Proper way to fix sagging Headliner

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thecantaloupeman

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Steel wool with light pressure, hard bristle brush with light pressure. The key is remembering that the backer board is old and frail. Be gentle with it.

As far as the vinyl, if its still in good shape, then maybe mild soap and water or a soft brush. Again its old and frail too. I really don't know of a good way to remove the old glue. It will be some testing in a corner to find out.

If you can get the vinyl clean you can get 1/4" foam by itself and apply it to the vinyl, then after it dries a day or two, then apply it to the backer board.
All this old glue just peels off. Do I need to remove the grey stuff to get it down to bare yellow? Or just get the old glue off? I'm assuming I need the grey stuff of the back of the vinyl, but I'm not sure about the backer board.
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dvdswan

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As long as the board and material doesn't have any loose old adhesive it will be fine. I would fix that gouge first though. Any bumps or uneven surface will show after your done. Small bumps will hide but can still show.

Just remember to install a 1/4" foam between the board and material. If you just attach the material to the board you will get an echo sound in the cab. Nothing horrible, it would be just like no headliner.
 

thecantaloupeman

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As long as the board and material doesn't have any loose old adhesive it will be fine. I would fix that gouge first though. Any bumps or uneven surface will show after your done. Small bumps will hide but can still show.

Just remember to install a 1/4" foam between the board and material. If you just attach the material to the board you will get an echo sound in the cab. Nothing horrible, it would be just like no headliner.
What's the best adhesive to do this all with? Should I use the same stuff for the 1/4" foam as the actual vinyl?

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dvdswan

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3M adhesive. They sell it at Joann's as well. Yes use the same adhesive for the foam. Remember to spray both surfaces and wait until each is tacky. I would attach the foam to the vinyl first let it cure a day or 2, then attach the foam/vinyl to the backer board.

If available have a buddy help so it can be laid flat with no ripples or bumps. 1/4 foam is frail and could tear if you try to peel it off if you get a bump or ripple out.
 

thecantaloupeman

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3M adhesive. They sell it at Joann's as well. Yes use the same adhesive for the foam. Remember to spray both surfaces and wait until each is tacky. I would attach the foam to the vinyl first let it cure a day or 2, then attach the foam/vinyl to the backer board.

If available have a buddy help so it can be laid flat with no ripples or bumps. 1/4 foam is frail and could tear if you try to peel it off if you get a bump or ripple out.
I was hoping to reuse my old vinyl fabric because I cleaned it with soap and water and got all the old foam off. It looks pretty much brand new, but I think it shrunk. I layed it over the backer board and it doesn't line up and doesn't reach the edges. I'm gonna leave it in the sun to expand and see if that works, but I think I'm gonna need new fabric. Anyone know if Joann's has that perforated vinyl in that color? Thanks.
 

thecantaloupeman

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Ummmm....ok, I'm your huckleberry.
I ended up going with a cloth version of my perforated vinyl. It is very close on the color and if anything it's actually a bit richer tan which I like. The original vinyl I had ended up expanding to fit nicely, but it shrunk within the minute I moved it into the shade to start glueing. So now I don't have to worry about that with this cloth.

I was planning on doing doing duck canvas but I tried the glue on a sample and it stained. This cloth I ended up with was 3.37 on clearance and I got almost two yards.

I think it's gonna look awesome. I might have to buy different glue because I got the super yellow stuff which is for heavy duty headliners. This is a pretty light fabric so I'm just going to buy something that dries clear. If it doesn't work out I got a sample of just tan headliner foam and will try that as a backup. But I'll post pics when it is done.

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Jeff Lewis

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When the cloth is hanging down, that is not the headliner, not really fixable. Stay away from the chevy catalogs and get a new headliner from Rock Auto, easy install.
 

trukman1

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If you want to just replace material plus fix your damaged headliner board, I recommend you go to "You Tube" and look at the video by Lucky Needle to learn how to repair board and install new headliner material. I'm doing this on my K5 and it's headliner board is damaged also. He will show how to fix board cheaply but right and install new material. I don't recall the exact amount my material cost but it wasn't much and I got it from Stock Interiors. Hope this helps.
 

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The best fix is a new abs plastic headliner, I’ve installed 2 of them. Very easy to install, Excellent fit and color match. It will never sag again. It’s worth the $100 investment ! LMC Truck and other vendors sell this item
 

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Well, yeah, but not necessarily.

I put one in about a year ago and the fabric is already starting to separate from the plastic. Hopefully it's just one spot, but I'm not impressed right now.
 

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