TECH
HEADLINER R&R
HEADLINER REPLACEMENT
OEM style headliner material is available from the Pantera vendors, as well as various other sources. See the ‘Links‘ page for a list of Pantera vendors.
Other sources for OEM headliner material:
HEADLINER R&R
Is your headliner sagging? Tired of it rubbing against your head? Tired of getting dust in your eyes when you lower the windows as you drive because the backing foam on your 35-year old headliner has turned to a dusty powder? Re-glue it!
What kind of foam backing to use?
1/8″ closed cell foam, available from any auto upholsterer and some hardware stores. Traditional foam (open cell) can wick-up the headliner glue and leave indented hand/finger prints as you press it onto the roof. Closed cell foam won’t do this.
What kind of glue to use?
3M 8090 – It’s heavy duty glue designed for exterior vinyl tops. “Normal” headliner glue will not hold up under the heat since the headliner is glued directly to the underside of the roof panel. Countless people on the DeTomaso mail list can tell you about their re-glued headliners falling after one Summer of driving. 3M Super Trim Adhesive 8090 is available from numerous online sources, as well as your local Napa Auto Parts store.
Instructions
1. Scrub the headliner, front and back, with simple green to clean thoroughly and remove all remaining foam. Let dry thoroughly.
liner Replacement article was my inspiration to try this on my own.
2. Mask the interior of your car with plastic before scraping any of the old foam from the underside of the roof. I did not mask mine when I scraped the roof with a shop vac and plastic scraper and headliner dust found it’s way into EVERY crack and crevice in the interior and dash, even though I had a shop vac right beneath the scraper when I scraped the ceiling. It took A LOT MORE time to clean up the mess when I was done than it took to the hang plastic when I applied the glue.
3. Carefully scrape excess foam from the roof of your car with a shop vac and plastic (NOT metal) scraper. Take care not to push too hard into the sheet metal or you could make a mark/dent visible from the exterior. That’s why you don’t use a metal scraper. I recommend taping some plastic up in your interior because this WILL make a dusty mess.
4. Lay the headliner upside down on a large piece of cardboard and spray an even coat of glue (not too heavy) onto the back side of the headliner. Also spray an even coat of glue onto the sheet of closed cell foam. Allow each to get tacky/dry (follow the directions on the can).
5. Carefully place the headliner onto the foam. Be careful not to get any wrinkles in the headliner because it will bond with the foam as soon as it makes contact. An extra set of hands will come in handy to have someone hold the headliner up as you lay it carefully onto the foam making sure it stays taught and does not have any wrinkles. Allow the foam to overlap the headliner on all sides. I used a paint roller to apply even pressure to the headliner to thoroughly bond it to the foam, then let it set overnight (probably don’t have to wait that long; it’s just what I did)
7. Clean all screws and grommets for the headliner trim. I used a brass brush and Simple Green (one of my favorite cleaning solutions).
8. Mask the entire interior of your car with plastic if you haven’t already. I sanded the underside of my roof lightly to make sure the surface was ready for the headliner. Spray a heavy but even coat of 3M 8090 adhesive to the underside of the roof. This is a MESSY job. Be sure to do it in a well ventilated area, and also make sure you don’t get any overspray on adjacent vehicles, cabinets, driveway, or garage floor. Also spray an even coat of adhesive onto the backside of your headliner/foam that’s been cut to shape. Let the two dry according to the instructions on the can.
9. Install the headliner. Extra hands are very helpful (nay, necessary) at this step. I started at the front-center and worked my way back and out to the sides using my hands to gently press it to the roof, taking care to avoid wrinkles and kinks. Once it was in place, I again used a paint roller to apply even pressure to the entire headliner and make sure the bond was complete.
10. Enjoy the additional headroom! Your headliner will look brand new! Mine does.
Additional Information:
Mike Dailey’s Headliner Replacement article was my inspiration to try this on my own.
Alternate Method
An alternative way to mount the headliner is to use a thin magnetic sheet (3X5). It’s a lot LESS work.
- Glue the headliner w/foam to the magnet.
- Set the magnet in place and it will never come down on it’s own; yet you can easily and quickly remove it to reposition it into the best position.
With the 3M glue, once you stick it to the roof it’s permanent, which means you only get one shot at getting it perfectly positioned side-to-side and front-to-back.
