Headliner replacement for '91 #473

[jss06c6]

I guess 27 years is pretty good for a headliner to stay tight and smooth! About 50% was sagging, so put the blue glass top on and began the process of repairing it. Disassembly is pretty straight forward. The headliner is glued to a fiber and foam board which is, in turn, glued to the roof panel. Using a long plastic spatula, I was able to free the board from the roof panel. Factory assembly used upholstery adhesive in the center and around the perimeter to glue the headliner board into place.

Started at one corner and gently lifted the board while using the plastic spatula to separate the adhesive.

The headliner is then slowly removed from the board. Interesting was that the adhesive wasn't the problem, the thin soft foam layer was disentigrating and falling away from the stronger fiber board. Will pick up some headliner spray adhesive and reassemble. Might use some small patches of Velcro to reattach it to the roof panel rather than adhesive..[ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH]

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[WARP TEN]

I ran into the same problem--the foam does disintegrate over time. And good idea to use a headliner-specific adhesive because regular adhesive will give way under intense heat of summer in a closed car. --Bob

[jss06c6]

Using 3M adhesive. $23 from O'Reilly's.[ATTACH]

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[jss06c6]

Repaired and ready to reinstall in roof panel.. the spray head on the can of headliner adhesive was a joke, but I modified it so that I could get a nice even spray pattern..[ATTACH][ATTACH]

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[Jagdpanzer]

Excellent work!
What fabric did you use?
Have to do mine soon and my pal Yun convinced me to go with alcantara suede with foam backing.



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[jss06c6]

I reused the headliner material I removed. It cleans up easily with a nylon brush. Simple job, fabric stretches nicely for a smooth fit. Debating how to lock it to the roof panel..

Suede would be incredible! I'm not an experienced leather upholsterer, so would be a bit gun shy as a diy..

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[tf95ZR1]

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread....ight=headliner

Good 'ol Photobucket

Your NetRegistry has some custom headliners as seen
in these postings. We're trying to locate them...
They would be another benefit of being a ZR-1
NetRegistry member.

[Mystic ZR-1]

The exact material the factory used
(or damn close...) is available at Joann Fabrics
a nationwide store. Ask your wife...

[jss06c6]

Originally Posted by Mystic ZR-1

The exact material the factory used
(or damn close...) is available at Joann Fabrics
a nationwide store. Ask your wife...

That's good to know! I was able to save my original headliner this time..

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[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by jss06c6

Using 3M adhesive. $23 from O'Reilly's.[ATTACH]

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Correct!

Just to emphasize, read the label carefully for application. The cans look the same, but one specifically says it is not to be used for headliners, and the other one (both by 3M) mentions specifically it is recommended FOR headliners!

(stay tuned...I'll post a picture here showing where to look for the info)

Also, (and I believe I read this on a 3M product), after the two contact surfaces become "tacky", by the time you apply the adhesive to one surface and move onto the other, the first surface may be too dry and the bond will fail...ask me how I know.

The "trick" is to spray a 3rd layer to one of the contact surfaces, and before it has a chance to dry to the "tacky" stage, press the surfaces together!

The wet(ish) 3rd layer will soften the layer(s) that became overly dry, and it will allow some minor fitting adjusting to the material after they come in contact together.

The headliner I got from Mid America looked nice and was easy to work with - slight elasticity helped get the wrinkles out and final fit looked flawless.

However, I didn't know about the 3rd application of the 3M adhesive, nor was I aware of the two kinds of 3M spray-on adhesive (one FOR headliners, and one NOT to be used for that purpose). After two summers, it started coming loose and had to be replaced.

The next two headliners I got from Robert DeMarco. I don't know if they came from Joann's Fabrics, but they were of substantially heavier material, and the foam backing was thicker than the MA material was.

Using the 3M headliner adhesive and the 3rd layer procedure, I reinstalled the liner in my 90 ZR-1, which has been in place for over a year and still looks new. And, I installed another one last summer on Ami's Z - which also looks incredible. Robert's source also does a fantastic embroidery of the ZR-1 splash and script across the inside of the liner. Very nice!

Paul.