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This article is the third in a series by Ron Fryer of Fryer's Auto Upholsterey. and is a follow-up to a complete guide to replacing your headliner.

A common problem with one piece headliners is that they fall down or sag. The reason for this is that the foam that the fabric is bonded to is disintegrating, allowing the fabric to fall. Very annoying. The solution is to replace the fabric (or vinyl) with new, while using the existing shell to maintain the original shape of the headliner.

The first thing to do is remove the headliner. In most cases, you may use the following shortcut: remove all hardware that bolts through the headliner, such as the visors, coat hooks, dome light, and sometimes the rear view mirror. Then, by grabbing the headliner by the dome light opening and patting toward the edge, move the headliner toward one corner of the vehicle, allowing the opposite sides to come out from the surrounding molding and dropping down slightly into the passenger area. With the dropped corner below the surround moldings, work the headliner back in the opposite direction, releasing the other two sides and allowing the headliner to drop out completely. You may also do this side to side and front to back if that is more comfortable for you.

You may now remove the headliner from the vehicle. You may accomplish this by sliding the headliner toward the rear of the car and dropping the front of it down below the steering wheel, then moving the headliner, front first, out the passenger door.

With the headliner out of the car, you are now ready to remove the old covering. First, peel off the old fabric. You will see the disintegrating foam underneath. The easiest way I have found to remove this foam is with 36 or 40 grit sandpaper. I merely drag the sandpaper across the foam until it is gone. The old foam usually balls up and can be swept away. It is OK to leave the thinnest layer of foam (it will look like paper) on the shell. The main thing is to get the majority of it off and to have a smooth surface. If you have any cracks or holes that need repairing, you can use masking tape for that.

When your shell is prepared, you are ready to recover it. Begin by placing the new material on the shell and positioning it where you want it to end up. Then fold back half of it over the other half, exposing half the shell. Spray the exposed half of the shell and the backing of the exposed half of the headliner. Allow the glue to set up. You can test the glue by touching it, and when you no longer stick to the glue, it is ready. Now roll the headliner fabric so that it begins to adhere to the shell. Then take the corners of the headliner fabric and flip the rest of the glued half over the shell, but do not allow it to touch. If you feel nervous about this procedure, you may place wax paper over the shell to prevent the glue from adhering. Of course, you must remove this before the headliner will stick to the shell, but it will help prevent you from sticking the fabric where you don't want it.

Now, while holding the corners, pull slightly toward each corner and then place the headliner fabric on the shell, smoothing from the center towards the corners. The gentle pulling towards the corners will help mold the fabric to the correct shape. When this half is complete, do the other half in the same manner. Then trim the edges about 1/4 to 3/8" long. You can install the headliner the same way you took it out, making sure that it is properly aligned so that all the holes line up. I use an awl to find the holes. You might want to use a putty knife with the corners rounded to help tuck the edges under the surrounding moldings.

I recommend that you use the fabric, rather than vinyl, because it is so much easier to shape, and it is lighter weight and less likely to fall down. For more information about auto upholstery, visit our website http://www.autoupholsterykits.com .

Visit our website for more information: Fryer's Auto Upholsterey.

Ron Fryer
rcfryer@juno.com

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