I have been reading older posts trying to find out what everyone has been doing to replace their 20 year old headliner and so far I haven't had any luck. Anyone know where I can get a new one for an 85 TC?
you'll have to scrounge the s yard or have your recovered, its really not too hard to do yourself.
To do it yourself you need to take down the cardboard like backing and then se all the old liner and foam off of it. Then get some headliner material from a upholstry shop and get some good 3m glue for it. Spary and tack the material down. Then let it setup atleast and hour then reinstall the panel and trim where you have to. Did mine like that 7yrs ago.
Sounds like a dumb question but...what do I recover it with? I would like to keep the same look as what I have, just cleaner..
I pulled mine out of the car myself,and the shop charged me $35.00 to re-cover it,then I re-installed it.It would've cost more if they had to remove and reinstal the headliner.Well worth it,and looks brand new.
Just take your old material to a fabric or upholstery shop and they should be able to come up with something close. I just washed mine and stuck it back on.
Cool, thanks guys..
I've seen a headliner kit at Autozone before.Costs about $30.00.It has the razor to cut it,and the headliner material.For a couple of dollars more,have it done.I say have it done,because if you've never done it before,you can get wrinkles in it,and once the material is applied to the board,it's applied.You can't peel it back off and try agin.No matter which direction you take,good luck.A new headliner can really change how your interior looks.
You can buy "kits" online as well
http://www.wlsheadliners.com/small-to-mid-sized-car-kit-p-5.html
Also, someplaces are substituting ABS plastic for the backer boards. (50Resto for example) and if you have a plastics supplier nearby, you can get a 4x8 sheet of 1/16" ABS for like $20. You will have to cut it to match the old one, but it can help if you have a damaged original.
It's a pretty easy job. The cleanup is a little messy, and you wannt to be sure you use enough adhesive. Only use the 3M stuff too.
Also check out fabric stores. Around here, they carry headliner material that's a perfect match for something like $8/yard. For $16 plus the adhesive, you can put in a new headliner yourself.
It also depends upon the color match that you want. If you're not too picky or are changing colors, then the fabric store solution is good. Otherwise I'd highly recommend having an upholstery shop do it for you. They will have a very wide range of colors that closely match what you've got. Some of our colors cannot be exactly matched so you may have to do some decision-making. I can say that there are a LOT of different reds and blues available. Greys and tans are also plentiful. Some of the 1983-84 colors (light wheat, light blue, etc.) may be very difficult to match now.
If you remove the cardboard backing and bring it to them, trust me, they'll cut you a break. The biggest problem is the sticky foamy stuff that will remain on the cardboard. It's nasty to remove...the upholstery shop that I go to uses a power sander to get that stuff off. You can probably do it yourself with some patience. It all has to come off before the new material will stick properly. Actual headliner material is a cloth or nylon fabric that's permanenetly attached to a synthetic foam backing.
If you do this yourself...to attach it to the cardboard, spray both the foam side and the cardboard with the spray adhesive (I recommend 3M Super 77) in small sections, and let them air dry for about half a minute. This tacks up the adhesive. Then put the sections together and you have a permanent bond.
Can you tell that I practically live at the upholstery shop? ;)
I got one out of the car that i got my front end parts of and its in way better shape than mine and he ran the piss out of his car and it was beat to hellbut the headliner was like new, yet mine is falling and as it falls it made a little scracth in it become a rip and it just keeps getting bigger.
is there any real reason some hold up better then others?
Forget that 3m super 77 stuff. Get the 3m headliner glue it comes in a spray can. That super 77 stuff isn't for the headliner get the real stuff and be done with it.
The difference is...?
After successfully using Super 77 for over 15 years, I'd love to know.
So...you don't think that newer stuff is better than 20-year-old stuff then? LOL Whatever.
Eric, I think he was commenting on the typo.....
I think though the foam is more permanently attached to the backer board than the fabric after 20+ years.... ;)
On the old stuff, sure...but on the new stuff it's much better. I've yet to have any problems with newer headliner material.
Thats cause its not 20 years old yet :p
I thought you were originally refering to the old stuff. I thought it was amusing...
I'd sure hope that by now they have better materials to hold that together but remember cars are only made to last so long.
If I remeber right the super 77 can not to use it in upside down applications. The stuff I'm talking about cost $20 a can and says it is made for headliners. That is the only difference I know of. But if the Super 77 works use it. But I was doing it I would pony up the dough and get the headliner stuff. Just to slim down any chance of the old DOH that seems to happen to me alot.
Well what happens is a combination of heat and time. Parking in the sunlight in the summer, all day...parking without cracking the windows for the heat to escape...hell, even parking in a hot garage...those will all separate the headliner material from the foam. Once it begins to sag there's nothing you can do. Even the sunvisors are affected by that. And to add insult to injury, if the previous owner did all that stuff and you get the car, there's nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't, though...flip a coin. ;)
Anyhow...the newer stuff is made via a better bonding process and should last at least as long as the original headliner material, if not much longer.
I'll have to check into that.
The "proper" stuff is 3M 76 IIRC
what is the best way to clean a headliner? i have one out of the other car and it has small stains. Spot Shot? i dont want to f it up in the process of cleaning it
For the material I just hand washed it in the bathroom sink with laundry soap. didnt bother it a bit.
Just try the spot shot I suppose. The problem is, you can compress the foam if you push too hard, then you're left with depressions in your headliner.
thats what im wooried about. going to try it today.