Reattaching Headliner?

[JoelH]

My headliner is in good shape but sagging in the front a bit. How would that be attached? Any special glue that holds it that I would need to get to reattach it?

If I could re-glue it is this a tough job to do?

[beandip]

reattaching the front may be a little tricky. the cement used is contact cement, apply to both surfaces and let dry then while tacky reposition the head liner. Once the two sides touch they will stick and you wont be able to slide them at all. So it's a one shot deal. Get it right the first time. I have used 3-M # 77 spray . Sold most every ware Home Depot has it. Gary

[ktm]

Gary, have you found that the 3M loses it adhesiveness when the roof gets hot? My headliner keeps drooping whenever the roof gets hot. I replaced the headliner myself a year ago and have used the 3M headliner adhesive (made just for headliners) with no luck.

[MikeW]

I replaced my headliner with one purchased from Too Intense. It took me about 3 attempts to finally get it to stick permanently. I finally realized that you have to use lots of the spray-on adhesive, you have to apply it to both the headliner and the roof and you really have to wait a seemingly long time for it to get tacky per the instructions. I thought I had it installed properly only to have it droop in the middle after a few weeks. I'd peel it off and try again but it wasn't until I did all of the above that it truly stuck. Since it's a tricky job I'd make sure to get it right the first time.

Since yours is just sagging near the front edge you may be able to leave the remainder attached but I'd still follow the steps carefully.

[Jeff G 78]

I have attached several Z headliners with a 3M contact cement with great results. I don't know if it's the same # as what Beandip listed, but it comes in a large diameter spray can. I'll have to look at the can tonight to see if it's the same stuff. This discussion timing is good, because I have to install my headliner tonight as well. Hopefully my very old can of spray is still good.

[Zs-ondabrain]

If you're gonna use the 3M stuff, use the 99. it's stronger and less effected by the heat. I personally use VS-1081 (12oz can is $8.00) made for hi strength and hi temp applications. And for everything else, I use VS-185 $3.25 per 12 oz can (hi strength, better webbing, not a film like the 3M products.

Under a hot sun, the metal can reach temps exceeding 140+ degrees F. A hot aplied glue will work better but your talking a lot more money and someone that has the equipment.

Dave

[JoelH]

Thanks for the tips. I'm hoping I can brace up the headliner where it's still attached and glue the rest up and roll it out.

[EScanlon]

Use the proper product from 3M to get the best results:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3M-Super-77/Super77/SprayAdhesive/Product-Selector/

Plug in METAL as your first surface and FLEXIBLE FOAM as your second.

You'll get 3M 74, 90 and 73.

FWIW

E

[rhochisociety]

I have a 6 inch circular area that is loose above the headrest of the passenger side. It is not on an edge. Does anyone have an idea of how to fix this? I can use a syringe with needle to inject something like contact cement. But any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[nwcubsman]

I have a 6 inch circular area that is loose above the headrest of the passenger side. It is not on an edge. Does anyone have an idea of how to fix this? I can use a syringe with needle to inject something like contact cement. But any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

I believe anything you can apply with a syringe will give you a very poor appearance. I saw why mine looked so bad after removing it. 3 different types of adhesive, 2 of which were a tube product. It yielded a very uneven look. Dimples and such. I would suggest you work it to an edge and then apply a spray. Don't oversaturate it, or stick it too early or the figer prints will be permanant.

If you replace it, I have found some of the more expensive headliners that are supposed to be closer to the original are no better than what you'd get from MSA for a much better price.

My opinion. Good luck!

[Bonzi Lon]

I used the 3-M 77 on my vinyl, and it says on the can about half way down, "do not use on poly-styrine (sp) foam or automotive headliners." It is good suff as I was stuck to the vinyl several times.

Bonzi Lon

[Arne]

For obvious reasons (see my roof skin thread), I'm preparing to glue a headliner up in the near future. After looking at the underside of mine, I'd recommend that those of you who have one that is partially sagging go ahead and completely remove it first, then reapply it. Because you're never going to get good adhesion if you don't thoroughly clean and prep the metal that you are going to glue it onto. You'll want to get the old glue and foam remains off first. And you can't do that if the headliner is not completely removed.

I have both the original headliner from my roof donor car, as well as a new replacement from MSA (just in case). The MSA is a nice looking piece. The foam even has a fabric liner on the inside that should help prevent excess glue from soaking into the foam, which could cause dimples when it was firmly applied to the roof.

But -- while the grain of the vinyl is a reasonable match, the MSA headliner lacks the little perforations that are in the original, at least in the 240Zs. So it's not a perfect match for my car. Because of that, I will attempt to re-use the original that I removed from the donor, and if that works I'll re-sell the unused MSA kit.