Cheemo13

Hey guys, definitely rehashing an oldie here but I am curious to see if there has been any improvement on these items since the original posts I've already read through are quite dated, some even older than 10 years.
I need to replace my headliner and since I'm at it I will do the sails and visors. I have read these abs headliners look nice but seem to sag in the middle due to lack of clips that the factory one used along the windshield. So my question is this....is this still an issue or have the aftermarket parts from Hawks/stock Interiors come to be a perfect fit/match?
Also any experiences or other suggestions welcome!!

aseychell

I am very satisfied with the abs headliners from hawks. It is not a perfect fit but with some work it can be made to look really good.
I drilled a self tapping screw behind the rear view mirror to hold the sagging in the middle. Covered the screw and the small gap along the windshield with brown foam type double sided tape but for the rest it is very nice.

Check my build thread and you will see the result.

PMDJIM

I would tend to say no. Just did this over the summer. Fit is marginal at best. My original passenger visor had a vanity mirror. Which the aftermarket visors have no provision for. Colors are lacking unless you have black. All other colors are suspect. Unless your original headliner board is in tact and requires just a recover. Than that pretty much is your only choice.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

As long as people settle for the low quality reproductions, that's all that will ever be available.

Best bet is to not destroy the factory headliner backing in the first place. Once it's gone, you're pretty much stuck. Assuming the deterioration is addressed early enough, it's just a matter of getting the foam backed cloth and recovering the cores. Unfortunately that's not always an option because people tend to let the problem go until the backing falls apart, or they rip it out thinking a repro is cheap enough...

kentuckyKITT

iTrader: (4)

The truth has been spoken here.

There are no aftermarket headliners, sails or visors in any of my 3 cars. Took me a few years to find a good factory headliner board for the 82 and another few years for my 89, but I waited. Just recently had these items redone in my 90 Formula and I had the factory parts recovered. If you're going for show presentable and not make guys like me cringe when I look at your interior at a car show, then stay away from aftermarket as much as possible. Honestly, the price for this stuff should be about half for the quality you get. I tried the ABS several years ago and I too was hoping it had improved, but from the many car shows I go to, I can see it has not.

aseychell

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...on-88-gta.html

check posts #113 and 114.

Will send you some close ups of the front part touching the windshield where I said I did the screws. And also a picture of the sails and headliners.

i would say everyone has the right for his own opinion.

i still have the original headliner and i know it’s recoverable but I also know that the recovery will just buy you some time until the problem re-emerges. People fix these with fiber epoxy making them considerably rigid and where you have tears they use some cardboard and fiber mesh. The area near the seat belts is very tricky to fix and needs to be kept flexible during installation.
not a complex job but still far from perfect. Colors for the ABS plastic would be the same as whatever material you will find if you reupholster the factory one. If you really want a particular fabric you can even buy bare ABS headliners and cover them yourself.

as for the sails and visors, i re upholstered the original ones and color match is spot on.

i guess it all boils down to one thing. The ABS is more durable, not a perfect fit, can be made to be very close to factory (can rate it at 90% just by being meticulous during installation), and surely not meant to be unnoticeable that it’s not factory. It even has a Centre ridge which the factory one doesn’t. If it bothers you that someone coming up and tell you it’s not factory then no it’s not for you. Can’t understand why that would bother you though. It’s just a perception based on personal tastes.