VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Upholstery - Interiors & Glass Headliner - 34 Master

I received my Hampton Coach Interior yesterday. The instructions aren't as sketchy as I was expecting after reading some rather negative comments here. One thing has me stumped though, on the headliner page they mention notches in the roof rails to accept the tips of the metal stays. I don't have any notches in mine. Is that something you put in as you install the headliner?

The rails should have had notches when they were made. They are spaced at the point of where the rods go. I drilled the notches into my rails when I made them, following the original rails I used as a pattern. These notches are half round, like you drilled a hole in a piece of wood and cut it in half through the hole. They go down about a 1/2" from the top of the rails. You might be able to determine the spacing from the headliner sections where its sewns together.
Einar

Mine don't have notches. I bought one side and copied the other. Also, there are obviously no wires in my headliner as it was folded up in the box. This is starting to get scary.

Pat,
does your head-liner have flaps sewn into it at intervals that would match the roof timber cross rails. My 34 has a timber roof and frame and that is how the roof lining will be attached in due course.
The flaps would be stapled to the sides of the cross rails and then stretched to the next cross rail and fixed again, and so on and on.

If you get stuck, just contact the supplier, they would know exactly how things go.
Peter

That's exactly how it's installed but they also tell you to "...slide the steel wires into the cases sewn to the headliner. align the wires so they reach each each side of the body...". then they tell you to tack the "flaps" or bowcases as they call them to the wood bows as you describe. In the next step they tell you to "hook the end of the wire underneath the staples. In their sketch,those staples are across the notches I don't have.

I suppose further communication with Hampton coach is in order.

There may be two different ways that the headliners were installed. If there are wooden ribs then the liner is tacked or stapled to them. Other factories may have used metal rods that extend between the sides of the top. The rods slip in pockets and sockets to hold up the top. Modern vehicles (the ones before the glued headliners) used the rods slipped into the pockets.

I think the Master is the same as my 34 Standard where the headliner is tacked to the wood frame and top ribs. I used one from Labaron/Bonney which fit perfectly but took a lot of time and patience. There were no metal stays in old or new ones nor any mention of such in install instructions.

Did yours have the wires?