Well if you look at the pics of my headliner you will see why I am REDOING it.
The material was hanging down at the back near the back window and the color now looks soooooo faded.
I will be replacing the material with a similar color or I might end up going with black as that is the color of my dash and all that.

Headliner Before

Looking from inside up towards sun roof. Showing the missing headliner

I don't know if Anybody followed my fiero's near Death by drowning thread but I had to take out my seats and have the car dry out and while doing that I noticed that I may as well remove the headliner.
My garage is still pretty much a large swimming pool

My car airing out

Pic of inside of car with no seats

I will post more pics of my headliner REDO job as I progess.
Another local fiero owner had redone his headliner with a design using foam between the headliner and the headliner material.
I will probably go with something very similar.

------------------

1985 2m4
Saskatoon, Sask Canada
Visit the Saskatoon Fiero Club Website at
http://www.freewebs.com/saskatoonfieros/
Come chat with us at our Forum
http://saskfiero.suddenlaunch.com/

[This message has been edited by ToonTownfiero (edited 04-05-2005).]

As long as you have the seats out and are doing the headliner anyway, consider replacing the material just under the back window to match the headliner, Think about doing something a little different...

that is an interesting spoiler you got on there....any pics from other angles with the trunk down? (besides yer sig)

I was thinking about replacing that material too.
I will need a thicker material for that part. Any ideas as to what kind of material to use on that part?

------------------

1985 2m4
Saskatoon, Sask Canada
Visit the Saskatoon Fiero Club Website at
http://www.freewebs.com/saskatoonfieros/
Come chat with us at our Forum
http://saskfiero.suddenlaunch.com/

I am redoing the headliner in the 86GT. I don't have pics, but I am also thinking about adding some foam between the headliner and the fabric. I want to know what's the best adhesive to use for the conditions. I live in Hot and Humid Houston, TX. So I need something heavy duty that won't bleed and such. I think we are going to use a black fabric, just not sure what yet. Looking at samples. Good luck with your project!

for high temp areas i recommend using fabric that does not have the foam backing as the foam degrades over time - but just a plain fabric or vinyl with a heavy duty brush on contact cement bruhed onto both surfaces then stick em together..

I just completeted my 1985 Fiero GT headliner replacement. I have about 60 pics but they're too large to post here.

My supplier was able to provide an exact match for the origional material except the foam backing is coloured gray instead of yellow, no-one sees it anyway. The colour is called "GM Headliner Slate"

I did a search on three forums for the best adhesive and contacted my fabric supplier and the concensus was PERMATEX HEADLINER ADHESIVE. I couldn't find a Canadian supplier for it so I emailed Permatex customer service. They told me it is marketed in Canada as "Permatex Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive" and is available at Canadian Tire. I went to CTC auto parts counter, with the email from Permatex and was told they didn't list it on the computer and had never carried it.
I needeed some epoxy to repair the front corners of the backing board where the sunvisor penetrations are, so on my way out I went to the area where they keep the epoxy and right below it was the Permatex Heavy duty Spray Adhesive. It was $9.69 a can so i picked up two.( Even though they have never carried it the cash register didn't have a problem with it)

One can was enough to do the headliner but not enough to do the sunvisors as well. This stuff is very easy to work with and if it is as good as everyone says, my car should be good for another twenty years.

I broke: one of the tabs off the upper side trim. one of the metal tab holders off the same trim by the windsheild, and one off the trim at the back of the door while removing all the trim. I was able to glue the tabs and metal clip back in place and the reinforce them with fibreglass mat and epoxy.

I also found some of the tabs on the firewall covering missing. (CTC has them)
Once I had recovered the headliner the firewall cover looked pretty bad, so I removed it and cleaned it with the wife's Bissel carpet cleaning machine. It looks like new.
BTW I sprayed all of the interior stuff with Scotch Guard before putting it back in my car.

The whole job cost me Cdn$ 74.46

Regards,

P.S. clean the old foam off the backing board outdoors. It is a sticky mess to deal with.

I've redone my headliner twice now (for vanity, not necessity) and both times I've used two layers of fleece. It's only about $4 a yard and it's kind of stretchy so you can get it really smooth, especially if you use two layers. Lay a big tarp down, strip the old material off, coat (I used a foam roller fore this, easier than a brush) the headliner board and one side of the fleece with Weldwood contact cement (the kind in the red can), wait about a few minutes then press them together... let it dry (for at least an hour or so) then do it again with the second piece of fleece. It's makes for very good sound insulation, and as long as you don't get the super furry fleece it's really not a noticable change. I might not reccomend this it your head (or hair) rubs on the headliner though, I'm thinking it might make the fleece pill up in that spot.

As for the back piece under the window, it's a really easy piece to recover, but watch out for the funny clips you wouldn't except. I used marine vinyl (it's a little thinner than automotive vinyl, and therefore easier to work with) with a variety of glues, and so far it's holding up well (but it's only been a few months).

-Amber

quote Originally posted by Tinkrr: I just completeted my 1985 Fiero GT headliner replacement. I have about 60 pics but they're too large to post here. My supplier was able to provide an exact match for the origional material except the foam backing is coloured gray instead of yellow, no-one sees it anyway. The colour is called "GM Headliner Slate" I did a search on three forums for the best adhesive and contacted my fabric supplier and the concensus was PERMATEX HEADLINER ADHESIVE. I couldn't find a Canadian supplier for it so I emailed Permatex customer service. They told me it is marketed in Canada as "Permatex Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive" and is available at Canadian Tire. I went to CTC auto parts counter, with the email from Permatex and was told they didn't list it on the computer and had never carried it. I needeed some epoxy to repair the front corners of the backing board where the sunvisor penetrations are, so on my way out I went to the area where they keep the epoxy and right below it was the Permatex Heavy duty Spray Adhesive. It was $9.69 a can so i picked up two.( Even though they have never carried it the cash register didn't have a problem with it) One can was enough to do the headliner but not enough to do the sunvisors as well. This stuff is very easy to work with and if it is as good as everyone says, my car should be good for another twenty years. I broke: one of the tabs off the upper side trim. one of the metal tab holders off the same trim by the windsheild, and one off the trim at the back of the door while removing all the trim. I was able to glue the tabs and metal clip back in place and the reinforce them with fibreglass mat and epoxy. I also found some of the tabs on the firewall covering missing. (CTC has them) Once I had recovered the headliner the firewall cover looked pretty bad, so I removed it and cleaned it with the wife's Bissel carpet cleaning machine. It looks like new. BTW I sprayed all of the interior stuff with Scotch Guard before putting it back in my car. The whole job cost me Cdn$ 74.46 Regards, P.S. clean the old foam off the backing board outdoors. It is a sticky mess to deal with.

Where were you able to get the headliner material from?

thanks

I saw that Permatex Heavy Duty spray adhesive at my local AutoZone parts store. I was curious if this was a good choice. Anyone in a hot and humid climate try this? Does it work well in these conditions? Thanks!

If you want to do the 'firewall board' or whatever you wanna call it... On the couple that I've done, just peel off the material that's there, and glue down the new stuff like your going to do a headliner.

Do pay attention to the recessed area where the console sits in. Allow a little extra material there, so you're not trying to stretch it into the valley. Next one I do, I'll only spray glue in the valley. Seat that in place, then fold it back and do the rest.

Oh yeah... I've used fleece under a headliner, and under a firewall board. Wasn't impressed with how well things adhered to it since it's so fluffy. I'm doing a whole custom interior right now, and I've gone to "The Foam Shop" and bought a huge slab of 1/4" open cell foam. Muuuuuch nicer finish, easier to work with, and it all sticks together MUCH better!

I'm using "Pro-Form PF528 heavy duty trim adhesive" to do it all. No idea where you can buy it out there. Try Googling the part number.

------------------

87/88 V6 5spd "FormulaGT" Turbo, 86 SE (custom body in progress)

My pages:
http://www.fieroclub.com
http://www.fierohut.com

Hey No Fiero,
I bought the material from " Upholstery & Design Centre, 1419321 Ontario Inc., 269 Michael Blvd., Unit #7, Whitby, ON L1N 5B2, Telephone 905-668-4468 or 1-800-308-4915, Fax 905-668-8514, WWW.Grandupholstery.com"

I got 1.3 metres to do both headliner and sunvisors the material is 52" wide.

The 474 g(a little over 1 pound) can of Permatex Heavy duty Spray Adhesive No is 27829, the CTC number is 2X38-3731-4
Regards,
Tinkrr

Thanks Tinkrr.

I will call them tomorrow!

I'd make sure that Permatex is sticking well before you go to put everything back together, I tried it on a set of visors and didn't care for it too much... it seems like it's sticking really well, and does for the inital bond, but after leaving them set a couple days I went back and tugged a little, just to make sure it and it came right apart. Now granted, you really arn't supposed to pull on it but still... I did get some overspray on a cd I had laying nearby and I couldn't get it off of that for anything.

-Amber

If you haven't already seen this, it's the most comprehensive thread on all aspects of headliner replacement I've come across.

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

Good luck!

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Steve, 87 Fiero GT, Getrag w/Ultimate Shift Kit, Street Dreams drop spindles, Poly mounts, KYBs, Borla exhaust, Pioneer audio, DashScan

I have a quick question...I started doing my haedliner last nite...I'm using JoAnn's Fabric headliner material and 3M super 90 glue. I sprayed the liner and the backing board, waited several minutes til it was tacky and placed the liner down on the board. It didn't stick for sh#$. Did I not use enough glue? Or should I scrap it in favor of DAP contact cement (I have some of the DAP gel)?

Bob

I dont know about any gel. What you want is the ' Original ' yellow DAP Weldwood contact cement. Its used mostly for bonding formica and other laminates to counter tops. It will not come loose. I use it directly in my paint gun, but it can be used with a roller. I dont recommend a brush.

I often wonder why people go to the trouble of
recovering there own.
I had mine done for $30
Is it that much more expensive elsewhere??

quote I often wonder why people go to the trouble of recovering there own. I had mine done for $30 Is it that much more expensive elsewhere??

I really don't know, never priced it...Besides, I've done just about everything else for this car on my own (GA dash/custom built gage cluster/3800SC swap/etc), so why not a headliner? Also, doing my headliner is a test session for several other future projects.

But, to my point, I was under the impression that the Super 90 was by far strong enough to glue the liner. I would have used the contact cement like Roger mentioned, but didn't want the inconvenience of having to roll it on. I don't have a sprayer I can/want to run glue thru.

Bob

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 06-03-2005).]

Is 3M High Strength 90 the same stuff as the Super 90? A while back, I noticed my '86's headliner was starting to sag so decided to get it back up there, but couldn't get the headliner off the ceiling - I didn't know about the two screws hidden in the overhead console behind the lights, and was under the impression that I had to take off the third brake light to get the headliner down as well. When I found it near impossible to remove one of the bolts holding the brake light in place, I just gave up.

I sprayed the 90 between the fabric and the fiberboard while the headliner was in place. Stupid me. You're supposed to wait a few minutes for the stuff to get tacky for a reason: the fabric soaked it right up because I sprayed it on the fiber and the fabric, not knowing any better. So the fabric was soaked through and through, becoming a gunky mess. Ehh, well, at least, I figured, it wouldn't be going anywhere.

Yet, I was wrong. It came down in no time. *sigh*

Well, now, after reading this thread - https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/042788.html - (thanks for the link SLagrec1, + to you) I experimented with taking the headiner out of my '84 parts car. Worked great! It does have a sunroof, and I have a couple questions to ask or maybe figure out on my own.

In any case, it looks like I'll go with the DAP original contact cement as it seems to be the general concensus of the forum that its the way to go. Good look to everyone else and thanks to everyone who has posted information and writeups on how to do this.

When I refinished my headliner, I wasn't going for a stock look (but rather, a wood and charcoal look). I used charcoal grey felt, available for just over $3/yard at PartsExpress.com. I used 3M #90 adhesive to attach it. I did the same to the firewall cover, and the bottom halves of the doors. So far, it's held up for over a year. It gets pretty hot and humid during the summer, too.

It wont hurt the paint gun at all. I use the same one I spray paint with on $3000 paint jobs. You just have to rinse it out thoroughly a few times with thinner right after your thru.

Headliner is done. I ended up rolling on the contact cement. The stuff I had would have been too thick to spray anyway. Since I ran out of contact cement, I used the 3M #90 (I called it super 90 above) to do the overlap behind the backer. The problem I had before was that I did not spray it on heavy enough. It does seem to hold well. The biggest thing I learned is to make sure there are no imperfections in the backer board. I strengthened mine up in a few places with resin, but didn't bother to smooth it out...Mistake...The new liner shows all the imperfections. I'm not particularly happy with the end result, but it is worlds better than what I had. Pics are still in the camera, so I'll edit this post when I get to download them...

Bob

quote Originally posted by carolinajoe: I often wonder why people go to the trouble of recovering there own. I had mine done for $30 Is it that much more expensive elsewhere??

Did you take the headliner off yourself and brought it in the upholstery shop?

Yeah I had it out when I switched to a FastBack.
So I figured that I would get it recovered when it was out.
It would've been $40 for them to take it out.

Not to go off topic......but are those wheels 17" Subaru w/Bridgestone Potenza 215x45 tires. I see those "take-offs" alot on e-bay. If they are the Subaru rims.....how is the offset, and did you have to use concentric hub rings or bore the wheel to fit?
Thanks, Ray.

quote Originally posted by RCR: I have a quick question...I started doing my haedliner last nite...I'm using JoAnn's Fabric headliner material and 3M super 90 glue. I sprayed the liner and the backing board, waited several minutes til it was tacky and placed the liner down on the board. It didn't stick for sh#$. Did I not use enough glue? Or should I scrap it in favor of DAP contact cement (I have some of the DAP gel)? Bob

just did mine last week. used that super 90 stuff i think. came out like a spider web or something. yah, i read the directions, sprayed it on, waited, and it didnt stick. well, i tried it again, this time no wating. worked like a charm. the headliner stuff i used is a headliner/foam combo, not real thick, about the same thickness as a cd case. well, in any event, came out great when i didnt wait. oh, i thorughly sanded my headliner board before all of this too. thoroughly.

A small update on my headliner....My car was forced into service for a couple of weeks while I searched for a new car (my daily driver died). Well, after 3 days in the sun, the headliner fell. I haven't torn into it to discover why yet, but I glued the crap out of it using the DAP contact cement. I must have missed something in the preperation because I've never heard of the contact cement failing. The car has returned to it's spot in the garage, but it may be a while before I get back to it...

Bob