Can Separated Headliner Material Be Repaired?

A tiny investment in fourth dimension and money makes a big improvement within your truck'south cab.

By Bruce W. Smith

We seldom look at the roof above our heads when nosotros make it a vehicle. That is unless the headliner material is starting to hang similar baggy pants. And so you can't accept your eyes off information technology. That'due south how the interior roof of my Ford Bronco was looking.

After more than two decades of beingness baked past the sun, oestrus had deteriorated the glue holding the thin cloth to the formed foamboard that served every bit a heat shield betwixt the metal roof and the interior. With naught to hold the cloth tight, it had begun to sag in a multitude of places, including right higher up my head where it was becoming a major badgerer. Information technology looked real ugly.

Sagging headliners are a very common malady of older vehicles, specially those left sitting out in the elements. When it comes to pickups and SUVs like my Bronco, the fix is very easy: Information technology takes about two hours, doesn't require a degree in machine mechanics, and the toll of materials, picked up at whatever automotive upholstery supply store, is less than $thirty.

Here'south how to practice information technology.

Automotive headliners will sag after time, especially in vehicles left sitting out in the elements, exposed to the relentless heat of the sun, which can reach more than 175-degrees, deteriorating the glue holding the fabric material. The gear up is removing the old head-liner and replacing the sagging cloth with new material that can exist purchased at any auto upholstery shop or supplier.

First stride is removing the trim that holds the headliner in place. A Phillips screwdriver is all that's needed. Exist sure to go along the screws with the trim piece they came out of, because they could be dissimilar lengths.

The domelight must be removed as well. Pay close attention to how the light came out. In some vehicles the screws that hold the light in place also attach the wires that provide its power and ground.

The last items to remove are the screws that hold the sunvisors in place. Slowly remove both the swivel end and the lock terminate so you can come across how they fit back into place. The latter has a locating pin on the back, and the swivel has a notch to help position it during reinstallation so the screw holes line up.

To remove the headliner, carefully slide it toward the windshield and down. It's made from formed foamboard, then exist very careful in handling. Most likely the corners where the sunvisor swivels attach will exist cracked or broken. The ones in our truck were most in ii pieces. We'll evidence yous how to fix them later.

Lay the headliner on a flat work surface, then carefully remove the onetime material. In some vehicles the headliner and its thin cream backing will easily peel away from the headliner itself. If that's the case, use a potent castor to remove all the old foam. The foam stayed put on our truck's headliner while the cloth came off easily, so we left the erstwhile foam in place every bit added insulation.

The only materials y'all need to recover the headliner are headliner material (it's thin material with a thin foam backer) and a heavy-duty trim adhesive that's designed to withstand high heat. We bought the Sprayway Fast Tack 92 and a g (36"x60") of headliner material to match our interior at a local automotive upholstery supply shop for $30. Some vehicles may crave less or more than fabric.

Both visor corners of our truck's headliner were cracked. To repair them we used a little J-B Weld and duct record to make them one with the headliner. Duct record holds the two pieces together until the practice-it-all epoxy sets up, and it'south good insurance we won't suspension them again during the re-install.

The next step is to lay the new headliner material over the clean headliner and apply a couple small clamps near the centre along one edge to proceed it from moving side-to-side. Then we folded back the textile and sprayed the exposed half of both the headliner and the foam dorsum of the material with the contact adhesive.

Later the adhesive gets tacky (2-3 minutes), advisedly spread the headliner cloth over the headliner, slowly working from the center out toward the corners then there are no wrinkles. Take your time and press down firmly to ensure the cloth adheres to the contours of your headliner.

Once the headliner material is smoothed in place, flip the headliner over and trim away the backlog cloth. A great tool for this is a carpet layer'south curved knife.

A razor blade besides does the job.

Exist certain to trim any material covering the holes for the sunvisors' mounts and dome light.

The re-installation is simple: Reverse the steps in taking it out. This is all-time done with a helper, because holding the headliner in place while trying to install the screws in the front end and rear trim pieces can be a bit tricky i-handed. The finished headliner looks crawly, and it will help keep the cab warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer. All for just a couple hours labor and xxx bucks.