Shame J.C. Whitney isn't J.C. Whitney any more cause they used to have bow headliner kits to replace the foam board. Wish I grabbed one from back in the day.
Just dropped the headliner- YUCK!
- Thread starter Bonnewagon
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I just grabbed the tape measure and a 4' x 8' sheet of whatever would fit perfectly. Hmmmmm https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tuftex-Mul...d-Polycarbonate-Plastic-Roof-Panel/1000689436
I'm not Longroof79. but I did once stay at a Holiday Inn express....
I've just always used fiberglass mesh (like drywall tape, although I use something from our collision suppliers) and a 2 part semi-rigid plastic repair material to repair them.
I once skimmed a rough one with puttycoat to remove the craters from the previous owner's attempt to scrape the foam off (i use a DA)
I've just always used fiberglass mesh (like drywall tape, although I use something from our collision suppliers) and a 2 part semi-rigid plastic repair material to repair them.
I once skimmed a rough one with puttycoat to remove the craters from the previous owner's attempt to scrape the foam off (i use a DA)
Not only is the decomposing foam crumby, it sticks to everything. When I did the blue wagon headliner 20 years ago, I basically rubbed the junk off with my thumbs - took a few days and some bandaids when my nailbeds bled. Younger dumber days. I only had one broken corner, and I got away with taping it on both sides with military-quality duct tape. Then just contact-cemented right over it with the foam-backed tricot fabric. Get the plastic-friendly stuff from 3M. If you break all the clips, I have one perfect one if we can persuade someone to 3D print you some more.
This is a dumb question from a non-gwagon owner.
What if one of you who had a gbody wagon backer board and knew the measurements were able to visit a boneyard and pull down the rear headliner from a squarebody suburban. Measure it. See if there's enough arch similarity it could be effectively cut downwards to size to a point it could be massaged into fitting your cars?
They reproduce headliners for those in a variety of materials. And I suggest it because they were massive without cutouts or notches for specialty trim, lights, or protrusions.
What if one of you who had a gbody wagon backer board and knew the measurements were able to visit a boneyard and pull down the rear headliner from a squarebody suburban. Measure it. See if there's enough arch similarity it could be effectively cut downwards to size to a point it could be massaged into fitting your cars?
They reproduce headliners for those in a variety of materials. And I suggest it because they were massive without cutouts or notches for specialty trim, lights, or protrusions.
If originality isn’t important, see if a trim shop could make you an old fashioned bow headliner . Those people perform miracles . I had one made for a project before .
That's one of the problems. The last good shop I knew of went out of business. Looking at the shell I think I can patch it up OK with some arts and crafts foam board and duct tape. I have never covered one with the foam cloth but I am willing to learn a new skill. First I am going to Lowes to look at that 4 x 8 panel. If it is flexible enough to bend with the roof it may be the answer.
Well I just used the shop vac to scour as much of the old foam off as I could. YUCK! What the hell is that crap? I think the shell is in better shape than I thought but I am exhausted from just cleaning it.
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Mark,
Is your rear headliner board still in good shape? I suspect that the corrugated board can be shaped somewhat, It's pretty much a question of whether it can conform around the sides. If I recall, the forward edge over the windshield frame is straight, so it's pretty much the sides that need to be curved.
As for doing the upholstery using the foam backed cloth, it's not too difficult. Check out You Tube, there's a few good videos on how to do it. I found out the hard way that you have to be pretty generous with the contact cement/ adhesive. My rear headliner came out fine, but the larger, forward headliner my need to be done over. Unfortunately, there's a few dry pockets where the glue did not adhere correctly. I'm not looking forward to dropping the headliner again and possibly breaking my new clips...bummer.
However, I redid the headliner in my Olds Ciera and it came out perfect. I guess as the old adage goes, practice makes perfect.
I got to learn how to recover my sunvisors.
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