I am customizing my 1988 GTA 5.7. When I purchased the car it did not have a healiner or headliner pad in it. I found a good pad in a parts car and brought it home. It wasnt really that "good" because of some cracks and breaks, but it was complete and definately a start. In short,I want a rigid headliner with a custom overhead console. I have experience with fiberglass fabricating props, although, never a car until now. I am going back to the parts car tomorrow with a sawzall to cut off the roof and bring it back to the shop. My idea is to flip the roof upside down onto a set of sawhorses and put the headliner pad back in it. Basicly I want to use the roof as a mother mold to hold the headliner pad in correct shape so it fits right when the resin sets. Once I get the pad back in the roof I SHOULD be able to design the shape and layout of the overhead console and fiberglass the whole thing.

Should I worry that the fiberglass resin might melt the headliner pad ? ( have not done a test area yet ) Maybe I should cover it with something first instead of putting the resin directly on the pad ?
what about fitting this part into my car ? as long as I keep the shape and ridge of the pad around the outside edge then it should fit, right ?
Also, If I try for a ONE PIECE , I should be able to install it by putting it in my car through the rear hatch ....or, I could make joining two piece for easier install.

If anyone has suggestions, advice, or experience to share before I start this, please post.
thanks,
Chris
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forgot to mention, my car is a hard top.
Chris

 

I've thought about applying resin to an original headliner board (t-top variety) and painting it body color. The material it's made out of seems like it would soak up resin well, but I would definitely do a test area first. If you intend the overhead console to be built into the headliner board as one piece, I'd also suggest that you make any modifications beforehand and add resin/ fiberglass at the same time so that it's all chemically bonded as one piece. If you resin the headliner board first, then hack it up and add an overhead console, the old and new resin sections will only have a mechanical bond.

 

Jeremy, thanks for the reply. I did consider the console and headliner being bonded, so I decided to form the console and resin everything at the same time. I am hoping that a one piece will fit into the car after its done.. ( flex enough to fit through the hatch and into place).. I am headed off in a little while to chop the roof off the parts car. No worries, I am not KILLING this car, just saving some parts off an already dead bird.

Chris

 

what exactly are you putting in it? gauges, tv whatnot? i think a 2piece thatoverlaps would be better. remeber your adding wight to something that is prettymuch held im place by pressure. i dont thing the headliner material will hold up to the fiberglass although in my nova i fixed it with fiberglass grid and 20 min epoxy. definitly test it and good luck