5th grab handle location

[Justwondering]

Ok I removed the trim and headliner. Recovered everything. Put the headliner back in and am down to a few trim pieces.

I marked the outside of the car with painters tape so I would know where to poke the holes for the grab handle

Nothing lines up

Before I take the headliner out again does someone have a bare ceiling they could take pictures off so I can line up the grab handle. Especially above the center pillar

And does the grap bar stick out a couple of inches from the headliner. Obviously in my initial enthusiasm I didn't take pictures

 

[BudW]

I don’t know where my old grab handles are (hand meets forehead), but sense I don’t have my headliner in car yet (see earlier thread) I did take pictures of both sides of roof area for you. I do not think I’m missing any push nuts (proper term?).

BudW

Pics from '86 5th Ave.
--- Post updated ---
Note: I have four nuts, two per side. One of which is in center of B pillar.

 

[Justwondering]

Thanks muchly for the photos.

Although it has taken all day, at least I know why it has taken all day.
Learn from my errors.

Notice in BudW's photo above there is a larger hole and there is (probably rusted) hole for a screw and a small hole next to that. The large hole has nothing to do with this process. Its the one you can feel the easiest, but making a hole in your new headliner for that just makes you irritated that you spent all this time but didn't correctly mark the holes and now have an extra one at that location. Bleh!

Also, if you do add a radiant barrier, which I did. Please pay attention to where you put the cut outs so you can get to the roof screw holes easier. I spent a lot of prep time marking holes and cutting away radiant barrier --including the foil so this would go smoothly. Only problem was, I had turned the barrier upside down from how I was going to install it. Doh! So my cut outs where in the wrong place. Which means BudW's picture suddenly gave me great insight. I had everything right, but because I turned the radiant barrier over, I precut it wrong. So my 'guide' for hole location was wrong and nothing line up when I tried doing this by feel the first time.

1. The grab handle has a post/tab/hole in tab at each end. These posts are just about 14 inches apart. Makes the screw holes just about 15 inches apart.

2. If you already put the headliner in and supported it with a few screws and the dome light, and forgot to mark the inside of the car where these holes are located. Do no try to use your finger and stick it between the headliner board and the roof and 'feel' a guess where you need to mark these holes. You will be wrong.

3. Suck it up and take the headliner back. Temporarily put the side brackets that hold the header up in with screws. Mark each bracket about where your holes are. Make note of about how far up from the edge these holes are (2 inches, 2 1/2, whatever yours turns out to be).

4. Put in the inside bonnet at the back and the pieces of trim that go between the back window and side window. I could not for the life of me get all the screws and holes to line up. Did the best I could. Still don't have the bottom of the inside bonnet attached. Frustration level was too high.

4. Take the bracket back off and put the headliner back up. Since I have to do this by myself, I ran a strap through the front seat and over the roof. Ran another strap through the backseat and over the roof. raised the headliner by ratcheting the straps.

5. Stick your arm through to take the dome light and push it at an angle through the dome light hole in the center of the header.

6. Attach one edge of metal bracket trim. Attach the dome light screws but don't screw them in tight. Fuss with the front/back side to get the liner lined up and then attach the 2nd side of trim. Then the front.

7. Now whichever side you want to put the grab handle on first, remove that side metal trim. I then used an awl (actually I couldn't find the awl so I used my pointed soldering iron - cold) and poke a hole about where the post -- not the screw, where the post of the grab handle goes. Measure over about 14 inches and poke another hole. Dry fit the grab handle posts.

8. If you guess wrong on the post holes, give it another go. You won't miss it by much and small errors are covered up by the silver beauty bracket that goes on each end.

9. Once you have the dry fit where you like it. Take one of the silver beauty brackets and slide it on the tab at one end. Line up the screw holes. Make sure the post is in the post hole of the roof. Put your screw in. Ditto for the other end. Put the metal trim back up.

10. Go to the other side. Repeat the process -- remove the trim, mark the holes, dry fit the handle, slide on the beauty bracket, put your screw in, same for other end and put the trim back up.

It was a beautiful day all day. Birds, dogs, goats, frogs, sunshine. Even took a break to relocate the two rat snakes that had taken up residence in the wood under the veranda. So I am going to take a test drive and see if the trim stays up and the front left lugnuts stay tight.

 

[BudW]

Did you take any pictures?

Now if (when I get something resembling a headliner) I can find some volunteers to put mine back in with . . .

It’s strange, when I need help, my 9-year-old twins can’t be found - until after you’re done.

 

[Justwondering]

Here was my exterior trim episode:
1987 Chyrsler 5th Avenue - Exterior Trim
--- Post updated ---
BudW,
I have some pictures of the trim that I never uploaded or started a post.
The original goal was to redo the exterior landau roof. To get to the nuts holding the garnish molding across the top, you have to take the headliner out.

So, I took loads of pictures of the roof journey. Not so much on the trim.

My best advice is take photos of what you have now.
Realize you will have to use many different screws of different sizes, because I found many of the holes to be rusted or 'wallered' out so I had to go up a screw size.
Buy 2 extra yards of fabric if you do it yourself. I think I finally wound up with 12 yards but I still have the sun visors to do and I screwed up two large pieces along the way so had to do them twice.

Let me know when you want to work on trim and I can talk to you about it and post what photos I do have. The double strap technique saves your shoulders/arms and is like having two other people there to help.
--- Post updated ---
BudW,
I have some pictures of the trim that I never uploaded or started a post.
The original goal was to redo the exterior landau roof. To get to the nuts holding the garnish molding across the top, you have to take the headliner out.

So, I took loads of pictures of the roof journey. Not so much on the trim.

My best advice is take photos of what you have now.
Realize you will have to use many different screws of different sizes, because I found many of the holes to be rusted or 'wallered' out so I had to go up a screw size.
Buy 2 extra yards of fabric if you do it yourself. I think I finally wound up with 12 yards but I still have the sun visors to do and I screwed up two large pieces along the way so had to do them twice.

Let me know when you want to work on trim and I can talk to you about it and post what pictures I do have.

 

[BudW]

I understand the taking pictures. 30+ years ago I restored a ‘69 Road Runner and I took a large amount of pictures for it.

For interior trim and headliner on the 5th, I have three tubs of screws that are not marked and no pictures taken, because I expected to get this job done in a couple of days.
It wouldn’t have taken that much longer to have taken pictures.

Also, on the 5th, I have the dash top and right dash/glovebox apart while I was working on the ATC (automatic A/C). That has also been apart for some time and I didn’t take pictures, but I least have those parts in marked baggies.
I still don’t have ATC working yet, so I converted it to manual A/C. Electronics and I are not strangers - but I can’t get any of the large pile of A/C servos I have to work, nor get any of them working.
One of these days I will make a thread about ATC conversion it for others.
Now I have an A/C leak and want to fix leak (and speakers) before getting dash back together.

 

[Justwondering]

I did the same thing but it was just a few months ago (October last year).

I have the pillows to install in the back and the two front pieces after I buy yet more fabric for the visors and those pieces.

After our test drive yesterday, I see every imperfection.

I had picked fabric that has an obvious weave and was very similar to the original. I wish I had picked fabric without an obvious weave. Something a little more durable that can stand up to a few scuffs.

Since the plan is to get it repainted next year, I'll have to work on the budget to get new fabric. Gives me a chance to figure out what screws to get. Some of the holes are wallered out and I think the inside bonnet is not in there quite right. But its not coming out til I refinish the whole thing. Its so much better than before, I shouldn't complain.

One other word of advice is to dry fit the trim back in place and pay attention (write down) the best way to get it in correctly to have the overlaps work out. The seat belt/pillar trim is a fit together 2 parter and the back corners where the pillows meet the inside bonnet are a puzzle.