GRAND PRIX Headliner

buick7332

Master Mechanic
Oct 21, 2014
350
589
93
N.E. Philadelphia area
The original headliner in my 82 Grand Prix is starting to fall. I was hoping it would last forever but I knew that this day would eventually come. Of course its sagging right above the driver seat. The only headliner I have ever done was a dodge caravan. Are any reproductions better quality or equal to original? I would like to just get a new one and swap it out rather than rebuild my original.
 

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69hurstolds

Geezer
Supporting Member
Jan 2, 2006
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You've been warned. I highly suggest you rebuild your own.

I'm not joking. Save the original headliner if at all possible. Those ABS or whatever they make them from plastic jobs don't hold up in the heat from the stories I've heard about. If you crack the styrofoam, you can fix it with duct tape.

It's not super difficult to do the job. You can get it out if you drop all the A-pillar, front/side/rear trim and probably will need new clips for the front and rear as they tend to break upon removal. Side clips you can just push on the trim on the inside, I think, and pull down on the outside of it to pop it free. I can't recall specifically which side works best to push on, but if you break those side clips, it sucks. I think they have repros now, though. Didn't used to. Remove your sun visors and coat hooks, B-pillar trim, and the dome light. Drop the liner down and rotate it as you get it out the door. Again, be careful.

Remove the dead headliner material and take a stiff plastic bristle brush (non-metal bristles) and scrub off the leftover foam. Then lay out your new headliner material over the backboard, and fold it back on itself to reveal half the backboard. Spray the half of the backboard and also the backing of the headliner foam with 3M headliner adhesive spray (this is the best stuff I've ever used). Don't go crazy with it as you don't want it soaking through. Let the two exposed sides get tacky for a couple few minutes. Then reapply the half to stick the glued sides to themselves avoiding any wrinkles as you go. Take your hand (clean) and work the material away from the center smoothing it as you go. Hard to explain, but you don't want to just lay it back like a bedcover. Then after you get that side fixed up, fold the other half over on itself and repeat the process. Once you get the entire thing done, then go back on the back side and make "X" cuts through the big visor holes and where the wiring needs to go through for the dome line. You can use an awl to poke the screw holes for the visors and coat hooks and dome light from the back side. Let it set for a while and to get the stink to air out a bit, then reinstall.

Here's a video of a monte getting a new headliner done. It doesn't cover everything, but gives you a great idea of what to expect. Again, it's just a little time consuming, but it isn't difficult.

 
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RabbitHoleSS

G-Body Guru
Dec 8, 2019
712
2,105
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Indianapolis
I agree, I have an abs headliner, it would droop when hot, and rattle when cold. I took the oem liner from my parts car, so I'll redo it and use it.
 
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83MonteCarloSS

Greasemonkey
Oct 5, 2015
149
252
63
If your board breaks you can use gorilla glue to glue it back together. Both corners up front broke on mine by the visors and I had another crack in the board. I was able to use the gorilla glue to fix it by using clamps to hold the pieces in place until it cured and I put paper on both sides of the board to keep the glue off the clamps.
 
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Longroof79

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
G-Body of the Month
Oct 14, 2008
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Gainesville, Fl
Foil duct tape works well to repair cracks in the board. Fiberglass resin and matting also work well and helps restore strength. Also depending on how badly damaged the board is.
 
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buick7332

Master Mechanic
Oct 21, 2014
350
589
93
N.E. Philadelphia area
Foil duct tape works well to repair cracks in the board. Fiberglass resin and matting also work well and helps restore strength. Also depending on how badly damaged the board is.
I won't know the condition of the board until I pull it and it's to cold to do it now. I will gather the supplies and materials and wait for warmer weather. Thanks for all the tips.
 
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Longroof79

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
G-Body of the Month
Oct 14, 2008
12,156
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Gainesville, Fl
I won't know the condition of the board until I pull it and it's to cold to do it now. I will gather the supplies and materials and wait for warmer weather. Thanks for all the tips.
Just be cautious and take your time removing it. They tend to break easily. It's always better to do that job when the weather is milder. I just redid mine. Fun as usual...although not too difficult. Again, take your time it's not rocket science.
 
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clean8485

Comic Book Super Hero
Dec 18, 2005
2,860
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Ontario, Canada
Strangely enough, I replaced the headliner in my '84 Monte SS with an ABS plastic reproduction part probably 7-8 years ago, and as yet, I have had no problems with it at all. I found the fact that the ABS part is much more flexible made it much easier to work with.
 
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69hurstolds

Geezer
Supporting Member
Jan 2, 2006
8,088
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Strangely enough, I replaced the headliner in my '84 Monte SS with an ABS plastic reproduction part probably 7-8 years ago, and as yet, I have had no problems with it at all. I found the fact that the ABS part is much more flexible made it much easier to work with.
Solid top car, or T-tops? It makes a difference. Feel lucky if you've had no issues. I personally wouldn't chance an ABS one in a solid top car. Nope.
 
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clean8485

Comic Book Super Hero
Dec 18, 2005
2,860
2,135
113
Ontario, Canada
Solid top car, or T-tops? It makes a difference. Feel lucky if you've had no issues. I personally wouldn't chance an ABS one in a solid top car. Nope.
No factory T top Monte SS prior to mid 1985 model year, so mine is a solid top car. Look, I'm not saying that I'll never have a problem with the ABS headliner, all I'm saying is that its been 7-8 years now with no issues. Many folks may have had problems with them, but as yet anyway, I'm not one of them.
 
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