Headliner Headaches

[truckzilla]

Hey guys back to working on my truck again.

So far I've tried to replace my headliner once before but as it turns out my year ranger has this super chincy 1/16" fibergrass (that's right grass) molded backer. After I sanded all the foam from the previous fabric off (which took me the better part of an hour) this thing lost all ridgity. I carried on with it and glued on my new fabric blah blah 1 week after its full sag. Mostly because the backing is sagging and not holding its shape at all.

So right now I've gotten new fabric and I need to figure out how to replace this backer. (or install without one?) I found Molded ABS backers for around or over $200 I don't know what these people are smoking but sheesh I'll just glue the fabric straight on to the framing instead! lol.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated, I just wanna get this knocked out and move onto the carpet. (already have that too!)

P.S. While I'm asking anyone know the best seat covers for 60/40 seats with folding console attached to drivers seat.

Thanks again.

 

[truckzilla]

 

[strvger]

well, my truck didn't come with a headliner. yep, bare metal up there. so i covered it with the less expensive Dynomat knock-off. next, i got some of the sticky-back carpet squares at my local home improvement store, along with a can of Permatex spray carpet adhesive. next week, i'll be putting the carpet over the soundproofing, and in a few other bare areas in my cab.
i know that doesn't help you much now, but if all else fails, it is another possible solution to your problem.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

you could go to the junk yard and pull one from a 3rd gen truck, i know that theyre still fibergrass but from what i remember theyre pretty thick. i did one in a 78 pontiac before and that think was made out of styrofoam, like an egg carton. fitting the head liner from a 4 door car out just 1 door was a challenge!

 

[barrys]

$200 for the ABS one is actually a good price. You won't have to do it again soon if you go that route. But, I agree it's pricey.

Just some thoughts based on what I read and learned from experience:
If you can get yours out again, and if the board material is the same as mine, then it should soak up fiberglass resin pretty well. That should add rigidity. You might try putting some fiberglass fabric on the back. But, I'm just guessing on that. Maybe others might jump in and comment on that from their own attempts.

explorerforum.com has some good headliner posts that apply to our truck pretty well.

Is your new fabric sagging off the board? If so, then the adhesive choice and application is actually kinda tricky. People are recommending 3M 76 (not the common 77 and definitely not Permatex) and applying exactly as instructed -- with the setup time, etc.

 

[strvger]

hmm, i used the Permatex to attach carpeting to both bare metal and over the foil faced sound barrier and it has done quite nicely.
for the sticky back foam on the carpet squares, i'll be using 3M #74. it's specifically for auto foams and fabric according to the label.

 

[barrys]

I knew I'd catch hell on dissing Permatex. But, I was just passing on what I had read about other people's experiences.

 

[4x4junkie]

Stick with 3M.

I used the expensive Permatex headliner adhesive when I replaced the fabric on mine, and now it's coming apart less than 4 months later (yes, I cleaned all the old foam off).
I'm hoping I can just pull it the rest of the way apart and then reattach it using the 3M adhesive.

 

[strvger]

I knew I'd catch hell on dissing Permatex. But, I was just passing on what I had read about other people's experiences.

no big deal. everybody has their own luck with things and that's why there are so many different ones to choose from. maybe because the carpet is heavier and i used 2 coats on both the carpet backing and on the metal and foil surfaces and it just worked for me.