Diy no sew upholstery thread

[Matthyj]

Dave, I have used ALOT of contact glue in my life, I use Wilsonart 950 & 951 which is a laminate contact glue (different colors) but also it is heat resistant (I checked) the difference between a DIY grade of glue & pro grade is extreme, way more solids & the use of neopreme is its mixture, if its says Dap brand or waterbased (the green) don't waste your time. Call some of your local cabinet shops and see if they will sell you a gallon of what they use if you want. I have pressure pot for big jobs but small jobs I shoot with a plain ol' cheap O HVLP gun with as big a tip as you can, the "hotter" the glue (no non flammable) the better the stick. Now the hotter the glue (solvent base only) it can melt some foam, but generally if you spray it very lightly in coats and let it build you will be fine as the solvents evaporate fast and most are gone when being sprayed lightly, thin with MEK and use for cleanup. Now even though I have guns to shoot contact on small items you can't beat spray cans of contact as there is no clean up with it, 3m's Super 77 is heat resistant but its hold is marginal compared to the professional use contact adhesives, but generally once the foam is there, it can't really move. In KC I use Liberty Hardwoods house brand of contact aeresol and its great, great hold similar to the 950 and it runs about $9-10 per can if I remember and heat resistant, they do ship also but have a limited web store so a call is needed. Alot of the convertible top contact is good also. Always let the sprayed contact dry before touching them together also. You are right there has been many failures with bad glue, not only in the upholstery trade as I am sure you know.
Keep all your wood structure small, I patterned wooden bows for the roof and then cut slits in the bow with a band saw almost all the way thru on edge that way it can move a little when secured with the RTV silicone, I looked for old pics but don't have any,these bows where then used to secure a large piece of 1/8" plywood to it just as Chavers did, it is able to bow from front to back but remains straight across the width of the car, this is a pretty good article to start with at Lookin for some examples of coupe headliner installation | The H.A.M.B. also
I used small wood pieced around all the windows to block it out, small pieces are ok because they can move individually. For the clear plastic look to Larry Dennis supply as they have it in many thicknesses, ebay also generally has it cheap. The thicker stuff is used for convertable tops but is pricey.
The bow on the pickup roof I talked about was a nightmare, custom paint job almost ruined, the interior shop managed to cut out the large plywood piece and then moved the rod into the sun, in & out for weeks to expand it and it turned out almost unnoticable but at first it looked ruined.

[vht]

We need some more people to respond to this thread, wealth of info on here. I've bought some round foam at Home Depot in various diameters, 3/8, 5/16, that you can make cheap windlace with.