I was data mining on how to do a headliner removal and thought I'd bring it across to the new boards.
Here's the end-all way to replace a sagging headliner, but it involves some labor! The reason headliners fall down in the vans is not because the adhesive fails, but because the layer of foam between the fiberboard and the headliner fabric dry rots and falls apart.
You gotta get the fiber-board panels out of the van; to to this, you gotta take all the plastic trim off from around the side panels, remove your sun visors, your overhead console, and dome lights. To remove the plastic trim panels, you must remove all the coat hooks, window latches and other stuff that's screwed to them. The most annoying one is the plastic trim around the sliding door. Most of the plastic trim is held in with metal clips that simply hold them with friction into the sheetmetal underneath. The headliner fiberboard itself is fastened to the sheetmetal crossbars that hold the roof up. There are little velcro pads there. DO NOT attempt to pull on the headliner, or flex it too hard...the fiberboard will tear and break easily. Put your hand up above the headliner and work the velcro pads loose with your hand. Sometimes, a really long flathead screwdriver helps in this job too.
Once the headliner fiberboard is out, remove the old fabric and expose all that funky black stuff that used to be foam. You must get all that stuff off if you expect your new material to stick. I placed the fiberboard vertically and scraped it with a puddy knife. It doesn't take much pressure to knock it off, but you must rub it several times to scrape it clean. Fiberboard is a yellowish color.
Measure the size of your fiberboards, so you'll know how much fabric to get. Go to a fabric store that sells upholstery fabric or other fabrics made for automobile use, and pick out a style / color you like. Then, head to the hardware store, or the automobile parts shop, and buy yourself several cans of spray adheasive. I used 3M Super 77, and mine's held out great for about 4 years now. One of the interior shop recommended contact cement, which I used on the last, short panel in the back. It didn't work too well...it soaked through the fabric, and it's now sagging again. I'm gonna take that one out soon, and super 77 it. Contact cement is cheaper, but I guess you get what you pay for!
Place the fiberboard in an "upside down" position on some saw horses. In other words, with the part you'll be looking at in the van, facing up. Spread the fabric out on the surface to test fit it, and cut any necessary holes you may need, cut as necessary to work around contours. Work small pieces at a time. Spray a little on and smooth the fabric down in that spot. Leave some weight, like small blocks of wood on the spots you have done. Fold the edges around the fiber-board and glue down on the back side. IF YOU'RE DOING MULTIPLE PANELS, MAKE SURE THE GRAIN OF THE FABRIC IS THE SAME ON BOTH PANELS. This is not all that noticeable outside the vehicle, but will be very obvious once installed!
Before you re-install the headliner, now's a good time to install some insulation between the headliner and the ceiling. This will do a few things: first, it will keep your van a little cooler without all that heat radiating down through the metal roof into your van. It will also help keep the adhesive from failing (I think this is the reason for my success!) And it also makes the van a little quieter inside too. You can use foam or fiberglass. Fiberglass isn't as effective as foam, but will last forever...or you could go with the expensive Dynamat stuff if you have deep pockets.
Re-position the headliner in the van. I have found that it is the easiest to do with the rear seats installed in the van actually. This is because I can take one end of the headliner and work on positioning it, while the other end is resting on the top of the seatbacks. Get the headliner in position, and then mash the velcro pads back together. Install your overhead console, and some dome lights, these will help hold the headliner in place, while you install the rest of your plastic trim around the edges.
You can now go drive your van around and show off your new custom headliner to all your friends!
Expect to spend a good part of a Saturday doing this, primarily for the dis-assembley / re-assembley procedure. With most of the interior disassembled, it's also a good time to pull wires inside the trim, install insulation, and do any other work "behind the scenes" you've been meaning to get done!
***
Here's the end-all way to replace a sagging headliner, but it involves some labor! The reason headliners fall down in the vans is not because the adhesive fails, but because the layer of foam between the fiberboard and the headliner fabric dry rots and falls apart.
You gotta get the fiber-board panels out of the van; to to this, you gotta take all the plastic trim off from around the side panels, remove your sun visors, your overhead console, and dome lights. To remove the plastic trim panels, you must remove all the coat hooks, window latches and other stuff that's screwed to them. The most annoying one is the plastic trim around the sliding door. Most of the plastic trim is held in with metal clips that simply hold them with friction into the sheetmetal underneath. The headliner fiberboard itself is fastened to the sheetmetal crossbars that hold the roof up. There are little velcro pads there. DO NOT attempt to pull on the headliner, or flex it too hard...the fiberboard will tear and break easily. Put your hand up above the headliner and work the velcro pads loose with your hand. Sometimes, a really long flathead screwdriver helps in this job too.
Once the headliner fiberboard is out, remove the old fabric and expose all that funky black stuff that used to be foam. You must get all that stuff off if you expect your new material to stick. I placed the fiberboard vertically and scraped it with a puddy knife. It doesn't take much pressure to knock it off, but you must rub it several times to scrape it clean. Fiberboard is a yellowish color.
Measure the size of your fiberboards, so you'll know how much fabric to get. Go to a fabric store that sells upholstery fabric or other fabrics made for automobile use, and pick out a style / color you like. Then, head to the hardware store, or the automobile parts shop, and buy yourself several cans of spray adheasive. I used 3M Super 77, and mine's held out great for about 4 years now. One of the interior shop recommended contact cement, which I used on the last, short panel in the back. It didn't work too well...it soaked through the fabric, and it's now sagging again. I'm gonna take that one out soon, and super 77 it. Contact cement is cheaper, but I guess you get what you pay for!
Place the fiberboard in an "upside down" position on some saw horses. In other words, with the part you'll be looking at in the van, facing up. Spread the fabric out on the surface to test fit it, and cut any necessary holes you may need, cut as necessary to work around contours. Work small pieces at a time. Spray a little on and smooth the fabric down in that spot. Leave some weight, like small blocks of wood on the spots you have done. Fold the edges around the fiber-board and glue down on the back side. IF YOU'RE DOING MULTIPLE PANELS, MAKE SURE THE GRAIN OF THE FABRIC IS THE SAME ON BOTH PANELS. This is not all that noticeable outside the vehicle, but will be very obvious once installed!
Before you re-install the headliner, now's a good time to install some insulation between the headliner and the ceiling. This will do a few things: first, it will keep your van a little cooler without all that heat radiating down through the metal roof into your van. It will also help keep the adhesive from failing (I think this is the reason for my success!) And it also makes the van a little quieter inside too. You can use foam or fiberglass. Fiberglass isn't as effective as foam, but will last forever...or you could go with the expensive Dynamat stuff if you have deep pockets.
Re-position the headliner in the van. I have found that it is the easiest to do with the rear seats installed in the van actually. This is because I can take one end of the headliner and work on positioning it, while the other end is resting on the top of the seatbacks. Get the headliner in position, and then mash the velcro pads back together. Install your overhead console, and some dome lights, these will help hold the headliner in place, while you install the rest of your plastic trim around the edges.
You can now go drive your van around and show off your new custom headliner to all your friends!
Expect to spend a good part of a Saturday doing this, primarily for the dis-assembley / re-assembley procedure. With most of the interior disassembled, it's also a good time to pull wires inside the trim, install insulation, and do any other work "behind the scenes" you've been meaning to get done!
***