[korn858]

This is not a hard project to do. And the quotes I got, made me more than motivated to do it myself..This is for a 87 devile.. But you can adapt this info for any car...

What's needed..
1). 2.5 yds. of headliner material. I went to JoAnnes. cost is 10.99/yd..
2). A small flat headed screw driver.
3). A Phillips head screw driver or even better, an electric type..
4). Supper 77 spray addheasive. Found it at Home Depot..$10.00/can, one large can is plenty..
5). A stiff putty knife.. 2 to 3 inches in diameter..
6). A soft bristle brush..
7). A new sharpe razor blade..

O.k first step is to remove the visors and all hardware. Lights, straps, clothes hangers, and rear light assembly. This is very straight forward. All phillips type screws. The hand handles have a plastic cover on them. The easiest way to remove them is to use the small flat head screw driver and gently pry them loose.

Now it's time to remove the door trim. Be patient, use the putty knife to get it started, and gently pull the trim back. Some may be difficult, but just work with the putty knife and a gentle hand and they will come off...

Set everything aside in a organized manner so the install goes as smoothly as possible..

Now to remove the headliner, again be gentle, there is velcro holding the front, middle and rear of the headliner. Gently pry it loose. Getting the headliner out of the car is easiest achieved by laying the passenger seat down as far as possible and using this door for your exit..

Once the headliner is out clean all the old glue off using a mild solution of soap and water, and gently scrub till clean.. Let dry one hour...

With a friend to help you apply the glue to the back side of the headliner, and the headliner mold. Let set one minute. Take the material, the side your holding is where you start to apply. Your friend is leaving his side up so it's not touching the mold. With a soft bristle brush gently press the headliner onto the mold. As you come to your friend, he should be lowering his end, keeping the material taught. Pay attention to the visor area you'll need to make sure the material glues to the indentations.

I used a towel and two bricks to help the visor area adhere. Let dry 3-4 hours.

Now cut exess material away leave about an inch all the way around the mold. Cut out the front and rear lights. And just cut "X"'s for the rest of the hardware. I just used a razor blade for this and it worked very well. Make sure it's sharp..

Now just have a friend help you put it back in the car starting with the front. The velcro will hold the mold in place well enough for you to start putting all the hardware back on..

Use a lint roller to get any dirt off. And go enjoy the 300-400 dollars you just saved yourself....

 

[dbdartman]

Just did this job about 2 months ago, & have a couple general tips to relay:

I found that working the headliner on two garbage cans is most comfortable & gives you the most access to all sides of the piece (it's kinda big...).

If you have a plastic backer, soap & water is just fine. If you have any kind of fiber-board backer, do not wet it! Use a wire brush to remove the loose adhesive, but be GENTLE.

Once the backer is cleaned, lay the material over it & fold half of it back. Spray contact adhesive on both sides (half the backer, half the material), but don't spray it on too heavy, it will bleed through! Smooth the material on the backer from center to the edges. DO NOT STRETCH THE MATERIAL, just keep it taut! When the front (or back) half is glued, fold the unglued material back & repeat the procedure. It is easier with 2 people, but can be done alone. I left 1"-2" of extra material around the edges & folded it back onto the top side of the backer. USE A NEW BLADE!

Cut an X across any light openings & fold the extra material back onto the top of the backer. USE A NEW BLADE!

The sun visors are the hardest part of the job. Cut an X in the material using the holes in the backer as a guide. For the screws that attach the visors, I suggest using a straight pin, inserted from the back, to locate the holes. Mark the holes with a felt tip or ball point pen (just make a dot).

It's not a really hard job. The most "daunting" part of it is getting all the trim removed around the headliner. You just have to figure out which piece was installed last, & start removing from there. Of course, installation is the reverse of disassembly (last piece removed is first installed). If you're mechanically inclined, 3-4 hours. If you're not, then this may take all day. The results are usually WELL worth the effort.

Hope this helps, & yes, you really CAN save $200-$300-$400 doing this yourself!

 

[Kev]

Great thread guys! Good tips.
Thanks! :thumbsup: