Upholstery Question

C

connecticut mike

Member
Good evening.

Should the upholstery panel above the windshield be vertical, or is it tilted from top to bottom. My CRS prevents me from remembering what the original was like before I removed the upholstery panels several months ago

On my '30 coupe the turned-up lip portion of the metal molding along the bottom edge of the header protrudes toward the inside of the car about 9/32" beyond the steel strip and wood header that the upholstery panel covers. When the panel is put in place as far upward as it can go, it covers the metal lip. This combination causes the panel to tilt. A local Model A restorer told me that the panel should fit behind the turned-up lip. There is no way mine will do that - the upholstery panel is too thick and too tall. I even removed the windshield to try free-up the metal molding and make the panel fit behind it. My last thought is that maybe the upholstery panel should butt against the turned-up lip. I would have to cut the panel along its entire length to accomplish that, and the upholstery kit manufacturer says that much trimming should not be necessary.

Thanks in advance for setting me straight, once again.

Mike
 
Some pictures would be worth a few thousand words. I think it goes behind the lip maybe the panel is placed after the upholstery is in place. I'm confused?!!
 
I put a kit in a 31 Tudor and the panel over the windshield was too tall was well. I had to trim it to get it to fit behind the lip.
 
Mine was over the lip, sum "expurt" tole me it wuz wrong---------"DID I ASK FOR YOUR OPINION"---Now, I have a small, tasteful sign:
1-If you cain't say sumthin' NICE--BE QUIET!
2-If you see sumthin' that doesn't suit your expectations--EITHER I KNOW ABOUT IT, OR, I DON'T CARE!
Bill W. (I only have myself & the Dog:cool: to please, & The Dog:cool: thinks I can do NO WRONG!:D)
 
On my S/W, I had to trim that panel to fit, by peeling away the fabric from the edge, trimming the cardboard, and gluing the fabric back down. I also had to shave the mohair on the bottom folded-over portion of the fabric, so that the bottom edge of the panel would be thin enough to fit into the groove in the metal trim piece.

My interior kit was from LB-B, and I actially had to trim a lot of the panels. The mohair seems denser and thicker than the original stuff, and I had to shave the back on other panels too, like the bottom edges of the long ones that go over the doors.

Doug
 
Doug in NJ, (Does everyone live in N.J?) Anyhow, Pat had a battery powered "shaver" to take the fuzz off her Mohair sweaters, it works perfect for what you did, & it doesn't "over-do" it. It was perfect, also, to take the slight fuzz off Minerva's seats where my butt scooted around. Bill W.
(I'm saving her miscellaneous make up brushes for use when I do woodgraining---I threw away all her make up, though!)
 

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I responded to a question on fitting new header wood yesterday (or maybe the day before). One of the issues was fitting the face panel which includes the "trough" for the header trim you are describing. The bottom line is yours is not pulled back far enough for that trough to be as deep as it should be for the trim panel to slip in behind as it should.

With that said, if you have a full 9/32" then you SHOULD be able to carefully press the panel down into place even with mohair. The thickest water resistant trim panel board is 1/8" thick but most folks use slightly thinner panel board.

Another point of interest is I've found that most folks seem to install the steel corner brackets (at the ends of the header) tilted downward slightly to make repro wood fit. The result is that the trim panel won't clear the brackets. Instinct tells you to shorten the panel to fit within that space. If you do so then there won't enough of the trim panel reaching solid wood across the top to nail firmly and possibly not even enough to cover the tacks securing the headliner. It's better to fit the panel as low as possible and trim the top corners just enough to clear the corner brackets by approximately 1/16" with no sharp corners in the off-set created.

As a side note, be sure to fit your mirror bracket first. The lower two holes should be drilled on center through the holes in the steel support. The upper hole will then be located by the mirror bracket. Run the screws in the pilot holes preferably lubricated with bar soap or paraffin, then remove. Then when doing the final fit of the trim panel you can poke through those spots with an awl for later use. Note that the lower right mirror hole is directly above the center screw hole holding up the face panel trough so one measurement vertically will allow you probe in the correct spot with the awl.

I hope this makes sense as I'm now to tired to read through and know for myself!
 
While we're on the subject of what to borrow from your wife: Beauty supply stores sell these little foam blocks with various grits of abrasive, for nail polishing. They are sturdy and the abrasive lasts a long time, and they work very well wet. They are very handy for wet-sanding primer coats in irregular areas, such as belt moldings and hood louvers.

BTW, when I shaved the mohair, I took off all the fuzz, but only on the back of the panels, where it would never be seen.

Doug
 
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