Inside view of roof

[BubMullen]

I am debating putting a headliner in my 1973 Bronco. My problem is I have no idea what the inside is suppossed to look like. I have these two braces inside but all the photos I see of headliners installed have nothint like these. I will add pictures later today if I can but should there be two braces on the inside that would keep the headliner from being flat against the roof or does the headliner go under that?

 

[.94 OR]

If you look closely, you should see some screw holes in those cross members and likely around the inside rim of the top if it had a factory liner.
The headliner would have been a thin fiber material that was self supporting except for the center screws and the perimeter trim pieces.
I did my top when I lived in Idaho. I used a 1/2" foam glued in between the cross ribs and down the sides then used a marine trunk liner type stuff to cover over the whole thing. Not factory, but warmer and quieter with no sag. You can see the perimeter holes in my pic.

 

[SLOWnEASY]

The headliner is self supporting and only held up with the screws around the sides and rear of the top perimeter. The only screws across the top are in the one chrome bow that crosses right over the drivers and passengers head.
https://www.wildhorses4x4.com/early-bronco-parchment-headliner

https://www.wildhorses4x4.com/early-bronco-headliner-trim-support-bow
When I did mine I took the new headliner to a regular upholstery shop and had them glue headliner material to it like newer cars have. The upholstery really helped to quiet the road noise and make it seem more like a newer car inside.

 

[ssray]

I’ll mention something I experienced with the top that you could check before getting the headliner in. I don’t really know if it was common but the bows in mine were on the loose side and with the wind coming from certain directions it would pop up and down making a racket. I had to put some foam strips between the sheet metal and the bows to stop that.

 

[BubMullen]

Thanks guys !! I was a mustang guy and just now getting into Broncos. So I have a lot to learn

 

[73azbronco]

Actually owning a like year stang, you are 90% there. I recommend the red body parts book.

 

[ared77]

Welcome from another lifetime Mustang Fever guy who later in life caught Bronco Fever. By the way, there is no cure for either!

 

[BubMullen]

Thanks. I had been good for a few years but am back to crawling under hoods

 

[DirtDonk]

I don’t really know if it was common but the bows in mine were on the loose side and with the wind coming from certain directions it would pop up and down making a racket.

The top main panel making that “oil canning” sound was all too common, unfortunately.
Mine never did it, but several of my friends did.
I don’t think we noted at the time, that any of their bows were actually loose at the side anchor points, but they definitely weren’t doing enough support for the main top panel.
There are different products you can use to firm that up or insulate it. I think there have been lots of discussions about that over the years here on the forum.

 

[ntsqd]

I'll speculate that the 3M adhesive used to bond the skin of a hood to the underside bracing would be a good option for bonding the roof skin to those braces.

Skies the limit on heat and noise insulation for the roof or anywhere else. A while back I saw a late 60's 3 door Suburban FS on FBMP that that had a cedar strip headliner installed in it. I thought it looked really cool. Done better so that all of the strips remained at the same height could look really good.

 

[Oldtimer]

That would take care of part of Mat. 6:19.