The Murphy Builders Site

Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:48 pm**

Hi

Seeing the discussion on headliners & flap handles brings me to my weekend project.
I am trying to do something about the headliner in my VW Golf (funny name for a plane
huh? Well, I still have to get to work!).

After many years of service the fabric has parted from the styrofoam egg carton type
(!) backer and I need some inspiration on how to stick the stuff back up or replace
it. I figure this group is as well equipped to come up with a solution as anyone and
we can use the excuse that it will apply just as well to an airplane when I get that
far too! I started down the road of a sprayable contact cement but it is thin enough
that it would soak though the fabric and make a big mess so that is out.

As I see it I have a few choices, buy a new headliner (I am told they cannot be had),
take it to an interior shop to attach the old material or replace it or find a DIY
method to do in my shop. Maybe there is a better glue or a better headliner
material?

Anybody have any suggestions? Glues? Fabric/materials? Is that something you have
run across on your classic car collection Wayne?

Ok, thanks for listening, (and really, I am sure that it has airplane application
too!).

Dave R.

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Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:48 pm**

In a message dated 3/25/01 7:44:00 PM Central Standard Time,
ricker@dbis.ns.ca writes:

I started down the road of a sprayable contact cement but it is thin enough
that it would soak though the fabric and make a big mess so that is out.

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Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:48 pm**

Finally something I can contribute....!!!

Most cars since the early 80's use a foam backed nylon cloth that is
carried in upholstery supply houses and auto part houses.... Locally here
in Southern Mississippi, USA, Hancock Fabrics carries most regular
colors.....

Get the headliner out ( by simply disassembling the entire top half of you
car... ; ) I am only half joking...You can not do this in the car w/out
ruining the rest of the car...If your Golf is like any I have done, there is
allot of plastic to remove....

Get it on a nice flat work table and try to support it with foam or
furniture moving blankets or the like..... Peel what's left of the factory
fabric off.. Get out the super duty shop vac and a plastic bondo spreader
and carefully scrape the dead foam off the backer.... Careful, because the
backer is the EXPENSIVE part...Don't put too much pressure on it or it will
crack and break like yesterdays toast....

Clean it with the shop vac till it is as clean as possible and test fit some
new headliner cloth....Use 3-M upholstery and trim glue..( cannot remember
the number...it is an aerosol can and available at the parts house..it blows
out of the can stringy and sticks like, well, glue....) Smooth the material
out real slow.... Don't try to glue more than a foot or two at a time or
you could get into wrinkles.....

Leave plenty around the edges to wrap and let it dry a day before you
reinstall....

Hope it helps....

Louis Young

-----Original Message-----
From: murphy-rebel@dcsol.com [mailto:murphy-rebel@dcsol.com]On Behalf Of
David Ricker
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001 7:40 PM
To: murphy-rebel@dcsol.com
Subject: Headliner Discussion But OT!

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Hi

Seeing the discussion on headliners & flap handles brings me to
my weekend project.
I am trying to do something about the headliner in my VW Golf
(funny name for a plane
huh? Well, I still have to get to work!).

After many years of service the fabric has parted from the
styrofoam egg carton type
(!) backer and I need some inspiration on how to stick the stuff
back up or replace
it. I figure this group is as well equipped to come up with a
solution as anyone and
we can use the excuse that it will apply just as well to an
airplane when I get that
far too! I started down the road of a sprayable contact cement
but it is thin enough
that it would soak though the fabric and make a big mess so that is out.

As I see it I have a few choices, buy a new headliner (I am told
they cannot be had),
take it to an interior shop to attach the old material or replace
it or find a DIY
method to do in my shop. Maybe there is a better glue or a
better headliner
material?

Anybody have any suggestions? Glues? Fabric/materials? Is that
something you have
run across on your classic car collection Wayne?

Ok, thanks for listening, (and really, I am sure that it has
airplane application
too!).

Dave R.

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Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:48 pm**

On 25 Mar 2001, at 21:40, David Ricker wrote:

Seeing the discussion on headliners & flap handles brings me to my
weekend project. I am trying to do something about the headliner in my
VW Golf (funny name for a plane huh? Well, I still have to get to

Anybody have any suggestions? Glues? Fabric/materials? Is that
something you have run across on your classic car collection Wayne?

I've had the headliner come loose on both of my last two cars. Both
had a molded 'fiberglass' liner covered with foam backed cloth. (I
say fiberglass in quotes since they're more like lightly packed
glass dust than anything structural.) The first one I stripped off the
old rotten foam, coated with epoxy to give it a little more strength,
and spray painted it flat black with white splatter to cover the
imperfections.

My current car I stripped off the old cloth and most of the foam,
then went for Wal-Mart and found some cloth that was close to the
same color. (Cost me all of $5.) You can buy 3M fabric cement,
but all I had was a foam rubber cement that sprays out in a zig-
zagging string of glue. Actually worked quite well as long as I didn't
leave dry spots big enough for the cloth to sag.

To get back to airplanes, I might try something similar, using a thin
backing board covered with cloth for the interior.

---
David Parrish

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