Headliner question

[retho78]

Does anybody know where I can find the OEM headliner fabric? The one in my car has some saggy spots and the backing foam on it is deteriorating. I tried to use 3M headliner adhesive but does not stick well because of the backing foam issue. I want to redo mine to factory finish material. Thanks in advance.

[steve_c]

Stand back fellas.....I'll tackle this one!

I picked up my foam backed headliner fabric from Your Auto Trim Store.
I bought a headliner fabric sample chart from them first ($5.00 plus tax & ship), then matched up the fabric I needed for my 1979 Cadillac.
They sell fabric kits that include specified yardage of material in your color, along with the fabric adhesive (2 cans in a kit). You can purchase just the headliner alone if needed.
Another source I have used is Albright Supply. Check out their website as well!

The only caveat I have is to be careful with the adhesive. It should be an automotive headliner approved glue, specifically formulated to withstand the high heat conditions between the roof & the headliner.

[Ilya]

Thanks for that information Steve. I'm sure many people will find it useful.

[retho78]

Thanks steve_c. I will order some samples. I ordered some samples from few other places as well so waiting for those to come in. Also, I'm thinking to pull the headliner board out from the car and just reglue old headliner back since there is no tear but only backing foam issue, not sure if it will have the good smooth finish though. I hope with the proper adhesive it properly stick and settle in. If not I will have to order the new headliner fabric. Also, is the DAP Weldwood HHR Contact Cement a good product?


Thank you.

[steve_c]

I have seen on youtube a video or two of folks just gluing there old headliner fabric back in.

While that would be better than leaving it sag, it might be lumpy even if you clean the residual foam off both the headliner board & fabric..
If I were going to re-tack the old headliner back in, (I never would) I would be sure to fold the headliner edges over the headboard (free of foam) and tack them down with glue so as to have all four perimeters secured well. I would also just spray the glue on the headliner board, and let it tack up a bit so it does not bleed through the fabric when you join them together.

Point is, why would you go through all that work to pull the headliner board & fabric down, then clean it up only to put the old stuff back on when you are approximately only $60.00 bucks away from doing it right? ($60 bucks=2 cans of glue, headliner fabric & shipping).

Besides, after tacking the old fabric back up, if it looks bad & you want to do it over using new fabric, you now have to deal with trying to separate the old fabric from the headliner board, and trust me...that contact cement is not going to make it easy on you. You might end up trashing the headliner board in the process of trying to separate the fabric from it! (or putting the new fabric over the old if it is impossible to peel off)

One trick to installing new fabric the youtube videos I have seen do not show you is you need to carefully lay down the fabric onto the headliner board, smoothing it out gently onto the headliner board with the palm of your hand. Do not press down with any significant pressue, and never use your fingers. You do not want to compress the foam backing. It will leave impressions in the headliner if you compress the foam during installation. Do not handle your newly covered headboard until the glue thoroughly dries.

Lastly, regarding your choice of glue, to do it correctly with new fabric, you would need the adhesive to be spray can applied. DAP is a good name, it should be fine. HHR= high heat rated?

The hardest part of the job in my opinion, is getting the headliner board out of the vehicle!

[retho78]

Thanks again. I ordered some samples from yourautotrim site so once that comes in, I will check the color match and order the fabric and DAP spray adhesive then go from there.

[retho78]

Also, I kind off figured out how to remove the headliner. I checked the back end of it and looked pretty easy and once the pillar covers and other accessories come of, it should just drop down. They are snapped in with clips.

[EdBwoy]

The headliner shouldn't really fall off after removing the rear clips, since there are other slide clips usually right behind the sunroof. You slide the headliner forward to release these, and backwards to engage during installation. If these are damaged, the headliner will sag in the middle. Maybe you already know this, but I wanted to share as that is something that got me on the first headliner I ever removed.
FSM section EI, page 52 for reference

[retho78]

Thanks for the additional information. I will look into it and try to be careful when pulling the board out. Also, I noticed the OEM headliner fabric doesn't go over the side edges, not sure why they didn't over lap it a little and glue it on the back side of the board. I know it goes over the edges where the sunroof is but everywhere else it stops right at the edge.

[retho78]

Does the front seats have to come out to slide the headliner out?

[steve_c]

Thanks for the additional information. I will look into it and try to be careful when pulling the board out. Also, I noticed the OEM headliner fabric doesn't go over the side edges, not sure why they didn't over lap it a little and glue it on the back side of the board. I know it goes over the edges where the sunroof is but everywhere else it stops right at the edge.

I just took a look at my M headliner, you are correct, looking at the front edge along the windhield, it does not seem to foldover!

Another thing I noticed was the pockets the exit assist straps sit into...as well as the sunroof cavity area, they are sort off sunken in, for lack off better descriptions.
It gives me the appearance that the headliner & foam are custom moulded into these pockets!

Point is, looks like it would be difficult to mould in the new headliner & foam to those areas without wrinkling the fabric. I could be wrong, just going by appearance.

I never took the time to look at the headliner fabric carefully in my M, it is done nicely in like a tweed pattern. The headliner fabric samples I picked up for my old Caddy were the standard suede look type!

[steve_c]

Does the front seats have to come out to slide the headliner out?

The usual procedure is to slide the front seats back, recline them fully & remove via the passenger front door. The steering wheel may have to be adjusted to get clearance as well. What the procedure is for our Infiniti's, I do not know.

[retho78]

Okay, thanks. I did the check headliner fabric by the exit handles straps and I am guessing with the spring action setup on the handle, it helps the fabric to mold in properly.

[retho78]

Also, I thought from the picture in the service manual it looked like the headliner was sliding out through the rear door.

[retho78]

Hi,


So the samples I ordered from YourAutoTrim.com came in today and the Flat Knit Headliner Fabric Titanium came close to the factory color, pattern is slightly smaller than the OEM. I think this will work to fix the issue.

http://www.yourautotrim.com/fn1927titanium.html

Thanks

[steve_c]

Wow,
Nice find, I never knew they stocked flat knit fabric!
keep us posted when you get around to the installation!

[retho78]

Thanks, actually credit goes to you Steve_c. You recommended this site. Also, I order few samples from Albright supply just to double check the color and patterns. I will wait for those to come in and decide which way to go.


Thanks.