I have a 1985 T/A and the head liner need to be replaced soon. How hard is it to do it yourself and how much does it cost?? I have the center consoel does this make it harder?

 

I was just about to make this same post... I have a 1985 T/A with the overhead center console, and T-Tops and i need a new headliner. Anyone have information about this job???

 

I have tried to glue mine back up with 3m adhesive and after a week or two it falls back down so i have decided to tale it to a pro.

 

Guys:

I have found out that you can't re-glue in the original material. It was originally backed by foam, and the foam disintegrates over the years. You need to take out the liner (fiber board) and totally clean and sand off ALL of the old (brown) foam.

Now go to a yardage store and look for headliner material in your color. I was amazed that they had it, and a brand new piece cost me $14.00! They have excatly the same material at Pep boys in a box for 29.00, if you can't find it at a yardage store.

Use the whole can of 3M trim and weaterstrip or Permatex heavy duty carpet spray adhesive. Let it tack. Take a few garbage bags and put some water in them, then put them in the corners to make sure it glues up really good for 24 hours.

Then put it all back in. Looks like new, no droops.

 

Wait, i'm a little confused. What are you gluing together, new headliner material (cloth) to the old fiber board piece, or what? I need to replace both the backing and the cloth on my car, but i don't want to spend $150 on a new headliner.

 

You can repair the fiberboard base unless it's really mangled or pieces are missing. The foam under the cloth hides small divits when you put the upholstery back on, so it doesn't have to be perfect.

First get the liner out and see how bad it (the backing) is. If you need to go to the boneyard to get another one, you'll look for a while because people seem to mangle them trying to get them out. If it just has tears in the fiberboard, you can do a reinforcement repair. The front of the liner (next to the windsheld) slides sideways toward the Passenger door to unhook the clips once everything else is off and loose. If you try to force it, you'll mangle it.

You can repair them on the inside (top) of the fiberboard ( the side away from the upholstery) with the spray glue and fiberglass mat (for fiberglass body repair) or white glue and a paper mache' idea with single ply cardboard or heavy paper. It needs to cure a at least overnight. Make sure and clean up the bottom (where the upholstery goes) before mounting the upholstery, or large blobs will show.


Good luck.

 

Righton. I don't think i can repair my fiberboard-- pieces have fallen off, but only in one place-- right on the t-bar on the driver's side. currently i'm holding it together with some safety pins....

 

If the missing chunks aren't very big, or are still there, you can use silicone to "patch" over the spots, and use a melting ice cube to smooth the silicone to the contour of the base.

This also works great on your T top and door weatherstrip if therei is a chunk missing from them. But it looks like you'll need to score another one, it'll probably be a lot less work if you find a decent base in the junkyard, but you'll almost surely have to recover it.

Good luck.

 

Hey,

I did my headliner this past summer out of an 88 camaro. Here's what i did. First take off your dash. This will come in handy later when you are trying to take off and put back on the plastic lining piece that holds the side of the headliner board in. After that take out the 4 screws that hold the back plastic piece in. Now your headliner should be almost out. In the front of the headliner there are 4 hooks that you need to slide out of the slot. Be careful not to force this, you do not want to rip these off the back of the headliner. If you have a regular dome light you have take that off. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to take the little metal piece off. Just make sure when you slide the metal pieces down off the little metal bar that you dont over muscle it, and shoot the piece somewhere in your car. Now you need another person I used my little brother to balance the headliner. Just make sure to be carefull around seatbelts. This area is not very strong expecially with the older board material. You are going to have to take it out of the hatch or at least that is how I did it. Nw put it on the ground and carefully rip off the old headliner away from the board material. Now clean off what you can of the board. Grab a can of 3m headliner adhesive from Autozone or some place like that. Now for the new headliner. I went to Joanne's Fabrics. You can pic out any style of fabric that interests you. I dont know exactly what fabric will work or not, that will have to be your judgement. I think i got 2 yards. Now here is where two people come in handy. Spray both the headliner material and the side of the new headliner on the side that will stick onto the headliner material. Let it sit until tacky. Then you and your friend grab a side and place it on the headliner material board. You are going to need some kind or roller. I used a solid wood roller. By rolling everything it helps hold the headliner together better. Believe me if you dont and just use your hands, the headliner will fall in a matter of weeks. I had to do this twice to get it right. Let it dry for about an hour or so. Then cut the excess fabric away. Make sure you leave about one to two inches to wrap around to the backside. This helps hold as well. Now just reinstall. All together this cost me under 20 bucks and a few hours to do. Its definately worth the time. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

I have decided to do it my self today i took the old headliner and board out. This only took about an hour the hardest part was taking the canter consoel out. I scraped the old foam out.

I tried to glue it back about a year ago and there is still glue on the board do i have to get the 3m adheasive on the board do i have to try and get it off or can i just go over it.

Thanks for all your help! You guys saved me some money to go towards a tint.

 

Zach:
When I did mine, i used steel wool to go over the whole liner board. You can also use sandpaper. If your old glue will not come off with the steel wool, it will not be a problem. Anything that can be taken off with a half decent brushing with the steel wool would keep your new glue from holding. Give it a good scrub, or the POS will be down on your head again.

And don't forget to let it set overnight to cure with something pushing the stuff onto the base. You can use carboard and rubber bands, etc. If it cures with a sag or bubble in it, you have to start all over again. If you get it right the first time, you should be good for another 10 years!

Good luck and don't rush it.