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| Installing a New Headliner |
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| Materials
-2 Yards of Headliner Material
-Wire Brush
-Scissors
-Razor Blades
-3M Super 90 Spray Adhesive
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1. Remove Old Headliner
This is generally the first step! In order to remove your headliner, there are going to be several things holding it up. Several things like Sun visors, Dome Lights, "Oh Crap"! handles, and clothing hooks are attached to the headliner. All of them will need to be removed. Other things like weather striping will need to be removed or arranged in a way for removal. It is also possible that there will be body panels that will need to be removed or pulled back for access.
In some cases it may be necessary to remove a seat in order to maneuver the headliner out. You will want to be VERY careful not to bend the headliner board. It will crease, and will look bad! Slide it out of the car, and make sure it is supported very well.
2. Remove Old Material
This step can be very easy, but very time consuming. The headliner usually is attached to a either cardboard, or type of fibrous material, you will want to remove the fabric from that sheet. Now you are probably noticing that there is a large amount of foam material that was stuck to the fabric that isn't coming off. It is VERY important that you get all of it off. This is where the wire brush comes in handy.
Just use it to sand away the foam padding. It will create a mess, so it would be a good idea to vacuum as you go. Work outside too! Or else you'll be tracking the foam all over your house for weeks.
3. Get Material Handy
Now is the time to the materials for the new headliner. Measure the area you will need to cover, and then look for a suitable fabric at the fabrics store. I choose a material, that was almost an exact duplicate of the kind I took off. I just choose that I wanted to do it in black instead of the light gray it was before.
It may be possible to use more exotic materials, such as Velvet, Vinyl, Tweed, or Leather. I can not say that these materials will adhere well to the board, using just the glue. It is also hard to say whether or not the glue will bleed through the fabric. If you choose to go with these materials, you may need to have it stitched on with a sowing machine.
4. Ready to Glue?
Working outdoors, you should be ready to glue on your new material. It is very important that you use 3M Super 90 (not 77) for this project (or another Headliner adhesive). It has sticky properties that aren't affected much by heat or cold. You should thoroughly read the instructions on the glue bottle. I suggest waiting at least a minute for the glue to dry, and spraying both pieces. I mentioned that you should work outside before, and that is because this glue is extremely flammable, and toxic if breathed. You should have no problem, if you are outside though.
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