Hey guys!
The restoration progresses....
The exterior of the old PV is about 99% done, and I've moved on to the interior. My wife and I installed new soundproofing and the windlace last weekend, and I have a headliner in transit from Swedish Treasures. Does anyone know of any online guides, pics, etc. for installing new headliners? I imagine there must be something somewhere.

Failing that, has anyone done this before? What do I need to look out for? Any hints, tips, advice, etc. would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for the help!
--Ethan
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'64 PVMoneypit

Are the metal retaining rods still in the car? If so, note their location as they're all different lengths - it will save you time trying to figure out where they go, later.

Work from front to back, ideally sandwiching an equal amount of fabric into the "teeth" on both sides. Like 1/2 to 1". It's a one-shot deal because those teeth tear into the fabric. You may want to inspect the teeth for rust and take care of any you find before trying to install the new headliner, only because the rust will stain the fabric. I'm assuming you bought a perforated white headliner? (older 444 headliners were gray felt)

Is your car a 444 or a 544? The windows in the back are a slightly different size, I was told, but I managed to install a 544 headliner in my 57 444, and it doesn't look too bad.

Don't fret when you're done and it's not perfect. Nobodies is (at least that's what they told me after I installed mine - and it did make me feel better).

Cut the hole for the interior light only after you're sure you're happy with the placement. Same with the sunvisor holes.

Where my headliner has started falling out (mostly in the middle near the front windshield), I sandwiched magnetic sticker material in there to try to get it to stay put. That sort of worked.

To keep the back in place around the rear window, you will need a long spring. This feeds into the fabric. It probably won't come with your new headliner, so recycle your old one. If this spring is missing, you'll have to get creative.

good luck

Mine's a 544, and I got the perforated white vinyl headliner. That's what was collapsing from the ceiling when I bought it. Unfortunately, I think that spring at the back window got tossed out with the old headliner about 5 years ago, so I may have to see if I can track one down somewhere. I used to have a '63 parts-car as well, but that's also long gone.
I did have the foresight to keep and number the metal retaining rods when I removed those, so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm pretty sure I numbered them from front to back, so we'll see how that goes.
Thanks again for the help! One of these days I'll figure out how to post pictures on the board so you guys can take a look at the progress.....
--Ethan

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'64 PVMoneypit

uh oh


On second thought, forget my idea about getting creative; try to buy one from someone. It is a ~62 inch coiled extension spring. Here is what one end looks like:



The hooks on the ends allow you to attach it on either bottom corner of the rear window.

It looks like I might get lucky. The local vintage Volvo specialist is picking up and dismantling a couple of 544s in the next week or so, so I should be able to get everything I need. I don't recall a spring like that being installed when I pulled the old headliner, but it was 5 years ago....
-Ethan
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'64 PVMoneypit

Replacing the non-existant headliner in my '65 544 is on my agenda in the next couple months. Please let us know how it goes for you, especially the part with the spring in the back. Can't say I can even visualize what it does or where it goes.

Thanks in advance

Joe in St Louis

A little gentle work with a hair dryer will often iron out the wrinkles.