i have a 71 dart swinger 2 door hardtop .i am in the process if installing a new headliner . i would like to know which hole the bow rods go in ? it has 5 bows.

They go in the headliner bow clips.

the 71 doesnt have clips .it has 3 holes 2 stacked and 1 facing front of car.

70 was the last year for the bow pockets for all models. 71 and up has sets of 3 holes in the side rails. You kind of to just fit it in the best hole. I start with the front middle one and just see how it goes.

Here is a better shot of an August built 71 Cuda.

yes thats exactly the holes i am talking about . thanks for the photo's.

Do be aware the bows are not the same front to back and the holes they wind up being in may be different as well It's a good idea to mark the holes and number the bows front to back when removing

also, the headliner listing the bows go in is extra long, so you will be trimming it to length so the bows fit correctly.
center the headliner to the roof, then cut the listing a little at a time for each bow, so the headliner fits tightly to the side of the roof panel.

got the headliner hung and clamps at rear and front .do i need to pull from front first and hang in spikes and the go to rear and pull and hang in spikes from center of car out on both sides?

just my experience with several headliners, including a couple made of vinyl, [those are a real treat to install ! ] start at the rear and pull to the front, eliminating as many wrinkles as possible, then pull each section to the side, removing the remaining wrinkles.
a steam or heat gun will help tremendously when doing this.
several different blunt "tucking" tools will be needed as well, to push the material into the "teeth" that holds it in position on all sides.
leave as much material as possible on all sides until you get it "tucked" to your liking without wrinkles, then trim off the excess.
this can be done with or without the front and rear glass installed, although it is easier with the glass out.
just my life experience installing 10 or so headliners.
your mileage will vary.



and don't ask about installing a reproduction "one piece" ABS headliner............