Hi Here's one article that's pretty good, depending on your application I don't know if glue is need down the sides or not, mine didn't http://www.automedia.com/Headliner_Replacement/res20000717hu/1 I replaced the one in m y 67 LeSabre last winter, the interior was out of the car, it's a pain, can't lay on you back to work everything's out of reach, a lot of time squatting in the car. Save the old head liner so you can use it for a pattern to cut the new one to size, the sides of my liner and windlace were inserted into a barbed plate to hold it in place. The instructions I followed were a bit different, they stated to use the old headliner as a pattern and cut the new one to match. I started and hung the center bow first working back to front hanging each bow. Then applying contact cement to the front and back just at the window area. Starting from the center pull the front tight and staple to the front, then do the back in the center, then work out from the center side to side front to back pulling it tight and stapling. It's tedious. Then after that's done you can start on the sides, starting in the center working side to side front to back. If it's a show car I would higher someone to do it. thanks Bruce
Read my article...should be a big help....you need to have a lot of patience! http://www.buickperformance.com/HeadlinerInstallation.htm
I paid $350 to my local interior guy. I would put his workmanship in the A+++ category. It was a 72 GS. Not worth doing myself in my opinion. I supplied the headliner so the money was just labor.
This article states to leave about 2", http://www.stockinteriors.com/acme/BowHeadliner.pdf I think that's about right, mine disintegrated upon remove, I had to cut and fit as I went. I was just curious as to how much it costs, money's always an issue in my life:laugh: Bruce
i had him install the headliner and vinyl roof, and i supplied both. i think he had quoted me about $180 just for the headliner install. as the car had come back from the paint shop two weeks earlier, the whole interior and rear window were out of the car, including the old headliner, except from the driver bucket seat. the cost was justified by the quality of the work.
I had my car similarly prepped (minus the rear window) except I left the HL in place so the shop could see how the old HL was installed. $150 and was the best money I've spent on the car - drop it off in the morning - pick it up in the afternoon. Immaculate workmanship that I could never duplicate myself - and I'm good.
i removed my headliner and got partly covered with two old mouse nests that were at least 10 years old. the interior did have a foul smell in the summer. i suspected that mice were the cause.
When I removed my old headliner (fell apart while driving with windows down), there was fiberglass insulation between the headliner and the roof. I noticed that none of these tutorials showed that.
Hi. Mine had a layer of cardboard looking stuff glued to the inside of the roof, it had fallen away and the mice were using it as nesting material. I didn't replace it. My car might be a bit noisier, and get a bit hotter in the sun, but I'd rather have that than the mice :grin: Bruce
You are correct....it is a paperboard material and typically it does not go bad but if it does, you can easily replace it with one of the newer insulators like Lizard Skin
Yeah, mine still has the paperboard stuff stuck to the roof itself, but between the paperboard and headliner there was fiberglass insulation. When my headliner came apart at about 45-50mph, that stuff went everywhere. I have a picture at home that I took with my interior covered in it.
Brian, Yes the Rivs have a flexible insulation-like material that usually disintergrates especially in hot climates. I've taken a couple out that were still in nice shape but usually they rain down as dust on you as you remove the headliner.....just like your pciture actually.:shock: I did a headliner by following instructions similar to what has been posted. Needing patience is an understatement but it can be certainly be done if you have some common sense, can follow directions and of course patience. At first it doesn't look like you'll ever get all the wrinkles out of it but as you start stretching and permanently attaching, they disappear. I admit by the time I was done I was thinking why didn't I pay someone but when it was complete, I got a lot of satisfaction out of conquering something I hadn't done before and having money in my pocket for other things like chrome. I'd say this job is a 7 out of 10 in difficulty for someone who has never done it. Now that I've done one I wouldn't consider farming it out unless money was not a concern.
I have the new headliner, and recently removed and resealed my back window. I plan to do this myself, and was wondering if the stuff I have would be ok to use as replacement insulation. I found a roll of cotton/wool that comes in big sheets. I got it at a local fabric store, so I think it may be used for quilting or something. It's thick and soft, but not so thick that it would bulge the headliner. Just enough that it would fill the space between the headliner and roof just like the nasty stuff that fell out. Would something like this be suitable? Yeah... That happened coming home from a car show with all windows down. One of the seams busted on my old headliner and the insulation just flew out. Since the mess was there, I cleaned off, suited up, and continued to remove the rest of it.
