Anyone made a headliner
05-31-2010, 02:40 AM
#1
Rainman
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Anyone made a headliner
Just curious if anyone has had success in making a new headliner for their 944. Mine is beat to hell and I actually cut out about half of it today because it was all torn up, presently the entire passenger side above the window is bare insulation which is foam rubber by the way.
Pics appreciated.
Pics appreciated.
06-01-2010, 04:08 AM
#5
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something i did with my a couple of cars... just telling you what i did.
3m makes pretty good spray, for headliners on rolls but it's hazmat city and creates a toxic cloud of overspray in your car. the headliner rolls can get expensive... but they look decent.
less $$$ solution :
get dropcloths all over the interior of your car. duct tape the dropcloths. and masking tape...
use a water-based, acrylic linolium glue that comes in a quart or gallon bucket... w/easy clean up.
use 3" joint knife for drywall to apply... and smooth it out using 4" roller/s... gently work it on (and each time, let dry) about 5 coats of the glue will create good sound dampening... go slow to keep your mess down.
on your final coat, add your texture using a standard acrylic paper method or roller.
when finished, keep the drop cloths, tape off and spray SEM carpet dye.
this method worked nice for me on a couple of other cars.
3m makes pretty good spray, for headliners on rolls but it's hazmat city and creates a toxic cloud of overspray in your car. the headliner rolls can get expensive... but they look decent.
less $$$ solution :
get dropcloths all over the interior of your car. duct tape the dropcloths. and masking tape...
use a water-based, acrylic linolium glue that comes in a quart or gallon bucket... w/easy clean up.
use 3" joint knife for drywall to apply... and smooth it out using 4" roller/s... gently work it on (and each time, let dry) about 5 coats of the glue will create good sound dampening... go slow to keep your mess down.
on your final coat, add your texture using a standard acrylic paper method or roller.
when finished, keep the drop cloths, tape off and spray SEM carpet dye.
this method worked nice for me on a couple of other cars.
06-02-2010, 09:05 AM
#7
Drifting
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I've done a headliner using foam-backed headliner cloth. I ended up using about 7 yards of the stuff though. I made the whole thing one piece, including the B and C pillars. It turned out ok, but isn't as good as I was hoping and I am planning on redoing it again. I wanted to use German cloth sourced from World Upholstery, but it's *very* expensive (around $90/yd) where the cloth was around $15/yd.
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06-02-2010, 06:06 PM
#9
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If you've worked with upholstery and spray adhesive before, it isn't hard to do. It's time consuming and if you're not careful with the spray adhesive, it can be messy. The problem I had with mine is that I over-saturated the foam and it soaked through to the cloth which shows up either as a dent, or a glue spot.
I bought my upholstery adhesive from Advance Auto. The one near me carries three different ones - two are 3M, one is Permatex. The Permatex one doesn't work well or hold up. I used the stronger of the two 3M adhesives - I think it was 08090 Super Trim Adhesive.
I bought my upholstery adhesive from Advance Auto. The one near me carries three different ones - two are 3M, one is Permatex. The Permatex one doesn't work well or hold up. I used the stronger of the two 3M adhesives - I think it was 08090 Super Trim Adhesive.
06-03-2010, 11:25 AM
#11
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What I really want is the English wool headliner material from World Upholstery, but it's more expensive than leather. I've even considered Alcantara, but real Alcantara is around $100/yd too. If Robert or Paul come up with a reasonably priced solution in either the English wool or Alcantara, I'll jump on it. Otherwise, I'll use the inexpensive headliner material again.
I'm also looking around at some aircraft headliner material. I just haven't been able to find it in black.
06-03-2010, 11:33 AM
#12
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Yes, please let us know what he says.
I've done a headliner using foam-backed headliner cloth. I ended up using about 7 yards of the stuff though. I made the whole thing one piece, including the B and C pillars. It turned out ok, but isn't as good as I was hoping and I am planning on redoing it again. I wanted to use German cloth sourced from World Upholstery, but it's *very* expensive (around $90/yd) where the cloth was around $15/yd.
I've done a headliner using foam-backed headliner cloth. I ended up using about 7 yards of the stuff though. I made the whole thing one piece, including the B and C pillars. It turned out ok, but isn't as good as I was hoping and I am planning on redoing it again. I wanted to use German cloth sourced from World Upholstery, but it's *very* expensive (around $90/yd) where the cloth was around $15/yd.
I've been looking at different solutions for replacing my headliner, but haven't really found anything and I like the way this looks.
06-03-2010, 11:57 AM
#13
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Tips? Mask off everything inside and outside the car where you don't want adhesive overspray. I cannot stress that enough. Otherwise, you'll be spending a great deal of time cleaning up the mess. Somehow I managed to spray it through the sunroof and it made it to the nose of the car.
You don't have to remove the seats, but it makes it easier.
You'll have to remove the A-pillar trim, the rear side windows, both the front and rear header panels and the trim around the doors, sunroof and the upper part of the hatch. You'll also need to remove the coat hooks and upper seatbelt mounts. I'd also recommend removing the rear side panels to make covering the B-pillar easier. Check the rubber inserts that go under the headliner. They're there to help shape the headliner material and they need to be glued in place. You can use the trim adhesive, but I prefer silicone RTV. If you use RTV, you'll need to tape them in place while it sets. I do this the day prior to installing the headliner. And before you start, go over everything with your hand. If there's anything on the surface where the material is glued, it will show up through the headliner.
Start at the front and work your way back. Pay attention to the placement of the dome light wire - it goes between the headliner material and the header panel. The header panel has a groove for the wire to run and if you glue it in the wrong place, it will get pinched and could end up as a short.
Go slow. You want a nice, even coat of adhesive on both the roof and the back of your material. Don't oversaturate either side, or it will bleed through the material (if you're using cloth). Don't overstretch the material. Remember that when you place it against the adhesive, it's permanent. If you try to pull it back off, you'll make a mess. The glue will ball up, the material can tear (if it's foam backed, it WILL tear). If you do make a mistake, you can usually go over it and work the area and smooth it out. If the adhesive ***** up on you, clean it off and reapply. Those lumps will show through the finished project.
And make sure you're in a well ventilated area! I do the install outside, not in a garage.
You don't have to remove the seats, but it makes it easier.
You'll have to remove the A-pillar trim, the rear side windows, both the front and rear header panels and the trim around the doors, sunroof and the upper part of the hatch. You'll also need to remove the coat hooks and upper seatbelt mounts. I'd also recommend removing the rear side panels to make covering the B-pillar easier. Check the rubber inserts that go under the headliner. They're there to help shape the headliner material and they need to be glued in place. You can use the trim adhesive, but I prefer silicone RTV. If you use RTV, you'll need to tape them in place while it sets. I do this the day prior to installing the headliner. And before you start, go over everything with your hand. If there's anything on the surface where the material is glued, it will show up through the headliner.
Start at the front and work your way back. Pay attention to the placement of the dome light wire - it goes between the headliner material and the header panel. The header panel has a groove for the wire to run and if you glue it in the wrong place, it will get pinched and could end up as a short.
Go slow. You want a nice, even coat of adhesive on both the roof and the back of your material. Don't oversaturate either side, or it will bleed through the material (if you're using cloth). Don't overstretch the material. Remember that when you place it against the adhesive, it's permanent. If you try to pull it back off, you'll make a mess. The glue will ball up, the material can tear (if it's foam backed, it WILL tear). If you do make a mistake, you can usually go over it and work the area and smooth it out. If the adhesive ***** up on you, clean it off and reapply. Those lumps will show through the finished project.
And make sure you're in a well ventilated area! I do the install outside, not in a garage.
07-01-2010, 06:24 PM
#15
Resistance is Futile
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I bought tons of that stuff over the years... light spray on the foam side, heavier on the component side... work in right conditions (not cold) and in the light so you can see what you are doing... let both pieces dry for a minute before joining...