here are certain things
that truly bother a car guy.
Exhaust leaks, an unknown
rattle and a sagging head-
liner top the list of annoy-
ances. Today, we’re working in our home
garage to tackle the sagging headliner in
a 1964 Corvette coupe. For most cars, it’s
probably better to leave a headliner instal-
lation to the pros, but for 1963-’67 Corvette
coupes, it’s a pretty straightforward install.
We called up Zip Products for a new,
reproduction headliner in black to match
our upholstery. (Other colors are available.)
We reused most of our original parts, but
Zip also offers new sunvisors, rearview mir-
ror, trim screws and necessary clips if you
need them. If you’re working with any color
other than black, matching the original
vinyl-covered sunvisors is nearly impos-
sible so it’s best to replace them with new
units for the best color match.
The majority of the headliner swap
involves Phillips head screws, which retain
the various trim pieces that hold the head-
liner in place. No other tools are required,
besides some form of cutting utensil in
case you need to trim the headliner for
a precise fit. Once the headliner is in
place, it’s a matter of installing the original
trim pieces.
We handled this install in a matter of
approximately three hours. It greatly
improved the appearance of our 1964
Corvette coupe and is an affordable option
compared to sending the car to an uphol-
stery shop. As long as you have a Phillips
screwdriver and a little bit of patience,BY TOMMY LEE BYRD (^) I PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR
Headlining Act
Replacing the headliner in a 1964 Corvette coupe
[ TECH]
01
The original headliner in our 1964
Corvette coupe no longer followed
the contour of the roof. Instead, it sagged
in two areas and had several areas of
dimples that didn’t help with the ailing
appearance.
you can tackle this project in your home
garage. Follow along with our install, and
you’ll see some tips and tricks that will
surely help with your project.VETTE
22 VETTE 19.09