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MG MGA - coupe headliner installation

There is a lot of good information in the archives about coupe headliner installation. However, there are several comments about "metal clips that hold the headliner around the doors". Apparently these clips are from the original factory installation, and are covered by the seal that goes around the door opening. Its implied from the archive posts that the clips pressed into holes around the top. I don't have any evidence of a lot of holes that might have held clips. Were clips actually used around the doors to hold the headliner in place, and are these available, or an acceptable substitute?

Thanks, George
'59 coupe getting closer to being done
G Goeppner

Just did this a while ago. The clips are stationary/office products. To install the headliner you put it in with the rods and then clip it in place as shown. No glue just clips. Tug and pull stretch and ignore. In the sun makes it stretch better. You just work it into position slowly. Clipping and reclipping untill it is where you want. Nice and tight with out puckers. Then and only then do you glue it up. One 6" to 12" section at a time. DO NOT use 3M #77glue it softens in the sun. Use a contact cement intended for the job. I had an auto upholstry shop fill a pint jar out of his 5 gallon pail of glue. Keyston part # ADH105P.
No clips are left in the car they are to position the headliner before glueing and while the glue dries.
This is an early picture, just starting to install, see all the folds? DO NOT stretch too hard or fast headliners can tear.

R J Brown

I think what you are speaking of is actaully the same type of clip that holds the vynil cover around the back of the dash board. They look like the clips in the pic but slighly smaller and with no silver handle. Also they have a "barbed tooth" at each corner to hold them in place. I personnaly have some of these, but I am more drawn to think that they are actaully the clips that were inside the origional felt door seals. To the best of my knowledge, there were no clips used around the window frames.

Gordon Harrison

The clips I'm asking about were described by a Tom Balutis post in April 2005 and a Bill Boorse post at the same time. Both of these gents described "a couple dozen small metal clips holding the headliner around the doors". Tom sent me a picture of the ones he had, its hard to describe but looked like a wire formed piece maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch long/wide, with two short legs and a triangular-shaped head at a right angle to the legs.
G Goeppner

George,
I'm pretty sure I have the clips you are asking about. I think I put them in the box with my new headlilner. As I recall, there weren't a whole lot of them. I'll try to remember to check to night when I get home.
Gerry
G T Foster


this clips are called 'MAULY foldback' and are available in 5 different sices, in shops for office gear. At least in Germany.....

Siggi
Siggi

George,
I checked my headliner box and found the clips. There were only 5 (see photo). I looked at the old headliner, that I believe is original, and there were five holes that aligned with five holes in the doubler strip above the windshield. There are two somewhat similar holes above each door arch, but no clip holes in the headliner. Hard to say if there were additional clips that went missing over the years. I've had this car since 1972 but the PO did some "stuff" to it. Hope this is a little help.
Cheers,
Gerry
PS: sounds like you may be slowly pulling ahead of me with with your restoration. Gotta stop playing with the roadster and get paint on the coupe!

G T Foster

George,
Wrong clip.
If you go to www.angloparts.com website and look at the PDF MGA catolog (page 84)(piece #28) you will see the clip I have described above. They were used to secure the headliner around the door area only. As I said a similar clip is use to hold the vynil cord to the top of the dash board.
Gordon Harrison

Hi Gerry. Yes, those clips are like the picture I have from Tom Balutis. I also have 5 holes above the windscreen, and 2 holes above each door opening as you describe. These are about 5/16 dia. I wonder if the factory used these to hold the headliner in place and didn't use any glue. Interesting that you can't find any holes in the headliner though. OK, time to move on, I guess there are glues used today that work anyway. But now I have another dilemma. My front headliner bow touches the roof panel along its length. The middle and rear bows do not, which I suspect is correct. I have swapped the front and middle bows with no difference. Do you know if the front bow should also have clearance to the roof along its length? Maybe RJ Brown is following this thread and can offer an answer since apparently he has done a headliner recently, or maybe I should start a new thread (always something isn't there!)
My car is going to a shop next week for some final body work (too challenging for my skills!), paint, and headliner installation. Don't worry about your coupe paint, at least you're driving an MGA, I'm still wrenching!!

Cheers, George
G Goeppner

Those clips look like Door panel clips on other cars. The headliner is glued all around. The furflex covers it around the doors and the rubber that holds the front and rear glass covers it around the windows.
Those clips are not for the headliner.
They could be used to hold on the pieces inside box # 15 in the picture below instead of screws that show.


R J Brown

Although the clips (even paper clips) seem a good idea (especially for us amateurs for "trial and error" fitting!) I do not think that my original coupe head-lining had any. A new one was made up and fitted (in minutes!) by a late friend who was an excellent and experienced motor trimmer. No clips were involved, the furflex and front and rear rubbers "capture" the material but I think that from memory he used a thin strip of contact adhesive on the "outer" edges of the openings (to keep it in place until these were fitted?). I remember him straining it to remove creases to the point where I was worried (needlessly as it turned out) that he would tear it! It finished up very tight with no creases.
Barry Bahnisch

George,
I did a quick fit-up of headliner bows. They all seem to have "about" the same clearance, about 1/4 inch. The front bow is slightly different from the middle. The legs are a little shorter and it's overall length is a little shorter. It will "nest" inside the middle bow. Give that a try.
I can make measurements if you want and have a spare bow set if you need one.
Curious about the clips, why some have them and some don't. I'm sure my headliner was original. I don't think you need them, but it may have made installation easier. Like many things about these cars, it may have been a "sometime" use.
Gerry
G T Foster

Hi Gerry, thanks for your efforts. My front bow does indeed nest inside the middle bow, that was a great tip to help determine which is which. Don't bother with any measurements, I think I have what I need, but its good to know you have a spare set "just in case".
We'll have to get our coupes together some time "down the road"....

Thanks again.
Cheers, George
G Goeppner

This thread was discussed between 28/07/2011 and 02/08/2011

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