After completing the body and paint work (or at least the majority of it - you can save final color sanding and buffing until the sheetmetal is reassembled), the Camaro's interior can be reinstalled into the car.
At first thought, this seems like a simple task; just throw in the new carpet, paint the dash, install the seats, and stick on the door panels. But there's a lot more than that to reinstalling the interior. In this chapter, which falls under the interior restoration heading, we'll replace the headliner; clean, seal, and undercoat the floor; refurbish and paint the plastic trim items; install the windshield and rear windows; install the doors; adjust the side windows; reinstall the underdash wiring harness; and install the side roof rail weatherstripping. When we're done, our Z/28's black standard interior will look factory fresh.
Many interior pieces are still available from Chevrolet and the Camaro reproduction market. But, on the other hand, many other interior items must be restored. For our Camaro, we were able to obtain readily available replacement items like carpet, weatherstripping, and headliner, but we tested our resources when it came time to find a good, used instrument panel, a front seat belt, and a standard steering wheel horn ring. Luckily, all of those items were located and removed from various parts cars from the surrounding area.
Above: Before reinstalling the doors, you can remove the windows and regulators for cleaning and lubricating. Lead photo (courtesy of Mecum Auctions)
Unfortunately, the used instrument panel wasn't quite correct for our Z/28. Originally, the car came with the gauge cluster, which put a clock in the center pod and a tachometer in the right-hand pod. In our haste to finish the car for this book, we settled for a standard instrument panel and modified the right-hand pod, which contained a fuel gauge, for the tachometer. At this point, we're missing the clock for the center pod - our original clock was corroded beyond repair - but we hope to find a replacement clock in the near future to make our instrument panel look as correct as possible.
Headliner installation is a bit tricky, but a little patience in positioning and trimming the finicky headliner will result in a smooth, tight installation. If you're uncomfortable with the thought of installing the headliner yourself, farm the work out to a nearby trim shop. Just be sure to have the headliner installed before you reinstall the windshield and the rear window, or the trim shop will just have to take them right back out to install the headliner properly.
Above: All plastic interior parts can be painted with a black vinyl dye.
On our Camaro, we followed this order of interior restoration: Paint the dash and other interior metal; paint plastic trim pieces; clean, seal, and undercoat floor; install carpet; install doors; install headliner; install windshield and rear window; install side roof rail weatherstripping; install door panels; install package shelf; install rear seat; restore instrument panel; reinstall under dash components; install steering column; install heater assembly; install console; and install front bucket seats.
Above: 1) Start the interior restoration at the dash by dry sanding the surface to be painted with 320-grit sandpaper. Scotch-Brite can be used in the tight spots, such as the glove box opening and the glove box door. Then wipe down the dash with a wax and grease remover (Prep-Sol) to remove any traces of Armor-All or other silicon products. 2) Repeat the sanding and washing procedure on the metal panels above the package tray area.
Above: 3) Mask the areas to be painted, wipe with a tack rag to remove dust, and spray with a semi-gloss paint. We painted our Z/28 interior with a semi-gloss black. 4) While the dash and other metal interior components dry, move to the plastic and vinyl interior pieces: kick panels, arm rests, console, sun visors, etc. First, clean each piece with lacquer thinner, then spray with a vinyl dye.
Above: 5) The vinyl dye can also be used on faded seat belts to give them a fresh, new appearance. 6) Cleaning the floor panels requires patience. Remove old floor insulation with a gasket scraper and putty knife. Repair and clean any rust areas.
Above: 7) Seal all floor seams with a quality sealer. 8) To prevent future rust problems, coat the floor with a good undercoat. Allow the undercoat to dry thoroughly before reinstalling the carpet.
Above: 9) When the undercoat is dry, begin the carpet installation by positioning the rear section first. 10) Then, using the dimmer switch as an alignment reference, install the front carpet section. Cut out the necessary holes for the shifter and seat belts and install the door scuff plates.
Above: 11) Before installing the doors, mask the quarter panels and rocker panels to guard against possible paint chips in case the door accidentally bumps those areas during installation. 12) Balance the door on a floor jack to support the weight while bolting the hinges to the door pillar
post. A helper comes in handy here. Notice the cloth used to protect the rocker panel area.
Above: 13) Bolt the door hinges to the door pillar posts. Up and down adjustments can be made here, while in and out adjustments are made where the hinges bolt to the door itself. 14) When the door is completely hung, aligned, and supporting its own weight, install the door striker pin. Adjust the pin until the door latches properly.
Above: 15) The bottoms of the door are constantly exposed to moisture during car washes and rains, so protect the area against rust by undercoating the door's bottom panel. 16) If you're replacing the headliner and you haven't already ripped the old one out, start by removing the shoulder harnesses, windlace, coat hooks, dome light, rear view mirror, etc. Then rip out the old headliner.
Above: 17) Remove the headliner bows for installation into the new headliner. All but the center bow snap into place at the roof center and fit into holes at the sides. The center bow is secured by small alligator clips that must be straightened to release the bow. 18) Install the original headliner bows into the new headliner, making sure to keep the bows in their correct positions.
Above: 19) The center bow goes in first. Keep the headliner material tight to prevent wrinkles, and bend the alligator clips over the bow to hold it in place. 20) Next, install the rear bows, then move to the front bows.
Above: 21) When the front bows are in place, stretch the headliner front and rear to remove wrinkles, and secure the windlace. 22) Likewise, pull the headliner toward the sides and secure with windlace.
Above: 23) In the rear sail panel area, staple the headliner to the original tacking strip. 24) The rear sail panel must be replaced before completing the windlace installation because the windlace fits over the rear of the panel. These clips secure the sail panel to the inner post. At the front, install the windshield pillar post covers.
Above: 25) After the headliner is completely installed and the wrinkles are worked out, trim the excess headliner material. Leave enough material to overlap onto the window channel. The window glass actually secures the headliner. 26) If you replaced rear quarter panels, the rear window molding retainer screws must be installed into the new panels. There are three screws on each side, so mark their location, drill the holes, and install the screws.
Above: 27) Seal the window channel with window well primer to assist in window ribbon sealer adhesion and to discourage rust formation. 28) After scraping off the old window ribbon sealer with a sharp razor, clean the glass thoroughly.
Above: 29) Starting at the top center of the glass, lay the window ribbon along the glass perimeter. Handle the ribbon by the side only, and avoid touching the area that seals to the window channel.
Above: 30) These suction cup handles make glass installation a snap. You'll need a helper to assist in lowering both sides of the glass in at the same time. Once installed, press down on the glass with the palm of your hand to seal the window ribbon, then spray water on the window edges and inspect for leaks.
Above: 31) Using the same procedure as the rear glass, install the front windshield. 32) Run a bead of sealer along the roof rail weatherstrip retainer, and install the retainer to the door edge.
Above: 33) Start the roof rail weatherstrip installation at the front corner. Use a paint paddle to push the weatherstrip into the retainer groove, and continue the procedure until the weatherstrip is completely installed. 34) Fabricate a door dust cover out of waterproof paper and install with masking tape. This covering will keep moisture away from the door panels and the car interior.
Above: 35) Hang the door panel at the top first, making sure the door lock knob fits through the hole in the top of the panel. 36) Then push the door panel clips into their mounting holes and install the row of screws along the bottom of the door panel.
Above: 37) Install the door handles, window crank handles (don't forget to install the protective plastic washer first), and the arm rests. 38) Install the rear quarter trim panel and rear window crank handle (with protective washer, of course). You may have to trim some of the rear quarter trim panel vinyl before installing the windlace.
Above: 39) After applying glue to the metal, lay the package shelf in place and use more glue to secure the vinyl to the package shelf foam.
Above: 40) Using the old trunk panel as a template, cut out a new trunk panel using 1/8-inch cardboard and install before positioning the rear seat back into the car's interior. 41) Install the rear seat back by aligning with the tabs that protrude from the floor. Secure the seat back with large washers and screws.
Left: 42) Install the rear seat belts and slide the rear seat cushion into place.
Right: 43) New instrument panels are not available new, so restoration of the original panel or a good used panel is required. Clean the plastic panel with a strong detergent like 409 or Fantastic.
Above: 44) In most instances, the chrome finish on the instrument panel trim and raised lettering will be gone. Silver lacquer paint on a Q-tip works great for restoring the original appearance. 45) Clean gauge faces with Armor-All or similar product. Lenses can be cleaned and polished with a polish wax.
Above: 46) After its restoration, our Camaro instrument panel looks practically brand new. A clock will be installed in the pod above the steering column later. 47) New firewall insulation pads are readily available. The pad installs with small push-in fasteners.
Above: 48) If you removed the under dash wiring harness for cleaning or repairs, begin the reassembly by bolting in the fuse box. Hopefully, you diagrammed the wiring while taking it out. If you didn't, Camaro vendors sell a Camaro wiring diagram manual, available for 1967, 1968, and 1969 models. 49) Before installing the driver's side kick panel, connect the dimmer switch wiring and pull the emergency brake cable through the firewall.
Above: 50) Install the kick panel and connect the cable to the vent control. 51) Install the emergency brake pedal assembly and the clutch/brake pedal assembly (shown).
Above: 52) When installing the clutch/brake pedal assembly, don't tighten these nuts until after you've installed the brake master cylinder. 53) Mount the instrument panel and reconnect the wiring on the back side.
Above: 54) After refinishing the steering column, reinstall the column into the car's interior and mount the steering wheel. 55) To install the heater assembly, first slide the heater core box beneath the dash and mount the studs through the firewall.
Above: 56) Apply a bead of sealer around the blower box edges and mount the blower box to the heater core studs. The heater core and blower box sandwich the firewall. Connect the wiring and cables. 57) After installing the console and front seats, the interior should look something like this. Notice the chrome shifter knob; it is offered by most Camaro parts vendors. You're going to want to come right back here for Chapter 9, where the '69 Camaro restoration team will be performing the Reassembly And Detailing, same American muscle car parts website, same or different time (as convenient to you) honored Classic Industries' customers!
Classic Industries - The Destination for Camaro Components
Get the Camaro parts you need from the company that came into existence some 50+ years ago as Classic Camaro, and you'll be off to the races. You can search for Camaro parts online. You can also enhance your search for those must have Camaro components by obtaining a free 600+ page Camaro Parts and Accessories catalog. You can also search for parts in the new digital Camaro Parts and Accessories catalog.
