Hi All. About to tackle my headlining but curios about the rods / bars. It appears I have 3 of the same length and a shorter one to have 4 in total. I think I’ve figured out where they go but just confirming this is correct?

Hi Paul,
Had a quick look at mine, definitely 4 bars, I'm thinking the shorter one is at the back, seems to have shallower angles for the curves which fit into the side slots?  Didn't have a tape handy to take measurements, only by eye.
Cheers, Len

Thanks Len. Just curious but the 2nd from front only has a single hole (others have 3) and the bar is quite firm against the roof skin?

Hi Paul,
Do you have the sound deadening material glued on to the inside of the roof?  I seem to remember having 2 of the bars sitting up against this material to keep them in place? I remember numbering the rods before I pulled them out of the original headlining but don't have any photographic record of the placement.  I might get a tape and take some measurements as to where mine sits.
Cheers

Do you know which holes they sit in?

 
Sorry, I didn't make any records of the hood lining refit. My lining has been in place for 5 years, all fully glued into place so I cant take a peek to see where they are at. I have got my wife's trusty tailors tape and made measurements between the ribs and the length of the ribs, front to rear. Bear in mind these are all stretched into place.
Like you I didn't take notes/ pics when I removed it. I got a good supply of bulldog clips to hold all the sides into place and played around with it until the ribs in the middle sat snugly up against the sound deadening material on the roof.
The measurements I took are these:
Front rib is 160mm from the edge of front windscreen rubber and is 104cm long.
second rib is 290mm from the first and is 105cm long.
third rib is 410mm from the second and is 112cm long.
Fourth rib is 360mm further on and is 118mm long.
There is only a 100mm gap to the the rear windscreen rubber.
 
I don't know if these figures are helpful or confusing given your previous information. The body where the C pillars are flare out so I am guessing this is why the last rib is longer? My headlining was reproduced from the original one by my local upholsterer and fitted really nicely. Best of luck, of all the jobs I had to do this was the most time consuming, very fiddly.
Cheers, Len

Thanks Len. I will be giving it a go shortly

Paul as a roof liner seasoned installer, I've started with centering the lining L to R , then do a dummy fit fitting rods in the middle holes and pull the lining tight and pin it at the window openings, if it's baggy, move the front and rear rods to further away from middle rods to tighten the lining. I've pulled many Escorts apart and the rods are not always in the same position car to car, it's where they work best to keep the liner tight.
Factory linings could be out by 5mm between rods so if your new lining was patterned from someone else's lining, your rod holders will need to be moved accordingly to keep the factory look . Len's measurements are what his car ended with, yours could be different, they are designed for variation. Roof lining tip, before install, make sure you have all the screws in the roof for visors, grab handles etc cause they are hard to find once the lining is fully fitted . Only use brush on contact on the window gaps and pin down with clothes pegs or door seals till glue has dried..

Thanks Marty 👍👍

Paul, you will probably get overload now.
I do mine on a hot day and leave lining in sun for a bit before each fitting. I use a fine podger to locate the visor holes etc and mark them with chalk for fitting of these later.
Mark