability of contact cement solvents with some materials. Did your car have the insulation pad above the headliner? There was some discussion about this a while back.
John DeWolf

John,

Thanks for the tip, esp. about the clips. Yes, I did access the archives and you are right, there is an in-depth discussion on this. My car came to me as a shell. I suppose there are pros and cons of the insulation panel. I'm not decided on this, yet.
Tom Balutis

Thanks for the answers,

Jean Marc
Jean Marc

To add to these comments,
There are 5 spring clips that attach the front edge of the headliner to the top. They just push into the holes in the doubler rib above the windshield opening. On my original headliner there did not appear to be any glue on this surface, only the spring clips and the trim strip holding it in place.
Regards,
GTF

G T Foster

I am the second owner of my 57 MGA Coupe. First ...YES..it did come with an insulation sheet glued to the metal inside top of the roof. It did not cover the whole surface of the roof and was centered in the highest point. It was made of a similar material as the pads used to cushion the spare tire in the trunk.The size of the pad was app. two feet x two feet and about one inch thick. When I get around to doing my headliner I will install either more of this pad in larger quantity or Dynamat sound proofing..or possably both. This will help keep the coupe cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and it will not be visible. Second...where do you find workshop manuel section S-16. I have an orgional service manuel. Is that where it is?...Next..My coupe came with a white vynile perforated material and has metal bar crossing the center. Finally if you think it is going to be fun to replace the headliner wait till you start trying to install the windshield glass. YYYOOOOWWW. Gord
gordon

Gordon- Section 16 is in my manual in the body section,but the pages in my book are not in order. It's titled "Removing The Head liner(coupe)". The part I like is, Reassembly is a reversal of the dismantling procedure. But Tom,it advises you to use rubber cement, work from the rear to the front and from the center to the sides. I put a pad back in mine because one was there.The only way to keep a coupe cool is to make a roadster out of it,as so much heat radiates from the transmission tunnel and engine compartment and then has nowhere to go.It all makes up for it's self in the fall when it's about 50 out, you pull up in your shirt sleeves and your friends in their roadsters have their parkas on,because by then they have forgoten how wilted you looked the last time out! Gary
gary starr

When I did my Coupe, I found that the headliner was the hardest part by far in the entire restoration. I used the heavy black spring paper clips and prefit the headliner to the car before any glueing. Mine was a Moss headliner and it was a very poor fit. After completely installing the headliner and windshields, I just could not live with the poor fit and removed everything and purchased a Scarborough Faire headliner. It was much better although still very hard to get it fit good. It would have been impossible to install without glueing to every contact point. A friend is doing a coupe and his headliner was clipped to the roof with small flat clips all around the top. I found that installing the windshields, having to do it twice, was not that difficult with help from a friend.

John
62 Roadster
60 Coupe
54 TF
John Progess

John and others:
I, perhaps unfortunately, am in possession of a new, not yet installed, Moss headliner. I already have to deal with the problem of the bow loops not being large enough. Now, John is yet another testimony to general poor fitting of Moss headliners. Can anyone provide positive feedback on the MM headliner? Should I just scrap it and go with the SF or someone else's part? The job sounds tough enough with being handicapped by a poor fitting part.
Not to sound too bitter, but, my pile of unusable or just plain poor quality new parts is beginning to annoy me.
Regards,
GTF
G T Foster

Ummm,
make the "without being handicapped by..."
GTF
G T Foster

GTF- Keep in mind that my car was restored in the 80's so I'm sure things have changed,(at that time Moss was the only one who had a headliner). But my 1st headliner from Moss was all wrong. The metal bowes did not even fit in the pockets( same as yours I guess) and the whole thing was too long in the rear and too short in the front. That said however I returned it and the second one was much nicer and to this day still in great shape.Now as I think about it maybe they are like holiday fruit cakes in that there are only about a dozen of them, and all us coupe owners keep buying them then returning them and the whole cycle continues------ but anyway if the bowes dont fit odds are its sewn wrong all over.Any chance of returning it? Gary
gary starr

Gary,
I suppose there's a chance I could return it. But, I suspect, not a very good one since I bought it a couple of years ago. I did inspect it when I got it, but obviously should have been more thorough. Guess I better take the time to do a close comparison with the old liner and perhaps a trial fit.
I try to buy stuff ahead of time, maybe catch it when it's on sale. I've now been burned several times by this so a word to the wise.... I suppose I should know better than to "trust" that the parts are correct even when their sold by a reputable oufit. Still, is seems like, being in the restoration business, suppliers would have done their homework.
Regards,
GTF
G T Foster

Gary,
I was able to return my headliner kit even after I installed it. Moss is really good about that. My problem was that it was too short and I had to stretch it like crazy just to get it to fit and in the rear I could not get rid of the puckers no matter what I tried. The material is much thinner than the unit from Scarborough Faire. Good luck and have a good day.

John
John Progess

Keep your receipts...Moss has been good about it. Nobody is perfect...it's how they deal with after the fact that counts. Some of the problems misfits have caused are not easily forgivable/forgotten...lets not go there...again.
GTF...if they don't work with you on it (and you have the receipt)...re-post so we'll know who to order from now. I always buy in advance too, so I'm betting there are a LOT of us that do.
Gary..."they are like holiday fruit cakes"...that's hilarious!
Cheers
Jon Bachelor

This thread was discussed between 30/11/2004 and 08/12/2004

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