Headliner questions (Page 1/2)
pHoOl APR 09, 08:05 PM
I had a sagging headliner that got worse and worse until I couldn't take it anymore and decided this spring it was on the project list. I've got it out, my board seemed to be in pretty good shape.

My question is, how far do I need to go in removing glue residue before applying new glue and sticking the material on? I've got most of the headliner fabric and foam scraped off, but it's still kinda rough to the touch. The one spot where it's more yellow than the rest was where I got brave with a power sander. Second picture is the top side for reference.

So basically, do I have to get it all the way down to the yellow?




Glue wise, I've seen recommendations for 3M trim glue, and Dep Weldwood contact cement. I've got some 3M high strength 90 spray glue as well. Any recommendations on what to use? I was leaning towards the contact cement.

[This message has been edited by pHoOl (edited 04-09-2023).]

IMSA GT APR 09, 10:06 PM
The 3M High Strength 90 spray would probably be best but make sure to coat the board and the backing of the new headliner material thoroughly. If you use a true contact cement, my fear is that if you make a mistake or want to change it later, you'll destroy the headliner board trying to pull the material off of it.

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 04-09-2023).]

olejoedad APR 10, 07:20 AM
3M 777 spray adhesive.

Only coat the headliner board.

Your headliner board looks great!
css9450 APR 10, 08:25 AM
I use the 3M spray adhesive but can't remember here at the office if it is the 90 or 77. Whichever it was, it was available at Autozone. Mine has held up for many years now.

I agree, your board is in comparatively great shape. Not cracked like my first one was. I had to patch a few areas with fiberglass cloth and resin, and then of course I had to sand those areas even more. In my naivete I assumed the new fabric would hide all manner of imperfections. It didn't. I could see every flaw. I also made the mistake of bunching some of the fabric into the headwell areas and that caused wrinkles. Si I searched the junkyards for a year and found another headliner board ( a much better one this time) and did the job a second time. It came out just about perfect.
hyperv6 APR 10, 01:28 PM
The board looks good. Just get the foam off and make sure it is mostly smooth. That is all you need.
Old Lar APR 12, 09:49 AM
I had a sagging headliner in my 87 GT long ago. I bought a new fiberglass back board. I took the car to an upholstery shop and he ask what the new back board was. I said that the stock back board was easily broken. He said it was because they didn't know what they were doing. They replaced the headliner and I took the "new" back board home and sold it. They did know what they were doing as the headliner is still in great shape after more than 20 years. I usually have professionals do repairs.
pHoOl APR 12, 11:00 PM
Old Lar, That's a good call. I called an upholstery place near me that was recommended by the shop that did my r134 conversion. I told that guy what I had, small headliner from a Fiero, board's already physically removed, and I'd bought material already. All he'd have to do is any finishing prep work, apply glue, and the material. His quote was $300. I had already looked at the Fiero store plastic replacements that can come covered in the headliner already and after shipping, they're about the same price.

And while I'm not opposed to spending the $300 to fix it, I figured for even money I'll give it a shot myself and if I screw it up royally or it only lasts 5 years... well, just order the one from the Fiero store.

Here's where I'm at on the board. I've got the foam backing off. I was able to scrape it with a stiff bristled nylon brush. I think I'm settled on using the 3M spray glue as recommended by the folks that have commented. Here's some pictures of what it's looking like. It's till got some texture to it... likely 40 year old glue residue. Do I need to take that all the way down to the yellow to get a good result? Or am I ready to go?

Thanks!
Australian APR 18, 07:33 AM
Scrub back original with hard brush and cover with new foam high temperature adhesive. I used a real suede skin that i had which was large enough and it looks brilliant.
pHoOl MAY 02, 09:17 AM
Figured I'd post an update...

I got my headliner finished and put back in.

A few notes:

  • One of the guides called for 2 yards of the fabric. After I bought the 2, I thought it looked insanely huge, like that you could probably get away with just 1 yard. However, not wanting to have to return again I settled on getting 1.5 yards. You'll see in the pics that follow how much extra that gave me

  • Second, on glue, I settled on 3M Headliner spray. I had some Gorilla spray glue which said it should NOT be used for headliner, and I had 3M90 spray glue that didn't say one way or another. It seemed to me from taking the thing off that this was likely the first time since 1986 that it had been redone. I figured it was worth springing the $25 for the right glue to do the job right

  • I had easy access to the rear 4x6s. I have the performance subwoofer stock and the sound is decent, but I figured no sense having easy access and not updating. I replaced with Polk plate speakers.

  • I found it worked best having 2 sets of hands when I put the glue on. I worked about 4-6 inches at a time, tried to put some slight tension on the material, and then used my hands to lay it and smooth it out.

  • There may be some slight waviness, but I think it's really not noticeable unless you're looking for it. I'm satisfied with how it came out in that I didn't pay the local guy $300 or whatever it would have cost to have someone else do it.

  • I'm a total amateur... if I can do it, you can too!


Side note, I seem to be missing one of those two white clips on the A pillar trim. Is that a common part to find somewhere? I've got a 3d printer as well, but would prefer to not have to try to design it on my own.
Raydar MAY 02, 02:57 PM
Looks great! Nice job.

A little late to the party, as usual, but when I was trying to remove my adhesive, I just put on a nitrile glove, and wiped the surface until nothing else seemed to want to come off.
It looked a great deal like the 1st pic.

So... as of my last headliner, about a year ago, I'm up to four, now. Third Fiero.