Hey all. I tried to remove my headliner for my '92 Brougham and it cracked big time....and a corner broke off. It seemed like it much older than it should be. I read posts from the past on the board concerning taking it out....but is this normal? I couldn't bend it less to get it, or so it seems, w/o it cracking. Shouldn't it be more flexible? Here are some pics if you can tell...its got several big cracks and then some on the side.

So, where can I get another? Or, does anyone have an idea on fixing this one by way of patching it or something? I did all the trim removal to save money and took it to an upolstery shop for removal and a redo....they called to say they couldn't do it and to farm it out would cost $200 ( even though I had done most of the work already so I said no). Thats when I attempted to take it out and realized they had broken it already in a few areas trying to get it out.

Help?:hmm:

Well, first option would be to get another one out of the junkyard. If you can't do that, let's try and fix the one you have.

For the crack: take something like a paint stir stick and glue it (use something like construction adhesive - like from a caulking gun) across the crack at a 90 degree angle. Use more than one if there is space. This will stabilize it. Now, we need to recover it. Pull all the old material off the board. You have to get ALL of the foam off too, or recovering won't work. Use a wire brush, a D/A sander, whatever you can find. Ok, time for new material. Start calling fabric stores. You need "headliner material" - it is a thin fabric that is foam-backed. It is cheap. Stop by Home Depot on the way and pick up a can of 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. Once you get home, cut the fabric larger than the board, and lay it foam side UP next to the board. Spray the foam side (back of the fabric) and the board with a nice even coat of the Super 77. Be patient, and let it tack up for a few minutes. Lift the fabric, and begin to roll it into place. Smooth it down, and make sure there are no wrinkles as you go. You will be able to lift it a little and restick if you need to.

My mother's Caprice down in FL had a bad headliner, so I emailed what to do. She did it, and so can you! Here's the proof:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e202/jayoldschool/100_2123.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e202/jayoldschool/100_2124.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e202/jayoldschool/100_2128.jpg

Very nicely done! That looks factory new.

I tried to paste a picture of it but its too high a resolution and couldn't figure out how to resize it (I"m using a MacBook Pro laptop) so......

Anyway, thanks for the ideas on how to approach the repair. But, won't the repair areas be suspect to just break again upon reinstalling it ( bending it) to get it thru the doors? The cracks are long, but I get your idea on bracing it. HHmmm I"m gonna have to think about this one more. Any more ideas would be great!

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