tech today
Starlight Headliners Using these installation tips, you can create Rolls-Royce effects in any vehicle. WORDS BY JOEY KNAPP
Over the years we have covered a number of different topics in this column. Some of the things we’ve learned are vital to our roles of integrators, and some are less important. This month we’ll look at something on the lighter side of things. I recently had a client request a starlight headliner installation in his Camaro. I had never installed one before, but I knew I had seen some of my 12-volt friends post photos of them on the Internet. I looked through a few Facebook groups, noted some installs and contacted a few of the installers.
Thirteen Fortenberry did a great job documenting starlight headliner installation in a Toyota Tacoma. After referencing that build, along with some questions answered by Justin Marks, I scheduled the Camaro for the installation. Keep in mind as we go through this tutorial that this was my first attempt at one of these, and my knowledge on the subject was a combination of aggregated Internet research and installation common sense.
Doing the Prep-Work There are a few things that have to be considered before booking one of these installations. It’s important to think
48 Mobile Electronics February / March 2020
about routing the fibers and mounting the lighting box. Depending on how many fibers you chose to go with, the bundle, and the required box to light them might be fairly large. The installation in the Camaro consisted of 300 strands of mixed thickness fiber. The kit I purchased divided the strands into two bundles, which made routing easier. Each bundle of fibers was about ¾-inch in diameter. Since the bundles need to terminate at a lighting box, most likely the box will be located at the rear of the vehicle. The one for this Camaro was mounted under the rear deck. The 9.8-foot-long fibers provided just enough length to make the
