[duncan1437]

my headliner is sagging badly. when the sun visors are up, they hold the headliner off my head, but when the visors are down, the headliner feels like a large sombrero.

anyway, i had a 4 foot piece of 1/4" wooden dowel in the garage. i cut it to 42 5/16" length, and 'wedge' fit it over the drivers seat. works fine.

think i'll do the rear seat next, and then spray paint them to match the reddish brown headliner. i'll report back if they fall on my head

 

[dana44]

That's one way to do it. I find it better to simply take it down to the upholsterer and have them redo it. The foam rubber the material attaches to eventually deteriorates from the heat and falls apart, repairs just don't last, the foam rubber powders over time. I did 2 Dakota pickups, about $75 to get redone, car should be around double or less.

 

[Jeff2KPatriotBlue]

My 1982 Cordoba (bought as a barn find... drove it home, parked it, never got arround to fixing it, gave it away when I moved) used "square nails" as pins to hold it up.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Some people have had great luck using a foam-backed cloth and a 3M spray adhesive from JoAnn Fabrics or similar store.

 

[duncan1437]

here's the finished product. both dowels are the same length. each one cost $1.39, plus some red primer paint.

didn't think i could make upholstery buttons look as simple and clean, and i figured removing the headliner would require removing the windshield? think i read somewhere that all headliners used to use 'bows', until new safety standards required padding a few decades ago.

 

[ImForReal]

I wish I'd thought of that when I had the Spirit! The Spirit had a sagging headliner when I bought it, and I never did get around to fixing it. The Acclaim's headliner was still intact when I sold it, and it may have been replaced at some point before I acquired the car. My "FIX" for the Spirit was to take about 100 safety pins with color heads on the ends and pin the thing back up. Trouble was...when I was in college, my friends used to like to take the pins out and poke each other, or play with them. :excited:

 

[dana44]

The JoAnn foam rubber spray glue works about a month, then the next layer starts breaking loose. Windshield does not need to be taken out. Side moulding along the top of the interior should be the only thing holding a large stamped hard cardboard headliner in place, shoulder seatbelts should be holding the sides, and the sun visors in the front.

 

[Doug D]

I had the same issue with my '90 Acclaim. Ended up using about 50 tacs to pin it back up. Worked well enough.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

The JoAnn foam rubber spray glue works about a month, then the next layer starts breaking loose. Windshield does not need to be taken out. Side moulding along the top of the interior should be the only thing holding a large stamped hard cardboard headliner in place, shoulder seatbelts should be holding the sides, and the sun visors in the front.

Next layer of what, the cardboard or the foam? The old foam needs to be scraped off the cardboard before applying a new fabric. People here have done this repair with the JoAnn fabric and spray glue. Can we hear from some of them as to its longevity? I was planning to fix my Dakota this way.

 

[Bob ONeill]

This problem has DIY fix. JoAnn fabrics has the head liner material and the spray glue. It's a very simple thing to do and can be done in an afternoon. While the OP's solution works for those who wish a more permanent and complete fix, consider the JoAnn fabrics head liner materal and spray glue.

 

[dana44]

Right. The foam rubber brushes off, reseal the fiberboard surface so it has something that bonds the board, which can become powdery on the surface and just regluing with spray glue can be a waste of time (mine lasted about six months the first time in doing this many years ago, 88 Dakota). The second time I had it done, I asked what the upholstery store did and they said you have to seal the fiberboard first with something that soaks into the headliner fiberboard (they make water based varathane, or an oil based material always soaks into the fiberboard good), then new foam rubber backed headliner cloth is attached with spray glue, start side to side at the halfway point, spray and lay the material down a little at a time, spray glue is really sticky so go slow, finish the one side, leave a few inches extra material to wrap around the edge and glue on the back side, do the other half. It is actually a two day job, you want to make sure the fiberboard paint soaks in and dries before doing the material. My 88 looked good six years later when I sold it, my 95 Dakota was done 2 years ago and still looking good.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

OK, so you can do a lasting repair with materials from JoAnn Fabrics. You just need to seal the fiberboard first, completely, before applying the new foam-backed material. That's what I thought.

 

[dana44]

Yes. The foam rubbber backing on the material gets brittle and powders from inside the car heat, then the board itself kind of powders over time since it is just fiber board and dries and breaks down over time the same way, so, if you just clean it and reglue, the fiberboard itself lets you peel the glue off if it isn't sealed first. Be a little gentle with the board, it will be kind of brittle and will break if you bend it around too much before you seal it. Use a gentle touch to get it out (Dakota is pretty easy), strip the old stuff and seal, then it will be stronger.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

I have a Club Cab Dakota, getting the board out the door in one piece and back in is going to be problematic.

 

[duncan1437]

I have a Club Cab Dakota, getting the board out the door in one piece and back in is going to be problematic.

that's the problem i was referring to, when i mentioned taking out the windshield. i was referring to getting the hardboard out of the car, rather than freeing it inside the car. i've read posts about people having to saw the old and new hardboard into two pieces in order to get it out of the car and back in. just didnt seem worth it

the final final version, with another two bows added (all bows the same length)

 

[dana44]

They got it in there, it has to come out. That's the way I look at it. I don't think they put it in prior to the windshield. Not necessarily fun, but it has to be flexible enough to come out oin one piece. If it does break by not being flexible enough, I would plan on sealing it and putting a big piece of contact paper on the back side to maintain good stability afterwards.

 

[Jeff2KPatriotBlue]

Very nice, Duncan!

 

[valiant67]

I like the enginuity and the price of your fix.

The trick to removing the headliner is the flex it enough to get it out but not enough to kink it. That can be a challenger with some cars and removing a seat can help.

 

[hiway]

Are these round dowels? There are flat strips available that might fit flat against the roof.

Anyway, maybe you should patent the idea and sell a "Headliner Repair Kit" Only $29.95 if you hurry, now!

Paul

 

[duncan1437]

Are these round dowels? There are flat strips available that might fit flat against the roof.

but if i were to start over with flat strips, that would mean writing off my whole investment to date! :facepalm:

i'm especially proud of this pic. makes the car seem very shagadelic...