Easy headliner foam removal?

[my85grandnation]

I was just wanting to see if anyone had figured out a fairly easy way to get all the old foam backing off of a headliner shell so you can recover it?

 

[edchapman]

headliner

A wirebrush drill attachment did the lion's share of the clean up.

headliner replacement tech article with photos

See it at:
http://edchapman.tripod.com/headliner.html

bye, Ed
http://edchapman.tripod.com/cars.html

-- 84 T-Type WH1 15.4@89 bone stock original - runner up B-5 GS nats 2004
-- 87 T 14.1@97 stock daily driver
-- 87 GN bone stock original - 399/400 points BCA senior gold 2005
-- 03 GSX 14.9@93 bone stock daily driver

 

[#1HotRod]

Hummm...unless yours is real dried out/crusty, it stays put and only the cloth covering is replaced. My headliner (cloth part), I think is common, started bubbling & hanging down in places. Got replacement cloth from Kirbans or Poston & an upholstery shop pulled old cloth off (I think they steam it while removing) & I think use a spray glue to put new cloth over the foam. The foam is real dense & pretty much permanently glued to ceiling & would be a huge mess to try scrape it off. Your foam is probably ok, but if real crusty then reckon that's what it will take. Don't know where get new foam, probably Kirbans or Poston, perhaps dealership as they used it in a bzillion cars. Good luck '85GN.

 

[Turbo Indian]

just had mine done & the guy just used a hand wire brush.

 

[Blue87T]

Whatever you do Do Not use chemical cleaners like I tried on it. I tried a couple different solvents and it was going fine. Then after a few seconds or so the solvents started to eat through the styrofoam and left tons of craters and gouges in the board. Between that and the wind catching the board and snapping it in half against my fence the job was a pain. I was trying to get the board perfectly white and I don't think you need to go that far. I used alot of duct tape and thin paper to fix the grooves and it is actually looking ok ( done for a couple months) but h asnt really left my garage alot. It sags in one spot at the rea which I am going to glue back up .

Use a wire brush and it should be fine.

 

[Ormand]

Hummm...unless yours is real dried out/crusty, it stays put and only the cloth covering is replaced

WRONG!! The cloth covering has two layers. The exposed side is, indeed, cloth. The hidden layer is FOAM! It deteriorates over the years, and that is why the headliner falls down. If you try to reglue the old headliner, the foam will pull apart, and it will fall down AGAIN! (BTDT) So, you have to remove the old crumbly layer of SOFT foam, from the backing, which is HARD foam. A stiff brush, and lots of elbow grease will do it, but it makes a big old mess. The backing can be patched, it gets cracked or dinged.

 

[my85grandnation]

Thanks for all the info guys. I will just take my time. It wont take me as long to do mine cause I have a sunroof shell so theres not as much surface area. What do you suggest I fix cracks and holes or dips with? I fixed a few cracks yesterday with epoxy wich seems to hold great and doesnt eat away at the styrofoam. Any more suggestions please let me know. Thanks

 

[6APPEAL]

I've always fixed the cracks with duct tape. Easy to get, easy to use, always lasts as long as the headliner. Take it off and replace with fresh duct tape when the next headline is put in.

 

[gbsean]

for about $80 I had mine redone...labor vs $$$ was too much effort for the money

 

[turbodave231]

Wirewheel on a diegrinder worked to remove the old fabric foam( I like to work FAST).

You can make nice repairs to cracks in the foam board using fiberglass drywall tape and a little fiberglass resin. I had to rebuild the foam board around the sunvisor mounts.