Took down my T-Top headliner which was getting pretty ratty and after puting it back together with fiberglass resin and cloth I thought I had a pretty good basis as all of it was painted with the resin. Tonight I took my $10.99 square yard of headliner from Joann's Fabrics and sprayed adhesive on both the material and the board. It stuck immediately and looked very good. I left it in the garage for about 45 minutes to find that the edges had come loose and the entire liner was comming un-done. I used a general purpose adhesive was that my mistake or is glue going to have a problem with resin? It has cured 24 hours since I painted it.

Advise from those of you who have attempted this? Use a stronger adhesive? Topcoat the resin?

i redid my headliner about 3 years ago and it looks as good as it did when i finished it. i used permatex headliner adhesive. sort of a spray-on contact cement. ive heard the 3m heavy duty adhesive works well too, but the regular spray adhesive lets go in weeks or months.

after fiberglassing, you MUST either lightly sand the surface, or wash it down good with acetone to remove the wax formed by the resin curing.
After that, I used regular brush on contact cement on the board, and the 3m spray contact on the headliner. I let both stand for about 15-20 minutes, then attached the headliner. you must let any contact adhesive skin properly first per the instructions, or it will not adhere well.

When I need spray glue, I use the 3M "Super Trim Adheisive". Use it for upholstery, sound deadening/insulating, etc. Good shtuff. If you don't get the "Super" it won't stay.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

America - made in China! :-(

All of the above, especially using the 3m Super stuff. Just always remember the way that any contact style cement optimally works is applying it to the two mating surfaces and waiting until the solvents evaporate ( glue will lose it gloss or shine) before making contact as was said before. That's the single biggest mistake most guys make when usng contact style glues.

OK thanks for the advise. Looks like I sanded it down but maybe should have washed it with acetone and then put some time on the glue before mating the surfaces.

If you look on the back of those general purpose adhesive sprays they say "Not for use on headliners". Get the stuff made for headliners. I've used several brands but all of them were specifically for the headliner. I did the same thing with the resin and sanding and wiping down too. Still hanging in there on 3 different cars.

the 3m spray I got at home depot says headliners in use. so I know I'm ok.
The biggest problem I;ve seen on spray/contact adhesive is people don';t let them tak up properly. it should be dried enough that you finger only barely sticks to it, if at all, almost like rubbery feeling.

Make sure the adhesive you use specifically states that it works for automotive headliners. Most of the general carpet adhesives will not hold up.

I don't mean to high jack in anyway, but I need to do my t-top head liner too, but where do you get your fiberglass resin? Also how do you get the material in and out of the main weather strip flap?

Thanks, and hope I didn't highjack, Chris

Use DAP (Weldwood) Contact Adhesive (yellow original only...NOT the 'improved' white). Spray on both surfaces lightly and let it dry 5-10 minutes and then stick it on. It will never come down. This is what Ive used for years in all auto upholstery work. Also what the guy who does my upholstery work like convertible tops, etc uses. I also used it when I was building Class A motorhomes at Farber RVs/ Specialty Vehicles. None of the spray can stuff will hold for long when out in the sun, even if it says for headliners as many of you are already finding out. A pint can is only $3.00 at any hardware store. On the front it says for Formica Counter Tops and Cabinets. Ive done all my headliners and some have sat out closed up in hot summer sun for weeks and Ive NEVER had one come loose even in the smallest place. If you ever want to redo it, you have to cover over it because you cant get it back off even if you try (I have tried).

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 07-11-2007).]

I'm with Roger, except that I always use the brush/roll on instead of the spray. I've had the spray absorb into the foam and show up on the good side of the headliner. I've had the spray throw big goobers out.

[This message has been edited by Joe Torma (edited 07-11-2007).]

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Use DAP (Weldwood) Contact Adhesive (yellow original only...NOT the 'improved' white).

Yes, that's the stuff to use, follow the directions and advice given above and it'll never come down. I did use Weldwood Contact Adhesive on some "temporary" trunk hole patches a couple of years ago and it is holding so well that it's a pernament repair for all intent and purposes.

Show us some pictures when you're done with the project.

I,ve had bad luck with the sprays ,I use to buy and sell cars I lost money doing this but got to own a lot of cars I would have missed out on ,, I discovered that constrution panel adhesive works best,I use the heavy duty its cheap compared to other alternatives.my fiero has sat out in the florida sun for 6 years maybe 100 days it was under carport,and it still looks good . I used plastic for applicator, I cut from soda bottle and used dummy credit cards I recieve in mail for close area,s.. As I apply ahesive I press headliner cloth into place(no spray get on car interior,a thin layer work great . accompanied cloud maiden to fabric store one day and discovered grey felt(nappy stuff,no expert here) job went quickly and cleanly,cloud maiden gone but headliner still loyal (not as much fun) been planing to do visors 6 years oh well,any one know what works for the little rubbers that hold up visor???

What I do to spray it out of my paint gun, is add about a 1/4 can of paint thinner to it, mix thoughly and pour into the gun. It comes out all 'stringy like', and dont soak it. Set the pattern almost to round...not fanned, and start at one side and work to the other from about a foot away. You should get no soak thru or your putting it on too heavy. Ive done this with everything from crushed velvet to burlap and home shag carpet.

Can I just use the same material I was using with a better adhesive? Or do I need to buy more? I will use some acetone on the fiberglass to clean it.

More info Mike: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/042788.html

Bob

If the fabric side of your material is still good, no reason you cant reuse it.

Whether or not the headliner material is still any good depends on how much the adhesive got inside the cells of the foam backer. If it's just on the surface it's probably fine but if it got inside it will stick the gaps in the cells together and make the surface look lumpy. I used the 3m 990 or whatever it was in the green/black rattle can and it's held up over a year now. It took an entire large can (sunroof version). As has been noted make sure you allow the solvents to flash completely before mating. you can put your finger on the surface and it will not stick nor feel wet. I did the headliner surface first to make sure it had enough drying time before mating just to double/triple not compressing the foam backer while mating.

[This message has been edited by Fierari (edited 07-11-2007).]

OK got some good stuff made for headliners. 5 sec min wait time and once it sticks you are stuck. Even attaches itself to metal on the t-top frame and it is still there this morning. Kind of expensive at the local hardware store about $18 for a spray can.

Best thing for headliners is 3M 8088 spray adhesive. It holds them up perfectly. If you want some overkill, try 3M 8090.

The big problem with other adhesives is that they can't take high temperatures. Once their max temperature is exceeded, the adhesive bond fails and your headliner comes down. Even the contact adhesives that some recommend - make sure they're good for high temperatures before using them.

I've replaced 3 headliners (in 3 different GT's!) and used the 3m spray adheasive of the headliner material and contact cement on the board itself. This way you get the extra strength of using the paintable contact and no "bleed throughs" on the fabric side because you used the spray which is much lighter. Both products need about 20 minutes to apply together after. Never had a problem falling down after! Also, I always paint the board itself with 3 to 5 coats of minwax polyurethane. Stiffens it up so it's not so brittle when your trying to get it back in!
Good luck, Marc

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Use DAP (Weldwood) Contact Adhesive (yellow original only...NOT the 'improved' white). Spray on both surfaces lightly and let it dry 5-10 minutes and then stick it on. It will never come down. This is what Ive used for years in all auto upholstery work. Also what the guy who does my upholstery work like convertible tops, etc uses. I also used it when I was building Class A motorhomes at Farber RVs/ Specialty Vehicles. None of the spray can stuff will hold for long when out in the sun, even if it says for headliners as many of you are already finding out. A pint can is only $3.00 at any hardware store. On the front it says for Formica Counter Tops and Cabinets. Ive done all my headliners and some have sat out closed up in hot summer sun for weeks and Ive NEVER had one come loose even in the smallest place. If you ever want to redo it, you have to cover over it because you cant get it back off even if you try (I have tried).

The DAP is what I use. I've never found a spray can adhesive that holds up to Arizona summers. The best I ever got out of the 3M was 2 days.

I've used the DAP on 4 different cars, and even after 3 years of 110+ degrees, the headliners aren't loose at all.

[This message has been edited by GT86 (edited 07-14-2007).]

When putting up a new headliner in a T-Top be sure to use dowls at the thin corners near the dome light assembly. I use cut up pieces of a coat hanger and glue. Run them INSIDE the headliner to strengthen the corners. Then glue the material on.

Material and glue available from here:
http://www.atrim.com/Page199g.html