Hey gents,

Recently picked up a basically mint '89 GTA with 50,000 original miles,
and drove it cross-country from Arizona to the Naval Submarine Base
in Connecticut. Mind you, it will be garaged and stored in the winter months!

But a problem, I soon as a hit Oklahoma or sometime into the humid states,
the headliner felt started to let go and "bubble" in certain spots.. Im thinking
because the life of the car was spent in the arrid climate of Scottsdale, AZ
and that it didnt take to the humidity too much. What can be done to rectify
it? and.. Has this happened to anyone else?

Feel free to chime in and success, or methods. Im about to get it re-done!

 

beautiful find you got there!

the foam backing of the felt dries out over time and causes it to separate from the fiber backing. only permanent fix is to scrape it down and recover (or replace it all). any adhesive you use now will just be a temp fix, as the foam will continue to dry out

 

Thanks for the comments and information, you think a tenured upholstery
guy can fix the existing headliner? Or am I required to order a reproduction
for the hardtop? I don't want to fiddle with temp fixes, you know how that
turns out... I know alot about Tuned Port, but a COMPLETE NOVICE on
anything interior/exterior...

 

as long as there's no water damage to the fiberboard, upholstery shop shouldn't have an issue.

 

i bought the a1 auto repo headliner and am very happy with it the abs is much better than the dryed out board that was in there.and best thing is if it leaks any water from my t tops the abs board wont soak it up.

 

Your headliner board SHOULD be in great condition, just have it recovered. You may want to have the sail panels recovered at the same time though, just so it all matches (I'm sure they've faded over the years).

 

it is very common (and pretty highly recommended) to strengthen the factory board with fiberglass when recovering it; less likely to crumble and makes it more water resistant. This is the route I plan to go when it comes time to tackle my interior, as the only damage is to the cloth

 

to add to Dans comment about strengthening the board, do this on the backside of the board. as for recovering your board, its a no sweat deal.

after you have pulled the old fabric off take a mild brass wire brush and scrub off all you can of the foam. some of it might be a bit stubborn being the car was well taken care of. the board will be a yellow color once you get the foam off.

lay your material on the board with the lines going L to R and get it smoothed out. your glue can be purchased at autozone or any other parts store. the orange can of permitex or black can of 3M will work great. permitex is cheaper BTW $$.

work in a spiral going around the board when gluing. spraay a little on the board but mostly on the fabric. dont soak it, just a few reasonable strokes.
take a min or few after each spot to give it time to stick before moving to the next section.

after you have the fabric layed completly then cut your holes (dome, seatbelts, etc.).
dont cut the fabric too tight or clean around the holes as over time the fabric will shrink a tad and pull back so your want some overhang in the holes.

also, the edge by the front glass is the only finished edge, all of the other edges are trimmed by the interior plastics.

if you have any ques just ask, i'v done plenty of headliners.

 

Thanks Quick for the walkthrough, and also Dan for his. Given that I'm stationed on a Submarine base, I don't really have a great place to undertake the job.. I think im just going to pull the trigger on a Hawk's ABS liner, but I can't honestly tell exactly which complexion that interior is..

There is Sand Beige, Doeskin and Cognac that all look fairly similar.. Anyone have any idea?

 

Look at your RPO codes and it should be listed there.

 

Ok, when I get home ill reference them to the site tonight and place the order! Thanks for the help. If im forced to do DIY, ill probably have more questions.. Heh.

 

This is very helpful as I need to replace my headliner, the PO tired to fit it and made a bit of a mess on the drivers side of the T-bar-glue makes bleeding through. The liner is sagging a bit by the seatblets and over the back seat. Do you have to remove the seatbelts or is the headliner shell/backing have slots cut to pass them through? If the PO would not have tried to fix it I could get away with a sport repair ot two as my headliner is not all that bad, but it's too late now.

 

Pull the hooks out, slightly pull each sail plastic down and you will see a slot for the seat belt to slip thru and bring it around towards the hatch to get it out of the way so you can bring the liner down easily.

 

I'll warn you, some people that use the abs headliner without the overhead console have problems with it sagging in the middle.

 

How the hell do you remove the overhead console? I can see how and wjhat to remove to drop the headliner out, but the I can only see 2 screws in the dome light, the rest of the console does not have exposed screws and I don't want to break anything. I want to remove my headliner soon so I can recover it.

 

Nice looking ride. Glad to see that there are still some low mileage cars to be had.

 

Ok I found out how to remove the headliner so I'm going to do it soon and hope the board is not too bad off as I want to reuse it. I'm thinking of going with a heavy felt in as close to the stock red as I can get.

 

I've done a few headliners in the past and have found the right colored foam backed material in fabric stores. I'd be a little concerned about using felt because of it's initial weight and the fact that it may absorb moisture. I think that over time it may begin to sag. I also feel that the foam is easier to work with but that's IMHO. I've also had the best results with Permatex spray adhesive. Good luck with the project whichever way you go.

 

I appreciate the warning.. now, which way is the best route to go in terms of
aftermarket headliners? A1? DIY? Im pretty certain doing it myself would be
difficult given the faculties (ie. parking lot) and would like to refrain from
doing it! All I know, is Im willing to do whatever possible..

Thanks guys, she truly is a gem. Ill be keeping this girl completely stock, minus
exhaust.. While my other '89 continues to shred the streets with ever changing
modifications, It is nice to have the best of both worlds!

 

I think buying one and installing it is about the same as buying the material, recovering the fiberboard and reinstalling headliner but minus the cost of the new headliner and shipping. It’s still pretty much of a DIY project. I would go to local automotive upholstery shop and get a quote to have it recovered. Then go with the method that suits your needs.

 

If I were in your position and had a good headliner board, I would try to find someone that would sell a kit with new visors and enough bulk material to redo the headliner and sail panels. This way it all matches.

I know this guy used to sell it that way... and he has a nice write up about it too..
http://www.iroczone.com/motorsports/...headliners.htm

The only reason I went with a abs headliner was because my board was shot, and I have the console to support it in the center.