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head liner

phil

By phil
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wnaplay1647545503 Newbie

wnaplay1647545503

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I have done hundreds of these headliners myself while interning at an auto upholstery shop many moons ago. Here is a detailed process of what I remember.

 

 

 

This should take you about an hour to do the job. Start by removing the old headliner and headliner board. This should be relatively easy by removing a few items such as visors, lights and moldings. By setting the seats all the way back, you should be able to slide the entire board out. Becareful, because someboards are simply made of loose fibers and can bend easily. Once bent, they can start to crumble. Once removed, place the board on a flat surface and begin removing the old headliner material. Depending on the age and whether or not the car has been smoked in, this can be very easy or be a bit of a task. In any case, this should not be all that difficult.

 

Now from here you need to decide what type of board you have. A very stiff composite board is the easiest to do, a fiber type board requires a tad bit more finess. If you have a hard board, take a sanding sponge and start to lightly go over it, removing any and all remaining glue. This usually happens pretty quickly. I have literally taken a da to these boards and never had an issue(use common sense). If you have the fiber board, remove the glue using a sanding sponge and the palm of your hand. Since these boards are significantly weaker, extra care must be used when dealing with them. Take your time with these boards. It is very important to remove all the glue possible. If not, these areas with glue remaining will quickly become the weak spot when it comes to adhesion.

 

These boards have a tendancy to become weak over time. Just as smoking can prematurely weaken the glue, it can do the same to a fiber board. If you have a spot that is just in terrible shape, you can help strengthen these areas by gluing in small pieces of fabric or scrap vinyl. Areas prone to this type of weakness are around light cut outs and visor openings. This can also be caused by damage when removing the headliner. If you do need to strengthen your fiber board, use these materials and dont overlap them. These can show up as visible ridges when the new material is in place. You can test this by laying the new material over a patched area and see if you can see the patch under the headliner material. Keep in mind that the board is rigid by design and when in place, it will usually stay rigid enough to hide a weak board. If you remove a board that is beyond repair, you can usually pick up a cheap replacement from a junk yard.

 

With all the glue removed, take your new material and place it upside down next to the newly prepared board. Since this material traps and holds onto even the smallest debris, it may be wise to place a sheet under this material. It can literally ruin the material to set it directly on the floor or a dirty bench. It can be almost impossible to remove tiny particles of dirt trapped in the material. This not only happens quickly, but it will also pick up the tiniest of dirt/debris. Now start to coat both the board and the materials underside with spray adhesive. You want to give both a heavy coating( I cant stress this enough) Make sure you have plenty of glue before starting this step. You literally want to see nothing but glue and no headliner when done covering with glue. But be careful, you do not want to "soak" either one. Once these are both covered, allow 3-5 mins for the glue to setup and start to dry. You can test this by lightly tapping the material with your fingertips. If you tap it and it feels dry, yet tries to stick to your fingertips, its ready.

 

Start by having someone help you to transfer the material right side up over to the board. It helps to have the board about waist level. Lighlty set the material in place ensuring you have plenty of material overlapping all sides. Have your helper go to the opposite end or side that you will start to adhere the material. With your helper slightly raising the opposite end(to keep the material from touching and starting to adhere), slowly start working the material onto the board. Make sure you start from the center and work your way to the outer sides of the board. The material itself is stretchy. You dont want to apply it very loosely in some areas and taunt in others so keep a small amount of pressure on the material by pulling it slightly towards you as you do this process. Also pay close attention that you are leaving an even overhang of material all the way around the board as you apply it. Make sure you leave no trapped air between the material and the board. Your helper should be slowly lowering the material onto the board as you need it. Work your way down the board until you have completely covered it with new material.

 

Once done, flipped the board over and cut the remaining material from the boards edges leaving about an 1 1/2" overhang. Apply more glue to the remaining material sticking out on the boards edge and to the backside of the board where the material will fold over to. Allow the glue to dry and fold the material over the boards edge. Keep in mind that the once the glued halves touch each other, they are glued tight, so work fast and carefully. You can also have your helper work across from you instead of at the opposite end of the board. Each person needs to make sure the material "down board" does not come in contact with the board until you are ready to adhere the material.

 

To finish the job, cut small "X"'s in areas where a light or visor opening needs to go. In the area of a tv or larger opening, you can cut out the exact area needed out, but be careful not to "overcut" and show your cut lines. With this type of opening you can fold the material over and glue it to the boards backside, or just make sure your openings edges are really glued tight. Installation is the opposite of removal. Keep in mind that your hands get dirty when working around a car. It is necessary to hold the board up in the center when re-installing. You certainly dont want your brand new board to have a hand print on it.

 

This process should take 2 people under an hour to complete. Its not very hard and can certainly be done by yourself if you cant find one of your bumming friends to assist. Hope this helps.

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TA In Progress Newbie

TA In Progress

Posted
Posted
I have done hundreds of these headliners myself while interning at an auto upholstery shop many moons ago. Here is a detailed process of what I remember.

 

 

 

This should take you about an hour to do the job. Start by removing the old headliner and headliner board. This should be relatively easy by removing a few items such as visors, lights and moldings. By setting the seats all the way back, you should be able to slide the entire board out. Becareful, because someboards are simply made of loose fibers and can bend easily. Once bent, they can start to crumble. Once removed, place the board on a flat surface and begin removing the old headliner material. Depending on the age and whether or not the car has been smoked in, this can be very easy or be a bit of a task. In any case, this should not be all that difficult.

 

Now from here you need to decide what type of board you have. A very stiff composite board is the easiest to do, a fiber type board requires a tad bit more finess. If you have a hard board, take a sanding sponge and start to lightly go over it, removing any and all remaining glue. This usually happens pretty quickly. I have literally taken a da to these boards and never had an issue(use common sense). If you have the fiber board, remove the glue using a sanding sponge and the palm of your hand. Since these boards are significantly weaker, extra care must be used when dealing with them. Take your time with these boards. It is very important to remove all the glue possible. If not, these areas with glue remaining will quickly become the weak spot when it comes to adhesion.

 

These boards have a tendancy to become weak over time. Just as smoking can prematurely weaken the glue, it can do the same to a fiber board. If you have a spot that is just in terrible shape, you can help strengthen these areas by gluing in small pieces of fabric or scrap vinyl. Areas prone to this type of weakness are around light cut outs and visor openings. This can also be caused by damage when removing the headliner. If you do need to strengthen your fiber board, use these materials and dont overlap them. These can show up as visible ridges when the new material is in place. You can test this by laying the new material over a patched area and see if you can see the patch under the headliner material. Keep in mind that the board is rigid by design and when in place, it will usually stay rigid enough to hide a weak board. If you remove a board that is beyond repair, you can usually pick up a cheap replacement from a junk yard.

 

With all the glue removed, take your new material and place it upside down next to the newly prepared board. Since this material traps and holds onto even the smallest debris, it may be wise to place a sheet under this material. It can literally ruin the material to set it directly on the floor or a dirty bench. It can be almost impossible to remove tiny particles of dirt trapped in the material. This not only happens quickly, but it will also pick up the tiniest of dirt/debris. Now start to coat both the board and the materials underside with spray adhesive. You want to give both a heavy coating( I cant stress this enough) Make sure you have plenty of glue before starting this step. You literally want to see nothing but glue and no headliner when done covering with glue. But be careful, you do not want to "soak" either one. Once these are both covered, allow 3-5 mins for the glue to setup and start to dry. You can test this by lightly tapping the material with your fingertips. If you tap it and it feels dry, yet tries to stick to your fingertips, its ready.

 

Start by having someone help you to transfer the material right side up over to the board. It helps to have the board about waist level. Lighlty set the material in place ensuring you have plenty of material overlapping all sides. Have your helper go to the opposite end or side that you will start to adhere the material. With your helper slightly raising the opposite end(to keep the material from touching and starting to adhere), slowly start working the material onto the board. Make sure you start from the center and work your way to the outer sides of the board. Make sure you leave no trapped air between the material and the board. Your helper should be slowly lowering the material onto the board as you need it. Work your way down the board until you have completely covered it with new material.

 

Once done, flipped the board over and cut the remaining material from the boards edges leaving about an 1 1/2" overhang. Apply more glue to the remaining material sticking out on the boards edge and to the backside of the board where the material will fold over to. Allow the glue to dry and fold the material over the boards edge. Keep in mind that the once the glued halves touch each other, they are glued tight, so work fast and carefully. You can also have your helper work across from you instead of at the opposite end of the board. Each person needs to make sure the material "down board" does not come in contact with the board until you are ready to adhere the material.

 

To finish the job, cut small "X"'s in areas where a light or visor opening needs to go. In the area of a tv or larger opening, you can cut out the exact area needed out, but be careful not to "overcut" and show your cut lines. With this type of opening you can fold the material over and glue it to the boards backside, or just make sure your openings edges are really glued tight. Installation is the opposite of removal. Keep in mind that your hands get dirty when working around a car. It is necessary to hold the board up in the center when re-installing. You certainly dont want your brand new board to have a hand print on it.

 

This process should take 2 people under an hour to complete. Its not very hard and can certainly be done by yourself if you cant find one of your bumming friends to assist. Hope this helps.

 

Excellent instructions, I have done a bunch of headliners and this exactly how I've always done them. Don't try and resuse the old material, as a lot of times (not always) it's the foam backing on the fabric that has broken down and not so much the adhesive. Also, +1000 for keeping your hands clean, especially when working with a light fabric.

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phil Explorer

phil

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I saw your car on AJ's rack today and felt bad...............................for AJ.

 

Glue the headliner up, replace rear axle, drive off cliff, profit.

 

BTW The axle cover I gave you needs a few more bolts than I have for it.

 

 

i know your not talking holes. :cool:

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