How To: Recovering Headliners 60+ photos

[vwdmc16]

After nearly a year I have finally gotten around to completing my car's headliner replacement, Here is a How-to to give you some help, ideas and guidance so you can give your car a new headliner and save some money doing it. If your Headliner boards aren't in bad shape, and with the tools and supplies in hand this is a project that can be tackled in one weekend.

Like most of our cars 30 years on, the headliner material had begun to deteriorate and sag down, My center sections werent sagging too much but they were badly stained. Before we jump in, we need to know better how the liners are constructed. Unlike older cars that have a suspended liner with metal rods going across supporting the sewn material up, Our cars have a more modern and easier approach of having molded cardboard backing with the soft material simply glued on. The boards are attached to the roof with a metal loop riveted to the board and a hook for that loop to grab bolted to the roof, the perimeter around the door opening has excess material simply warping around the edges and pinched under the door seals. The front also is held up with the sunvisor bolts. The doors which have their own liners are attached with Fir tree plastic clips.

Tools and Supplies Needed


Scissors
Hi strength Contact Glue (do not get cheap stuff)
Razor blades
Sharpie
Dozen or more Clamps ( Clothes pins will work too)
Philips screwdriver
Metal wire brush
Fir-tree removal tool ( top of pic)
2.5 yds Headliner material

If your boards are damaged/creased you will need the following:

Epoxy Resin 6oz+ (polyester will do and is much cheaper/easier to mix correctly but smells much worse)
Mixing bucket
Acid brushes
Mixing sticks
More clamps
Heavy books
Wax paper

And if your sunvisor mounts are stripped/rusted like mine you will also need:

Drill
5/32 drill bit
5/32 x 1/4" Alum Rivets
Wire brush attachment for drill
Small vise
Primer and black paint
m5x0.8 Tap
New M5 bolts x4
Rivet gun
Dremel with cut off disc.



http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1074_zps4efad6d0.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1074_zps4efad6d0.jpg.html)

Step 1, Removal:


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Remove Sunvisors, or in my case break them off

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0633_zps8ea1052a.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0633_zps8ea1052a.jpg.html)


You dont have to be careful about damaging the material however you must be careful not to crease the cardboard backing as it will loose rigidity and the crease will be visible later. Pull off the inner door seals atleast around the top of the door, now start unfolding the material around the roof. The material is likely glued on so a sharp razor blade is necessary. Start with the front board as it overlaps the rear.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0632_zps9728be13.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0632_zps9728be13.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0634_zpsb3433849.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0634_zpsb3433849.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0635_zps0ff4a00b.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0635_zps0ff4a00b.jpg.html)

Now as you see there is alot of foam still stuck to the roof, This can removed with wire brushes. put down some plastic or blankets so the foam bits don't go everywhere. Try to get the fiberglass as clean as you can.

The door liners should pop off with the fir-tree tool or by hand if they are loose enough and you are gentle enough, remember not to bend the boards!




Step 2, Stripping the Boards and Prepping

Take the board somewhere you can plenty of room like on a counter top or on the floor. Begin at one corner and pull the material off the board, dont worry if it rips or foam remains but bonus points are given if you get it all off in one piece. Just as the roof needed De-foaming the boards need to be bare, any little bump that remains on the board with be under the new material and will show. TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE SURE THE BOARDS ARE CLEAN AND SMOOTH. Use a manual wire brush with light pressure, just don't gouge the paper. Note the rear quarterpanel in this pic, You dont need to remove those panels to pull the rear headliner, although it would help.Not pictured but stripping the door liner boards was just the same. Now is the time to easily replace all the fir trees and repair and of the holes the screw into with epoxy.


Kinda looks like I skinned a depressed Sea ray huh?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0643_zps9068b148.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0643_zps9068b148.jpg.html)

[vwdmc16]

Step 3, Recovering Door Headliners

If you boards come out smooth and undamaged you are ready to recover. Look up your local Upholstery supply shop and take a sample of you old material or a sun visor to match up the color and grain as best you can. Be warned your material is probably 30 yrs old and has faded and its unlikely you will find a perfect match to anything so go with your gut and get something you like. Also be warned that some upholstery shops wont sell to the open public, only to other businesses with licenses. Going to a home fabric shop it not recommended, even if they have similar material its not likely to be automotive quality and will fade quickly in the sun. Do it right or do it again!
You will need at least 2 yards of the material, get 3 to be safe if you mess up, the stuff shouldnt be too pricey, $10-15 a yd. Get new fir trees and glue there if they have it.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, MAKE SURE YOU ARE WORKING ON A CLEAN SURFACE/FLOOR AND WASH YOU HANDS, CLEANLINESS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR A QUALITY PRODUCT.


Lets start with the door liners first. Lay one face down on to the new material that is also face down and roughly trace around it with your sharpie, Give yourself about 4-5 inch extra all around. Big Tip here, note what direction you material is facing, like wood or stainless steel your material should have a grain, double check its facing the same way as the other pieces BEFORE you cut them out, I set my material to have the grain go fore and aft like the grain of the car's stainless.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0177_zpscaf12984.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0177_zpscaf12984.jpg.html)

Now if you got extra material go ahead and consider this a practice run and only use a little of spray glue so you can rip the material back off if things go bad and not damage the boards. Getting the material to stretch nicely and not wrinkle can take skill, but generally the fabric is forgiving.

Begin by spraying the valley of the boards, be sure to get into the corners and evenly, DO NOT pour the glue in there, you still want a thick spider web consistency as shown, too much and it will bleed through the material. Too little and you will have saggy headliners in a month. Be sure to spray the material back side just the same too. Allow the glue to tack up for about 2 minutes, don't be hasty but also don't let it dry up. In short read the bottle's directions.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0178_zps7cfd83b6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0178_zps7cfd83b6.jpg.html)


Make sure the material is centered on the board before any glued parts touch, once the glue touches it will likely damage the material if you attempt to remove it. Start in the center and work you way outward to the corners of the valley.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0179_zpsb1effbf4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0179_zpsb1effbf4.jpg.html)


Its kind of hard to explain but the trick to laying the material down without wrinkles it to stretch it in some areas and allowing it to nearly wrinkle in others. When laying down the first section in the valley push the material outwards ( red arrows) with a fair amount of pressure, this section needs to be stretched some. Dont forget to stretch it some the other way ( yellow arrows). Next you can work you way up the sides allowing the material to sit without tension so the top can be more relaxed, the material will want to wrinkle up there ( blue arrows).

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0179345_zps7a3bb987.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0179345_zps7a3bb987.jpg.html)

This may take practice but use the grain of the material to help you see where it is too tight and too loose.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0191_zps3cf1b557.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0191_zps3cf1b557.jpg.html)


Work slowly and do one corner at a time, when the valley is nicely laid down, spray more glue on the sides,( material and board) don't forget to let it tack up. Use the palm of your hand and moderate pressure to roll the material onto the board, using the tips of you finger can make the material wavy which will be visible in the grain.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0192_zps841baef1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0192_zps841baef1.jpg.html)

Once the face of the board is glued, flip it over and get you scissors out, the corners need to be trimmed before folded over. You cleaned the back side of the board right? glue wont stick to any old foam dust that remains.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0193_zpsd235d9a1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0193_zpsd235d9a1.jpg.html)


This is kind of like wrapping a birthday present but you dont want overlapping parts of the wrapper the corners will have to be trimmed somewhat to this effect. Dont forget to trim for Firt-rees too.


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http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0195_zps2dcba3c5.jpg

Dont worry about making it pretty, this side will never be seen.
Use plenty of glue as before (if this isnt you practice run) on both material and board before folding it over, use some of those clamps/clothes pins now and let the liner sit at least an hour before installing.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0196_zpsef56818b.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0196_zpsef56818b.jpg.html)


On the long sides between the corners use the palm of you hand again and roll the material over gently, you dont want to stretch the material unevenly here or the grain will be quite visibly wavy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0182_zps0d50f182.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0182_zps0d50f182.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0197_zps96ba0a44.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0197_zps96ba0a44.jpg.html)



BAM DONE!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0183_zpsd7675131.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0183_zpsd7675131.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0186_zps9933e0db.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0186_zps9933e0db.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0185_zps1fec1859.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0185_zps1fec1859.jpg.html)

[vwdmc16]

STEP 3.1 Recovering Rear Headliner


When I got my car years ago I did a quick temporary fix to my rear liner. It was so rotten and warped I didnt want to fix it so I made a rough copy out of foam board, you can see it here in white. It worked but after first glance you could tell it wasnt right. Since my front board was so beat too I decided to get other ones. I found a decent used pair of boards on the Forums an had them shipped to me. Long story short they were shipped to my neighbor and badly damaged, More on fixing them later.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_0645_zpsbd2b16d2.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_0645_zpsbd2b16d2.jpg.html)


This new board was miles ahead of the foam one I made but it was still a bit warped and wanted to be sure it would stay straight for years to come.
I attached a 36x1x1/8" aluminum strip to the backside, heavily sanded and drilled so the epoxy would bite well. I put a few layers of epoxy on which took a few days to to.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130506_212509_zpsc2fcaac6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130506_212509_zpsc2fcaac6.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130602_132931_zps340355db.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130602_132931_zps340355db.jpg.html)

After a test fitting in the car, it was time to cover. Same steps as the door liners, Trace the material with some excess.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130602_133004_zps784bbeff.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130602_133004_zps784bbeff.jpg.html)


Much simpler to attach, No stretching needed, Just glue it all and lay it down. Be sure to press into the corners on the face.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130602_133735_zps10284876.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130602_133735_zps10284876.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130602_134048_zps85b4edd6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130602_134048_zps85b4edd6.jpg.html)


Trim the corners like so


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130602_133609_zpsf78a2531.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130602_133609_zpsf78a2531.jpg.html)


On the leading corners where the T panel and 1/4 panel come together you need to fold the material over like this with about 1/2 to 3/4" of material, the back side that faces the rear window can be folded over the board.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130602_134450_zps0bfddfd8.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130602_134450_zps0bfddfd8.jpg.html)

[vwdmc16]

Step 4, Repairing Front Headliner

I dont have any good pictures of the damage of the front board mostly because I was so mad that it was damaged I didnt want to photograph it. There was a bad diagonal crease from left of the light to the corner of the door edge, also some of the sun visor holes were mangled plus the center was badly bowed.

The repairs mostly took time and I wont go into big detail on epoxy repairs. Basically I cleaned the board as normal with a wire brush, straightened the crease best I could by hand and poured about 3 oz of resin on at a time along the crease on one side. Next I put a piece of wax paper on top of the glue and piled about 30lbs of books on top then let that sit overnight. I repeated that twice on each side. Near the interior light I poured on more epoxy and after it set I sanded the high parts down and applied more glue where needed. In all I used about 12oz of glue and it took the better part of two weeks since I had to let each section cure overnight before moving on. The bowed sections had paint sticks clamped tightly on it to straighten it out all this time too.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130509_201901_zps060748a4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130509_201901_zps060748a4.jpg.html)

One part I really wanted to get right was the interior light mounting, the old liner barely held the light fixture in and was crooked when it did. I did alot of fine filing on the aluminum plate that surrounds the hole so it fit the light perfectly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130601_230332_zps43780bdc.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130601_230332_zps43780bdc.jpg.html)


However nothing held it in tightly, this light is from a Porsche 928 and superior in quality and design to the DMC unit. there are two spring loaded detents that can hold it in the plate but one was not long enough. The simple fix was to use a soldering iron to melt the tip of a zip tie to the plastic detent that wasnt long enough, the plastics melted together and were quite strong. Then I glued the aluminum plate to the board with a couple of rounds of epoxy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130601_230313_zpsb3a36427.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130601_230313_zpsb3a36427.jpg.html)



Step 3.2, Recovering the Front liner

With a straightened and smooth board the same process happens to cover it, Trace out material with about 6 inch overlap. Remember the grain!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_205922_zpsdad8f18e.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_205922_zpsdad8f18e.jpg.html)

With the material centered Spray glue on on the center to one side, we will apply the material from the center out again but will do one half at at time.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_210301_zpscc54fb69.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_210301_zpscc54fb69.jpg.html)


Press the material down into the lines nicely, Now spray heavily on the sun visor mount valleys, these sections will need the material stretched a bit too so make sure its well glued down. work your way out from the middle.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_210519_zps46126f94.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_210519_zps46126f94.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_210643_zpsf6769fe6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_210643_zpsf6769fe6.jpg.html)


Now do the other side the same. Next flip the board over and glue the front where the windshield goes and wrap the material over with about 1" overlap. Do the same on the rear where the rear liner will meet.

Now you need to fold the material over itself at the edges like you did on the rear liner, (RED ARROWS) this will make sense when you install the liners in the car.

You can see all the epoxy repairs where the board is dark.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_211211_zpsfd1d5633.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_211211_zpsfd1d5633.jpg.html)


Front is trimmed where the A pillars will meet.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_211416_zpsc13c63d1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_211416_zpsc13c63d1.jpg.html)

Glued

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_211551_zps1deeab7e.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_211551_zps1deeab7e.jpg.html)


Interior light hole is cut, leave about 1/4'' overlap

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_212244_zps339a907b.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_212244_zps339a907b.jpg.html)



Done, note how much material I left on the sides, Do not trim this down until installation.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130629_212411_zps911153d6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130629_212411_zps911153d6.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/headliners_zps4d8cd347.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/headliners_zps4d8cd347.jpg.html)

[vwdmc16]

Step 5, Repairing Sun Visor Mounts


If you have an early car that had water leaks and spent time outdoors and/or was from the rust belt like my car it's quite likely the sun visor mounts were rusty. Maybe it was enough to break off the mounts and one of the bolts like mine. Dont fear this isnt too hard to repair either.

If they brackets just have a light rusting and arent stripped, you could brush them off by hand and give them a light coat of paint, then run a M8 x.8 Tap through it to clean the threads and move on to step 6. If the rivets are failing, the brackets badly rusted or you have a broken off bolt like I had you need to drill out the 5/32" rivets and start anew.
Be careful of the glass and drill straight in with the 5/32 bit, no need to drill very deep, just get the old rivet out of the way.

My brackets broke off leaving the stubs of the rivet in the roof which also required some Dremel cut off wheels to remove.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1041_zps3cf33843.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1041_zps3cf33843.jpg.html)



Now I could sandblast or wire wheel the parts unless you can find new ones, but last checked these are NLA.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1038_zps8e2f5927.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1038_zps8e2f5927.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1039_zps1a94dc66.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1039_zps1a94dc66.jpg.html)


Next a quick prime and paint, and a set of New bolts with 3mm Allen head instead of Phillips

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1043_zps3fc59e63.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1043_zps3fc59e63.jpg.html)


Now to rivet back into the old holes with new 5/32 rivets and good as new.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1044_zps3d1ff5b3.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1044_zps3d1ff5b3.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1046_zps964e4afc.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1046_zps964e4afc.jpg.html)

[vwdmc16]

Step 6, Installing Rear headliner


Begin by making sure the rear interior quarter panels are pulled away from the B pillars, an assistant makes this easier. Fold the seats forward and stick the driver side of the rear liner in between the interior panel and the roof, Push it over as much as you can without damage and then slip the passenger side on top of the interior panel, support the center of the liner and hook the center loop on the hook on the roof, it should make a solid click when fully engaged.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1047_zpsdec340fa.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1047_zpsdec340fa.jpg.html)


Use a flash light to be sure the liner is hooked on the roof bracket.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1048_zps44cd7710.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1048_zps44cd7710.jpg.html)



Check both sides that the board lines up flush with the roof , you should not have any overlap, it should look like so. Then spray a bit of glue on the door seal flange and the liner.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1050_zpsd0eddf9c.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1050_zpsd0eddf9c.jpg.html)



Start in the middle of the curve and cut the excess material with three cuts like so until you get to the fiberglass.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1052_zpsc21034d9.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1052_zpsc21034d9.jpg.html)



Fold the material over and clamp it on, Let the glue dry while you go to the other side of the car and do the same.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1054_zpsa11a999e.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1054_zpsa11a999e.jpg.html)


On the inside go ahead and screw the trim screw down to lock it in place.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1055_zpsb24a0817.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1055_zpsb24a0817.jpg.html)



Trim the excess just after it wraps around the fiberglass, Dont cut too much but you dont want to see extra material after you replace the inner door seal back over it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1056_zpsd8a72011.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1056_zpsd8a72011.jpg.html)

[vwdmc16]

Step 7, Installing Front Headliner

Your are almost there, Before you get in the car, punch small holes in the material through the sun visor mounting holes with a small scredriver, nothing big. Now put the seats back to normal position and insert the headliner in the car with one hand, Grab the interior light wiring and pull it through the hole.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1057_zps28d63f5f.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1057_zps28d63f5f.jpg.html)



Align the metal support loop with the hook on the roof and push the board forward firmly but gently with both hands until the hook is fully seated, it should click in place too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1058_zps45d150ff.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1058_zps45d150ff.jpg.html)



Try to always have one hand supporting the front of the liner until the sun visors bolts are in, take your M5 bolts and begin threading them in to the threaded bosses. If the threads were clean and tapped this shouldn't be too hard. Now the front is supported and closely lined up while you glue the sides in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1059_zps931a50d2.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1059_zps931a50d2.jpg.html)



Check on both sides that the board is lined up and not crooked, Start at the front door corners and cut your three slits like you did on the rear liner. Then glue as before too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1060_zpsee371157.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1060_zpsee371157.jpg.html)



While both sides are glued, clamped and curing you may begin to trim the excess off the front half, Note how much I left to wrap around the fiberglass.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1061_zpse5ad662d.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1061_zpse5ad662d.jpg.html)


With the front nearly done, work on the center where the front and rear liners meet. Its important that you pull pretty tightly upward on the rear edge of the front liner, where you folded it over about 3/4''. If you don't get that tight the liner is likely to start sagging there first. Add glue and trim the excess.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1079_zps6ba5bac4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1079_zps6ba5bac4.jpg.html)


The inner door seal can now be re installed, See how nice that rolled edge looks? This is why you folded it over back on step 3.2 and on the rear liner in #3.1. I don't like to use a rubber mallet to get the door seal down all the way as I fear I may crack the my windshield even more so I have to squeeze the seal down by hand.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1075_zps35b911c4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1075_zps35b911c4.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1077_zps82d81db4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1077_zps82d81db4.jpg.html)


Finally Bolt the sun visors and clip the interior light in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1073_zpsb9d942a3.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1073_zpsb9d942a3.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1068_zpsfeb7b1b5.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1068_zpsfeb7b1b5.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1067_zps93dd7795.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1067_zps93dd7795.jpg.html)



Not a great match to my sad old stained sun visors but I'd rather have nice clean grey liners, The material's grain is quite visible here.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1063_zps63f00bdc.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1063_zps63f00bdc.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1062_zpsb382e259.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1062_zpsb382e259.jpg.html)


Thanks for looking!

[wrkey]

Incredible well documented post! Convinced me I should get a pro to do it for me!

[Ron]

Now that's a write up! :thumbup:

[DavidProehl]

Wow! Great results, well documented. We have a new gold standard for How-To guides.

[Farrar]

Fantastic. This is the "how to" of how-tos! Bravo!

[Domi]

Awesome "how-to" with plenty of pictures and explanations :)
Thank you for your time ;)

[elfking]

Very nicely done! That kind of work takes quite a bit of patience and putting up with plenty of glue fumes. :drunk:

[MML]

Excellent stuff, thanks for putting it up! The photos are great.
I don't need to replace my headlining but I do need to remove the sagging at the back with a flat piece of aluminium, this is a good heads-up as to what's involved.

[jawn101]

How am I just seeing this now? It looks great man, really good writeup and really nice results. Congrats, it must feel great to have that done finally! Now just keep it clean :)

[vwdmc16]

Thanks Everyone, And thanks Jon, I got my practice in doing your's which I think may have come out better anyways.

[jawn101]

Awesome writeup Clint! They came out great, too :)

[SIMid]

Wow! Awesome write up!

I did not see a Beer in sight or bandages!

[jawn101]

Wow! Awesome write up!

I did not see a Beer in sight or bandages!

I've never seen Clint drink OR bleed. Just adds to his mystique. Some folks say he was 11 feet tall. I once saw him catch a 20 foot marlin with his bare hands. In a swimming pool! I've heard rumors he carved a pet ox out of solid SS304 but have never seen it personally. :)

[Morpheus]

Wow. I feel like I can do this job now. Great write up!

[opethmike]

I finished this job today. Prepping the boards was really tedious, but not difficult. Getting the new material on and looking nice wasn't difficult either, I just had to be careful with my usually club like hands. However, with the center headliners, I wrapped the material back around on the boards, having forgotten that the material originally wraps up and glues on to the body. So it looks a little weird with some exposed fiberglass right beneath the weatherstripping.

But the headliners are now new, clean, and not sagging into my face.

Honestly, the biggest bitch during this job was getting the sun visors back in. The screws that hold them on are very short, and my new headliner has a noticeably thicker backing foam. This meant that the original sun visor screws could not reach their receptacles anymore. So I just grabbed some longer M5 bolts out of my pile of random crap, and things went back in just fine at that point.

Not a perfectly done job on my part, but I think it still looks pretty darned good, and good enough to not have spent the insane $600 on the fiberglass units.

[cdrusn]

Very clear and precise advice. I particularly want to thank you for the idea of placing a 1/8" steel bar in the back nearest the back window. It fixed the sagging and bowed headliner so it really made it look like new.:cheers:

[Andrew]

Honestly, the biggest bitch during this job was getting the sun visors back in. The screws that hold them on are very short, and my new headliner has a noticeably thicker backing foam. This meant that the original sun visor screws could not reach their receptacles anymore.

I agree, the sun visor screws are generally the most challenging aspect of this project!

When I recovered the headliners on both 4194 and 5052 I have riveted the front and rear center sections together to make a single-piece headliner. Aside from the couple minutes it took to rivet the two sections together, it really didn't complicate the process recovering process and the results look great.

[SpudMurphy]

Wow - great write up. Having just bought a project car that will require me to do this job, I spent some time digesting the info. My "boards" are already stripped and alas have some crease folds in them. I was interested in the epoxy repair you carried out. I was thinking along the lines of using very fine fibre glass tissue - the really fine stuff that wouldn't add that much to the overall thickness - I like the alumin(i)um (yeah I'm a Brit !) stiffening bracket too. Thanks for this.

[vwdmc16]

Im glad you like it, as for adding glassfibre to the creased boards, remember the boards will absorb the resin like fiber cloth would so unless the board has gotten thin or has holes I don't think adding material is really nessesary.

[Rodney]

Hey great directions!!! Thank-you!! This really helped me!! One thing I noticed when cutting the slits toward the fiberglass for the curves. Be careful not to cut all the way to the fiberglass. I cut in too far toward the fiberglass and you can see part of the cuts after the trim is back on.

One other problem is that I got a little bit of 3M glue over spray on the good side. Any suggestions on getting it off without damaging the material? Thanks, Rod.







Step 6, Installing Rear headliner


Begin by making sure the rear interior quarter panels are pulled away from the B pillars, an assistant makes this easier. Fold the seats forward and stick the driver side of the rear liner in between the interior panel and the roof, Push it over as much as you can without damage and then slip the passenger side on top of the interior panel, support the center of the liner and hook the center loop on the hook on the roof, it should make a solid click when fully engaged.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1047_zpsdec340fa.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1047_zpsdec340fa.jpg.html)


Use a flash light to be sure the liner is hooked on the roof bracket.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1048_zps44cd7710.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1048_zps44cd7710.jpg.html)



Check both sides that the board lines up flush with the roof , you should not have any overlap, it should look like so. Then spray a bit of glue on the door seal flange and the liner.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1050_zpsd0eddf9c.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1050_zpsd0eddf9c.jpg.html)



Start in the middle of the curve and cut the excess material with three cuts like so until you get to the fiberglass.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1052_zpsc21034d9.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1052_zpsc21034d9.jpg.html)



Fold the material over and clamp it on, Let the glue dry while you go to the other side of the car and do the same.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1054_zpsa11a999e.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1054_zpsa11a999e.jpg.html)


On the inside go ahead and screw the trim screw down to lock it in place.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1055_zpsb24a0817.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1055_zpsb24a0817.jpg.html)



Trim the excess just after it wraps around the fiberglass, Dont cut too much but you dont want to see extra material after you replace the inner door seal back over it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1056_zpsd8a72011.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1056_zpsd8a72011.jpg.html)

[Rich_NYS]

Excellent how-to, I followed this thread yesterday when I did my headliners.

Thanks for your effort & details!

[DeLoreanDMC81]

This was s a great write up, and I plan to do the same to my headliners in the next few weeks.

Does anyone know what kind of fabric to get for the cars with black interior? I'd take mine in to get matched up, but the previous owners installed the gray headliner material. And I know the black interior cars had more of the charcoal colored headliners.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

James
2168 & 6408

[vwdmc16]

I'd take the sun visors to use as a guide on the new color. Unless you are redoing those too.

[DeLoreanDMC81]

I'd take the sun visors to use as a guide on the new color. Unless you are redoing those too.

Ah, good point. Didn't think of that. Thank you.

James

2168 & 6408

[SpudMurphy]

One other problem is that I got a little bit of 3M glue over spray on the good side. Any suggestions on getting it off without damaging the material? Thanks, Rod.

Hi Rod.
Whilst recovering mine (outdoors) , the wind picked up and the fabric folded over when I was spraying the glue ... on the corner by the sun visor.
I let it dry overnight - I also purposely sprayed some glue on an off cut so that I could experiment.

I used a small piece of 3m scotch pad to roughen the fabric, I also used a small brass bristle brush that I used to use on suede shoes (not of the blue variety!)... I picked off bits n pieces of the glue with tweezers.

i used cigarette lighter fluid (naptha) on some cotton buds changing them frequently. I was quite vigorous. Dont touch the area straight after as it feels tacky, again, let it dry back - as you can see I had good results!

63223

[mark w]

thanks for this thread Clint! helped a lot. Im just finishing up mine now.

Mark

[SBL]

Here is a trick I learned from Ken K. In fact we did this on my door headliners on his kitchen table in Cincinnati. When finished, put garbage bag or plastic material over the panel, and then add sand from the hardware store into the valley until it is filled to the brim and let it sit overnight. This gave an even pressure all the way around and I never had any bubbles.

[ssdelorean]

I need to recover my door headliners but have an issue with the fur tree holes. Has anyone ever had to repair the fir tree holes in the door headliners when recovering? Mine are worn out (holes too weak and/or too big) and the fir trees won't stay in the headliner. I am wondering if the using resin to build up the area around the hole will work?

Option 2:
I thought about using some kind of thin but rigid material to make new fur tree holes and adhere that to the headliner.

Option 3:
Get some used headliners with better holes than mine and recover.

Any other ideas out there for repairing the holes?

[Acmetowers]

I just used some fibreglass sheet and resin. With just a few layers it was strong enough and when sanded down was flush to the backing board.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[dmcerik]

I just used some fibreglass sheet and resin. With just a few layers it was strong enough and when sanded down was flush to the backing board.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Got any photos showing the process? I just noticed my passenger headliner fir trees broke off and the holes are just too big to do anything with.

[Timeless]

I need to recover my door headliners but have an issue with the fur tree holes. Has anyone ever had to repair the fir tree holes in the door headliners when recovering? Mine are worn out (holes too weak and/or too big) and the fir trees won't stay in the headliner. I am wondering if the using resin to build up the area around the hole will work?

Option 2:
I thought about using some kind of thin but rigid material to make new fur tree holes and adhere that to the headliner.

Any other ideas out there for repairing the holes?
Maybe small machined alum or SS plates drilled with holes and glued to existing headliner?
Maybe the Chris Miles magnet door panel attachment program be applied to the headliners?

[ODOC]

thanks for the great write up!!

Any recent sources for grey interior fabric?

everything im finding is either suede, or textured

[dn010]

The link to what I used is in this thread:

https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?13191-How-To-Headliner-recovery