Anyone done a cloth headliner?

[charliekwin]

My headliner is sagging and a bit grimy. I already have a bunch of interior panels out of the car, so now is a good time to deal with it.  I'm thinking of replacing it with cloth instead of vinyl -- some additional texture might look nice in there -- but haven't found any examples.  Anyone done it?  How do you like it?  

[Mike]

Sounds interesting.  What kind of cloth are you thinking about?

I've found several posts on the site about headliners, even a leather one!  Check it out:

http://www.classiczcars.com/search/?type=all&q=headliner

[charliekwin]

I was thinking standard foam-backed headliner fabric. Considered alcantara briefly, but decided that would be too modern and not look right. I think I know which leather one you're talking about (the perforated one?) and it sure looked nice, but I shudder to think how much it cost!

[Captain Obvious]

I've done two headliners in my past, both on the same kind of car (but not a Z). I did one in vinyl, and the other in traditional foam backed headliner fabric. In the end, I think the vinyl looked much better, but the foam backed headliner material is way easier to work with. Much stretchier and more forgiving.

In fact, all of my reluctance to work with vinyl stems from that job. 

[charliekwin]

I'm fine dealing with the vinyl (an easy thing to say as I sit here in my comfy office chair).  My main reason for thinking about fabric was appearance, so I'll consider that a vote against it.

[Captain Obvious]

Yeah, the headliners I recovered had "head dents" upwards creating two large recessed areas above the passengers heads. The vinyl was a pain to stretch down into those recesses without wrinkles. The headliner material was much more forgiving.

I'm not sure I think it would look better in ALL cars, but I definitely think vinyl would look better in a Z. Then again, how often do you look up in the car?

 

[charliekwin]

This stuff here: http://www.yourautotrim.com/blacperhead.html might make for a nice look.  1 yard should be just enough to do the job.

Based on pictures I've seen of other headliners, 1/8" foam will probably need some additional padding.  Everything I've read says the headliner is glued to the roof sheetmeal, but if the corner I peeled back is any indication, apparently a PO has glued a sheet of plywood to the roof.  So that should be interesting.

[rossiz]

i re-did my headliner with one of the vinyl z kits - the foam is pretty thick, maybe 3/8 or so. it's a miserable job because the interior of these cars is such close quarters. i did mine with all the interior pulled out, seats and everything, which helped a little. couple of tips:

• i applied a layer of sound mat (the foil faced sticky/rubbery stuff) to the underside of the roof skin and it really quiets the ride - the roof is like a drum head
• if possible, get someone to help from outside the car reaching in - i ran out of hands a few times and some cursing was involved
• do a dry-fit and plan out how you're going to do the final install - the glue is a one-shot deal, no repositioning available. i wound up fitting the liner in place, holding it with tape, peeling back one side, spraying the glue, rolling it up to stick, then peeling back the other side and repeating. it's tricky - try it a few times w/out the glue.
• have some tools handy (roller to press the vinyl in place, tool to tuck the liner under the perimeter lips) - and i mean handy as in inches away, you don't want to have both hands pushing up to hold things in place, your head stuck to a glue patch and your foot caught under the clutch pedal and your tool an inch just out of your grasp...
• use the entire can of spray glue to get really good full coverage
• pull all the trim around the perimeter and tape/mask off the top of the windshield to protect from overspray
• wear a hat; the glue-covered underside of the roof skin is closer than you think. don't ask how i know...

in the end mine came out pretty nice - not perfect, but much nicer than the sagging, filthy original i pulled out. i don't have any inclination to do this job again.

[Captain Obvious]

That perforated vinyl material looks very nice. As for how it's attached to the roof, I think it might depend on the year? I know the pillar designs are different depending on the year, but I'm not sure about the headliner itself.

"you don't want to have both hands pushing up to hold things in place, your head stuck to a glue patch and your foot caught under the clutch pedal and your tool an inch just out of your grasp..."

Clearly the voce of experience!