I've got a 86 z28 30000 miles the headliner got wet and the foam deteriorated around the back edge of the t top from water damage.
I ripped the damaged foam out now theres a 2x8 section missing from the edge. whats the best way to fix this? fiberglass? and to reinforce the back should I just use resin or glass It too? Is there a specific type of fiberglass I should use? will 3m spray adhesive work or should I be using something else? Dont want the glue seeping through the fabric. yes I searched and read every thread that came up.

 

On the rest, not sure of your best course of action - but on the fabric glue, use headliner glue available at auto parts stores - it sticks best.

 

When going through the trouble of taking the headliner out (just pulled mine about half an hour ago ) I would not take any half assed atempts to fix it "for now".

One route would be to order a new headliner.

Once it´s out check whether or not your weatherstripping is ok, and how the sheet metal is. I heard T-tops can show quite a bit of corrosion underneath the headliner. Be prepared for more work then you expected.

The other alternative is to fix and improve the current headliner once and for all.

Fiberglass definately would be te way to go about a long time fix.
Since fiberglass is not expensive consider covering the complete headliner in fiber. The regular randomly weaved type will do fine. One layer will suffise.

Roll the resin onto your cleaned headliner (I choose to cover the inside, not the side touching the roof area) giving it a good solid coat of resin, then lay your fiberglass on it, cut away any edges and roll another layer of resin ont the headliner.

Let it dry for a few days. Then sand the fiberglassed area. I will then use a filler to smooth the complete headliner, then glue fabric against it.

Normal spray on glue will not hold. The car roof will get quite hot during summer. Most types of glue will dissolve and/or lose adhesion. There are special glues for this application, and I would advise to use them.

Once the headliner is off, check the T-top area and fix any corrosion/prevent corrosion by coating the headliner area.

 

Im gonna try to just fix the one spot at this time the headliners perfect with the exception of that one area as the cars mint its spent its life in a heated garage and low miles Im only the second owner. no rust. Is there a particular brand of headliner glue and is there anything I should know about applying it? can I use two way tape in place of the two clips on the front of the board?

 

... might as well replace the whole thing with an ABS headliner from Hawks and for ~180.00 and piece of mind knowing it will last forever...its worth it IMO, but thats just my

 

Subscribed for info.

Can't buy new. Shipping costs to "The Great White North" are HUGE.

 

yeah I'm up here too getting parts shipped from places like hawks would be ridiculous. and honestly I'd make my own out of fiberglass before I paid that much for a headliner. Would two way tape work In place of the clips up front or maybe velcro ?

 

^^ I've heard of people using both with success.

There is a guy on ccfbg who fibreglassed his t-top headliner (he reinforced the edges) and recovered it with suede. It seems to be working fine.

I'm trying to figure out which glue to use. Another spring project.

Where are you located?

 

got any photos of the new headliner?

 

lm in winnipeg. and ill post before and after pics when I do it this weekend

 

Im in winnipeg. and ill take pics this weekend

 

I got a used head liner that was in good shape.
I took off the cloth material & resi & glassed the upper portion that goes towards the roof. In spring, I'll do the side that gets covered like

the solitaire

suggests-- sounds like it'll last forever!

I went to the parts store, got a can of resin & a package of glass weave, & did the deed. My only draw back is the area for the sun visors needs to be done since the original material came off when I was taking it off!
Take your time peeling & scraping!! It will pay off in the long run!!

 

you can also buy a fiberglass version that appears to be better than the abs for 125.00 + shipping from marks custom fiberglass

 

I like KIDDs headliner better

 

I found a t top headliner at the junkyard that was broken up in a couple spots and I put resin on the whole back of it and put it back together and it worked great. I used regular spray adhesive to stick the finish mat on the outside. It's just a type of foam finish mat with a gray liner on the outside that matches the interior grey almost perfectly.
I have some pictures of it somewhere but I'd have to dig them up.

 

would covering the back in resin be a good idea? any drawbacks to doing that?

 

no real drawbacks i can think of. resin will harden the fiberboard and make it a bit more water resistant. i would use a layer of fiberglass cloth (not mat - too stiff) to add a little more strength to what you have too. very flexible and good at contouring to different angles easily. i would only do it if you've stripped off the old cloth, as you could get some bleed through and ruin the material

 

Any glue/adhesive suggestions?

 

3m does a great job with their adhesives, highly recommend their headliner spray. a bit more expensive than the generics, but well worth it from what i've done. Used it quite a bit when i was carpeting speaker boxes too and it held up perfectly