NewYorker

I need to know how much work is involved in replacing a headliner in a car with T tops and if there is anything I should know before I even order the parts for it. I need a new mold which I am going to get in fiberglass and obviously the material as well.

Thanks for any information.

bluegrassz

iTrader: (3)

Its not that bad of a job. Just remove your over head light, sun visors, wind shield post trim, trim above rear seats and you may have to loosen the rear quarter trim , and the rear speaker covers.

Good luck!!. Take your time and dont force anything and It sould go alright.

NewYorker

Thank you!

rocky383

here's a link to the tech article. Be very careful around the curves. It's easy to cut them too narrow.

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/ttops2.shtml

okfoz

If you are going to replace the actual headliner board, then I recommend just buying one done to save yourself the hassle, usually its not a whole lot more. Its a real pain to put the material on, not impossible, just a pain...

John

NewYorker

That would be perfect but the color that I need I'm sure that I will never get predone. I need "Carmine Red" which I haven't been able to find already on a board.

87 Teach's Pet

Just curious,
If you know that your going to have to recover the board in the red color you mentioned, then why don't you just recover your headd liner board? If yours is really messed up, you can get a donar core from a junk yard and recover it. I won't pay over $15 for good core board that needs recoverd, and I just scored a decent black t-top headliner and matching sun visors for $35 for the trio set. Black is a decent alternative to your existing interior color since that tops of the doors have black trim on them, the top of the dash is black and the console is black, so black looks right at home. I recovered my t-top headliner and after hours of prep work, cut the inside corners too tight and screwed it up there. Thats why I have been scavenging more core boards.
I know that the core boards are flakey, but the trick I did was to take and coat both sides of the core board with fiberglass gel to make it stiff and rigid. A gallon cost me $17, I only needed 2 quart, but I have Vette that I will use the rest on. I also put duct tape on the edges of the board so that they would not absorb the moisture and rain water and soften them, and ultimately ruin the edges like many I have seen. The fabric in Tyrone is only $8 a yard, and comes in red too. The spray adhesive is like $9. So I can cover a headliner for around $35, and have it be just as durable as an abs plastic one, but for $100 less. Now that I have learned that I need help in laying out the fabric and should not glue the entire board and material at once, I will be able to learn from those mistakes. The black headliner allows the me the option of using my grey interior,which I have the carpeted rear panel and deck lid with it, or switch to my tan GTA interior, without having the headliner look obviously out of place.
But, to answer your question, replacing the headliner is straight forward and simple, just a little tedious without help, if you are trying to remove an original flakey board and keep it intact for recovering, since they are flakey,flimsy and easily broken up.
hope that helps, and gives you options you weren't aware of
Be cool!
"TEACH"

NewYorker

I am actually going to be getting a new core board as well as the material, thats one of the reasons I asked how hard it is to do this and I've heard its easy to make creases in the material around the curves of the T top openings.

Saywhut

Yeah, it's easy to get creases, and easy to cut it short in the curves, take a GOOD look at how the factory peice is done, and start in the middle behind the dome lite, go slow, cut out the peice where the T-Top goes when you get the center runner done (leave LOTS to cover the edges, it'll take more than it looks like).
On mine I had to cut the hole for the dome lite. (in the board, I think you will too)
Don't try to do it all at once, spray the center first, & center of the material, when you get that done you can spray one side of the front, spray that side of the material, let it get tacky & lay it down, go to the other side, etc.
It can get tricky if you get the whole board & material tacky at the same time, it gets glued before you know it!
But if you take your time you shouldn't have any problem, lots of us have done it succesfully, & you'll be amazed at the difference it makes!
And if you're having trouble finding the red material, I suggest finding a auto upholstery wholesaler in the phone book, they'll have it or can get it, get the adhesive there too, even the board, & maybe they can suggest somebody to cover it cheap if you don't want to tackle it. I do my own, but that's where I get the stuff & info I need.....................

Boy I get carried away sometimes don't I?
On the dome lite hole: Mine has a clip on the dome lite that slips over & holds it to the linerboard, the hole must be pretty close. I trial fit everything to make sure it fits before I cover the board.

Now, if we haven't scared you from doing it, good luck, post pics when done!

NewYorker

lol....thanks. I went to a place already to get the material with no luck. The board isn't going to be a problem to get, just the right red. Their reds were either too orange or too brown.. no bright reds. So I contacted the dealer and they said that its on backorder but they can get it for me.. so it's ordered. give me time.

Saywhut

Hey if you're the same New Yorker, do you know who I am?

NewYorker

I dont know who this is...sorry.

NewYorker

So who are you?

Saywhut

TennesseeZ?

NewYorker

Ok, I know who you are now. I wouldn't have known by this name.