Sam Minnitti

My rear header panel appears to be warped and when you look through the hatch from the outside, it is sagging and vinyl/leather has come loose.

I tried using adhesive, double stick tape, etc, but no luck....does it make sense to try to take it off and repair it, or replace it with either a used panel in good condition or a new fiberglass one that will not warp.

Does anyone have any experience with the fiberglass panels that are available? They come pre-wrapped in leatherette, but the screw holes are not pre-drilled our countersunk.

Thanks

J Berk

never seen a fiberglass one but there are several on ebay in nice shape...at least one is right in CT...not too far from you.

I had a college roommate who's dad owned an auto upolstery shop...I watched him re-do my roof liner on a volvo and was amazed at how easy it was.

Go get a piece of black, leather-grain vinyl and a can of spray-glue....as well as a few of those cheap plastic putty knives.

Also buy a set of flat-head pliers or vise-grips so you can stretch the vinyl and a roller so you can smooth out any bubbles.

peel off the old stuff...scrape off any old glue...rough cut your new vinyl and go to town....just remember that like installing formica you only get one shot at putting down the vinyl.....

I plan to do mine over this winter....after my garage is done being re-built.

F18Rep

Its not that simple for me but trimmer skill is a huge factor and I got none.... One of the ways they get warped is from water entering from the hatch, so I would make sure your hatch drains are open first. To un-warp one, I strip off the old cover and lay a wet towel on it for 10 minutes. Then clamp it to something flat like a board or formed strips of steel overnight. If its still flimsey, a coat of fiberglass resin will help. When you recover, first lay down a layer of 1/8th in structural foam (only on the lower side -its very inexpensive). I only use the glue around the edges and where there are contours - I like 3M "77". Staple the underside edge with a good upholstery stapler (1/4 in staples) approx $80 for the Porter-Cable gun but its the ticket for success. You might get away with using a series office supply clamps - but if no staples, it may let go when it gets hot. If you're going with vinyl, get the stetchiest stuff you can find and a heat gun might help with problem areas. Yourautotrim.com has everything and are pretty reasonable....Bruce

PS... I did a headliner in an old truck once and thought it looked great, headliner matarail is a lot easier than vinyl though and besides once I started looking around at what the pros can do, mine didn't look that hot. Passable maybe.

CurtP

Texas Performance Concepts sells a fiberglass rear header panel. I have one waiting to go in when I get around to installing the new headliner. Nice piece and inexpensive.

SpeedyC2

Thank you. I'd heard of a fiberglass panel but hadn't been able to find who made such a piece until now.