How did everyone fix their headliners?

[y5mgisi]

The one in my 78 burb is not doing so well and i was thinking of riping all the "holey" vinel off the cardboard and just doing some arosol(sp) can bed liner on the cardboard to give it some texture but still be rid of any fabric that could droop down in the future. What do you all think? is there a better way? if so what kind of material and adhesive should i use?

 

[xtrmjoe]

Why not just remove the whole thing and then paint the roof if you want.

 

[y5mgisi]

just to keep it quiet and to retain a factoryish look. Its ftill not a real hard core trail rig(in fact right now its still in the middle of a motor swap) so i would like to keep it comfy on the inside. But thanks for the sugestion

 

[dyeager535]

I believe if you pull the vinyl off you'll find that you have foam stuck to the cardboard, and that is a hassle to deal with.

Probably better off just pulling the whole thing as suggested. This is a common problem, so a lot of upholstery shops and online places deal with this though too, so there are other options.

 

[big83chevy4x4]

my k10 had the headliner puller and i didn't realize it till i noticed that it had the things that hold it up and no headliner (6 months after i bought it). in other words it looks very factory with it missing.

it will be painted the same color as the rest of the truck.

 

[Drey]

my 86 Scottsdale never had a headliner to begin with. I tore the junk one out of my GMC and think it looks way better

 

[y5mgisi]

Yeah i didnt have one in my pickup either and it was fine witout it, but on the burb i would realy like to have at least somthing up there so its not just 10 feet of bear metal on the roof. Plus i think it would make the stereo sound real "tinny" (not small, the metal) and it dosnt seem like it will insulate road noise as well without it.

 

[RootBreaker]

my 86 Scottsdale never had a headliner to begin with. I tore the junk one out of my GMC and think it looks way better

yeah since I have a pickup too.. I bought a headliner from jcwhitney back in 1989 and it is still good... well it is plastic...

but yeah in a burb I would have to do something..

 

[akbound]

What is a headliner? My Blazer never had one or the pretty bed panels.

 

[86chevybanshee]

in my 79 i didnt have a headliner, i also put in a sunroof

i just fixed the headliner in my 92 s10, i removed it from the truck, peeled back the fabric, got rid of most of the foam, got some headliner material and foam from a fabric store, i also cut out a bowtie in some foam then coverd it in headliner material. i used some 3m super adhesive or something like that. it looks pretty good for the first time

 

[camiswelding]

the headliner in my crew was the only thing that was worn on the whole truck when I got it.... and I discovered that there was no way to get it out since it was bigger than the door openings (in my case they must have put it in before the windshield was installed)... not wanting to remove my windshield I cut it right down the middle

since you have burb you wont have this problem... you should be able to bend it sufficiently to remove it without breaking it
then I researched replacements... covering,,, having it recovered.... and decided it was best to tackle on my own.... my headliner was fabric over foam... the fabric was ripped and had some holes because the P/O was a smoker (deathsticks for stupid people) and that ate up the foam...

so.... I tore everything off down to the molded carboard... repaired any tears in that with ductape on the back and 3 m spray glue on the front (I think its 777)dont use cheap glue... it wont take the roof heat and or will melt the foam/cardboard... 3m specifically details what their glues can be used on

then I thought ... I have this all down let me insulate the roof better.... soooo I used some foil bubble insulation (comes in 4 foot wide rolls) cut it to fit and then siliconed it to the roof....

I went and found fabric I like in my case... or should I say in my wifes choice, we selected a disney scene (mickey mouse... dont laugh it looks totally custom) that was color coordinated to the truck.... We cut the piece oversize and sprayglued it to the molded cardboard... making sure the edges wrapped over the sides of the pattern by and inch or so all the way around....and that it was nicely adhered to all the bumps of the headliner
then we reinstalled it and added a couple of hi intensity dome lights while we were at it...

so... for an investment of about 30 dollars we now have a totally custom headliner that is really quiet(this would also really help the burb)...definately took out a bunch of the cavernous beer can sound crewcabs have...looks sano... made my wife totally happy to do a k project together,,,, and made me realize I will never let anyone do my interior again... it was fun and easy

cam

 

[AussieK5]

I had the same problem and fixed it forever the following way...

* Strip the vinyl of the cardboard and remove all the rotted foam on both the cardboard and fabric.

* Get some 4-5mm foam and double sided tape to hold it in place against the cardboard.

* Buy a hundred or so of the square topped type paper staples (art shops usually hold a wide variety) and after marking out the hood liner (say 3-4 inch spacing) punch them through, sandwiching the vinyl, foam and cardboard together. Make sure the liner stays taut as you do this.

Once you do this the damn thing will NEVER sag again.

I painted the tops of mine to match the liner, looks almost factory.

Gimme a couple of hours and I'll post a pic.

Jason

 

[mini_mull]

Just redid the headliner in my '87 burb 2 weeks ago. It was a royal PIA because of my moonroof, but yours should be a piece of cake. All you do is remove the interior trim and lower the liner covered board out the back of the burb, rip all the old stuff off the board(scrape with trowel, brush with a stiff brush, and wipe with damp cloth, wait till dry, don't bend the board), then spray it and wheatever headliner material you want (cut to fit) with 3M headliner glue(I still have a couple cans kickin around if you want the official name), stick it on, let it cure, and reinstall the same way. While I had it down I lined the roof with double sided foil insulation (similar to dynomat or thermotecFR) between all the crossmembers(if that's what their called). I'm hoping that will help with heat in the summer, and the sound system once I get one. I also scotch guarded the material hoping to ward off dirt and water. The back half looks professionally done, so all of yours should turn out good. The front of mine around the moonroof is kind of bumpy as the middle of the board had been cut out for the moonroof and broken in the corners. It looks better than the rotten ripped up one though. I got the insulation, glue, and new headliner(real headliner foam and all) at a local upolstry store called Mesa Sales (aka Tempe sales at their other location). If I remember right the headliner was $7/yd and the insulation was $11/yd. I remember other members saying they had Tempe Sales ship their headliner material to them out of state, if your interested I'll get the phone number for you. You could probably save shipping and find a local supplier, just look for the kind of place that wholesales to interior designers and upolsterers. I'm not sure a spray-in bedliner would work, it depends mostly on how heavy the spray on is and what condition your board is in. The boards in mine were kinda flimsy around the edges and wouldn't have looked good that way, besides the moonroof would make that impossible, but yours might be fine. If you do end up spraying it post some pics of how it turns out. If you need anymore burb specific ask (headliner info, anyway). Good Luck.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

my 86 Scottsdale never had a headliner to begin with. I tore the junk one out of my GMC and think it looks way better

Mine never did, and if it did, I would have just ripped it out.

 

[AkMudr]

An upgrade to the crappy cardboard liner is to use the perforated particle board 1/16th thick, you know..the tool rack/hanger ****. I did that in my 79 f**d and covere dit with soem marine carpet, worked like a champ and came out lookin great

 

[txfiremank5]

In my old 84 the liner was starting sepperate, and I took it down. When I did, I noticed the painted finish under it looked really nice... so I just left it that way. Didn't notice any difference in road noise at all.

 

[diesel4me]

only had 1 with a headliner..

The only GM truck I had with a headliner used to sag and cover your eyes when driving down the road with a widow open!--after trying to keep it up against the roof with duct tape,slats from a window blind,and staples,I "fixed" it by ripping it out and stuffing it in my wood stove! --I tried to get fancy and make my own,I got as far as gluing some of that silver bubble wrap insulation from home depot on the roof--I thought that looked good enough--I left it that way for a long time until the glue started peeling off--then I got P***ed and stuffed it under the rug--I think it does more down there than it did on the roof!--I did notice better heat in the cab after I put it under the rug...I decided a painted roof looks pretty nice!--but a "liner" is nice when your skull hits the roof during off road romps though...

 

[jekbrown]

I uninstalled my factory headliner about 5 years ago when the holey-fabric junk was coming off. I gave it to my mom and told her I wanted it black. She proceeded to remove the holey-junk, cut a piece of vinyl the right shape and then used Tacky Glue (a bunch of it) to hold it down. Let it sit and dry overnight and put 'er back in. I was highly skeptical that it would last... but 5 years later, it still looks like new in spite of the fact that my rig always has the tops/doors off and its been exposed to all kinds of moisture, temperature change etc etc. Doesn't bubble or droop at all. Having a crafty Mom is a good thing I guess.

j

 

[cbbr]

Thats what I did, i just used a packing blanket for insulation and fabric from a fabric store that was less than $3/yd. I also bought a sheet of foam (home insulation) from lowes for about $10, cut it to fit between the roof supports and attached it between the roof and the headliner with construction adhesive. That cut down on the noise and heat. Cheap, easy and I like the look.