I was tired of getting into my P38 every day only to find myself surrounded by sagging headliner material and shedding pillars.

So I took a trip to my local Joann Fabric (they were having a 50% off sale), and bought some mocha suede. Then I drove to Sears Hardware, bought some adhesive, some paint, a wire brush, and went to work!

Materials needed for the project:

For the headliner:

• 4 yards of 58" wide Microsuede or Alcantara
• 2 cans 3M Super 77 Multipurpose spray adhesive
• 1 Wire brush
• Scissors
• Razor blades

For deflocking the pillars:

• 1 can engine degreaser (helps to loosen the velvet)
• 1 Wire brush
• Windex (or other cleaner to remove the oil from the degreaser)
• 2 cans Krylon Fusion spray paint

First thing's first. Remove all pillars:

• A pillars: Pull right off.
• B pillars: Remove the plastic cover on the seatbelt adjuster, undo the bolt (17 mm), and pull off the pillar.
  
• C pillars: Same procedure as B pillars.
• Trunk pillars: Remove the "shelves on either side of the cargo area by undoing the screws (you need to fold down the seats to get to the screws), and then pull the plastic tabs (using a flat screwdriver helps). The pillars then pull right out.

Next, remove all the stuff holding the headliner up:

• Pull down the map lights (and the metal frame) right above the rearview mirror.
  
• Remove the visors using a Phillips head screwdriver.
  
• Remove the "Oh, ****! bars." Use a small flat screwdriver to remove the plastic beauty tabs and then a Phillips head to remove the screws securing the handle bars in place.
  
• Hop into the back seat. On the lights, remove the larger plastic lens with a flat head screwdriver, then, using a Philips head screwdriver, remove the screws securing the light fixture in place.
  
• Pull that speaker looking thingy (and the metal frame) that sits right above the left B pillar.
  
• There are two other gizmos on the roof in the cargo area. Remove them with a Hex Key. For the life of me, I dont know what purpose these things serve, and I chose not to reinstall them, and just use some body filler to patch the holes!
• Lastly, pull the plastic tabs located behind the trunk pillars that secure the headliner in place.
  

Now comes the fun part. Remove that headliner! It should still be supported by the rubber molding around the doors and lift gate. Just wiggle the headliner around until it comes loose, and pull it out of the rear lift gate. Don't worry if it bends, it's just fiberglass and foam.

Now, the not-so-much-fun part. Pull off all of the old headliner material, and use your wire brush to remove all of the old, rotten glue from the headliner. Make sure to remove ALL of the old glue!

When your headliner board is clean, you're ready to start applying the new material. Cut about one yard of fabric off of your suede. This will be used for the sunroof. Then, drape the suede (or **** carpet, whatever you chose) over the headliner board. Fold half of it back. Now it's time to get down and dirty.

Starting from the middle, spray both the headliner board and the back of the suede. Then smooth out the material from the middle out to the sides. Make sure there is contact between every part of the headliner board and the material, taking special care around the contours of the board.

Once the glue has dried, flip your headliner over, and cut "X's" in all the holes (sunroof, lights, etc.).


Trim all the edges, so that there will be about a 1" wrap around on all sides.


Glue all the edges and "X's" that you cut to the back of the headliner board.



YAY! Thats it for the headliner! And it only took 5 hours of your time!




The pillars are easy. Just spray them with degreaser, use the wire brush to scrape off all the velvet. Clean the pillars up with some windex or acetone. Give them 2-3 coats of spray paint. Done!



I hope this helps those of you who were considering this job. It was WELL WORTH IT!!!





Total cost: $85 and about 5-8 hours of labor, depending upon your ability.
Total payoff: Priceless!

 

suede! you rock...totally feels like an ep of pimp my ride!

 

Looks good....was just quoted $600 to have the headliner in our old P38 replaced from a local upholstery shop. Daughter drives it now and when the windows are down or sunroof open - it pretty much just fills with air. If you lived close I'd give you a retainer...

Mike

 

Haha. You know, it's amazing how much power people hold with a little bit of knowledge... I wonder how many people your local upholstery shop has ripped off doing headliners.

To anyone interested in the South Jersey or surrounding areas, I'm hereby offering my services as a headliner repairer!

I'm capping the price tag of the job at $200 plus material cost. I'll remove the headliner, clean it up, reupholster it, and reinstall it. I'll also remove the pillars, strip them, paint them, and reinstall them.

Someone let me know if that's asking too much

 

Nice write up to rectify a common problem.
BTW, a friend had his headliner replaced for $250 so you are right on the mark with your estimate of costs.

 

I must say, that was very creative. I will be replacing mine here shortly and I like the suede idea. I will probably go with a light gray or white suede though, just a personal preference. Great Idea though!

 

If you can do the job in Manasquan ( shore - 08736 ) - let me know.

Mike

 

Sorry for my late reply, I've been traveling for a few weeks. Manasquan is a bit far, but I would have loved to do the job for you.

 

Not a problem...I haven't had it done yet.

 

The two gizmos are motion sensors for your alam system, you might want to keep those. It looks great by the way. Why didn't rover use something that looks so nice?