SAAB 900 (classic): How to: Refurbish the headliner.
Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:56 pm
(sorry, this is long!!!! 2034 words to be exact!)
As some of you may know my C900 came to me with a bare inside roof - the previous owner had decided the best way to deal with the saggy liner was to remove it entirely!!
Well 6 months later I have finally got around sourcing, covering, and installing a headlining for my '88 3 door 900, phew!!
I thought it might be helpful for others intending to carry out replacement of the headlining if I posted some pictures and tips of my experience, so here it is - I hope others find this useful.
Firstly - the materials. The actual headlining backing, or card frame that fits to the rood was missing from my car, so I had to source a suitable replacement - thanks to SuperNev! for supplying that!
Next I had to find the lining material, which I eventually got from Woolies (thanks BillJ). The one I got was
285 in Empire Grey (very light grey) ........................ only £6.50 Per mtr
I got 3.75 mtrs and 2x cans of high temperature spray adhesive. Which all came to just over £50 including P&P, and which was very swiftly despatched! According to woolies they regularly supply saab owners with 3 mtrs and two cans of spray, so 3m should be enough for most saabs but I got a bit extra as I wanted to cover the door card inserts too, and I have a sunroof and I didn't want to be caught short (Oy, watch it!!
). It turns out I didn't have enough to do the sunroof in the end (would have if I had cut it better but didn't want to risk it!!) so I did the back parcel shelf in two sections instead.
PFS also do headliner kits in various colours but they work out a bit more expensive than the woolies kit, which I am totally happy with.
Once you have all the kit the fun begins!! I started on a Saturday morning and got the backing card cleaned up and repaired, and the pillar covers covered on saturday. then I covered the main card on Sunday and fitted it all. I still have the sunroof to attend to however. So you will need to set a weekend aside if you want to do it all in one go, though it could possibly be done in one day....
Also you will need plenty of space to lay out the material. Ventilation is crucial as the fumes from the glue are nasty - and a mask would be a good idea too.
I actually started with the door card inserts, and then the rear pillar covers to get a feel for the process before taking on the BIG BIT!!
(PLEASE CLICK THE THUMBNAILS FOR A LARGER IMAGE)
the lighter one is the new material
The first step is to clean off all the old foam and material from the backing. A wire brush and lots of patience will help here. Also I found an old toothbrush was very useful in those hard to reach areas. If you have one with a "tonge brush" on the back that is even handier! It will pay off to be really thorough at this stage as any old materials will impede adhesion later, and thus your good lady will be sagging again sooner than you would like
. If you're going to do this, you may as well do it well and do it once!!
Next, roll out some headliner material on the floor and place the backing on top. Carefully mark the size out, remembering to leave extra for the curvy bits - and then cut a rough bit off. I marked one edge of the material where it was to stick to the pillar card and stuck that bit first, before gradually and carefully moving across. Always start by gluing the straightest side first otherwise it is very difficult to get it lined up.
Remember to put some newspaper underneath and be careful not to stick the material or backing to it! spray the glue into both the material and the backing card and wait for at at least 20 seconds to let the glue get tacky before you try to stick it down. Ignore this at your peril - if you try to stick while the glue is still wet it will not take, and letting it dry after you have tried to early doesn't really work! Also be careful that when you spray onto the surfaces that none of the glue is falling back onto the outside of the material, as it is very difficult to get off, as I found out! If this does happen, wait until the glue is dry before trying to remove it.
Leave an inch or so of excess material to fold around each edge of the backing, and once it is all stuck firmly in place you can cut the holes for the seatbelts/handles etc.
Once you are happy with covering the smaller pieces it's time to do the main roof section. Make sure you have plenty of time as it's best to do it in one go. Also make sure it is will lit so you can see what you are doing easily.
Unfortunately I stupidly left my backing card in the barn for too long and it got a bit soggy, and split in a couple of places.
I fixed it by gluing some strips of cotton ribbon over the splits on both sides, which turned out to be a very strong and simple solution. It is very important that you fix any splits and let them dry before you stick the material on, as it won't be strong enough if it's not in one piece, especially when it comes time to put it back in the car!!
Once the backing is ready, lay out the material on the floor next to the backing and make sure it is long enough!! then carefully and evenly roll the material back onto the cardboard tube. Make sure that the edge you start with is straight and at right angles to the longer (rolled up) side of the material. If you stick it on wonky - well obviously it will roll out a-skew and won't line up!!
I started at the back (the bit which will be at the back of the car) and worked my way slowly forward in stages. Start by having the backing card upside down, with the material roll on top of it and glue just a little bit to the inside back edge of the backing (the part that will be touching the actual roof of the car, and not visible). then turn the backing over, being careful not to let the roll pull the material off.
The next thing is to carefully move forward, spraying small sections of card with the glue, and the the material (don't forget to wait a bit for it to get tacky!!) and carefully laying it down, being sure to firmly, but carefully smooth it down with the back of your hand. Try too keep your hands as glue-free as possible or they will stick to the material!
be especially careful that on this first section you stretch out enough material to fill the bulge and spray on enough glue to make sure it will hold fast, as this seems to be the part most prone to sagging. Go slowly, if you stick it down with creases or not enough slack it is difficult to go back, and if you do it won't hold as well.
keep going slowly up the backing, being sure to smooth firmly into any contours and keep the overhanging edges straight. If you have a sunroof, forget that for now and just go straight over it - you wily cut the hole for it later.
Also be aware of where you point the glue cans as it is all to easy to squirt it over the the top of the foam side of material roll and onto the facing side!! again, if this does happen, deal with it later once it's dry, as trting to rub it off now will just make a mess! (as you have no doubt guessed I found out the hard way!)
Once the backing is covered go back around the edges and make sure they are all stuck down well, check for any bubbles and carefully peel back a bit and re-glue any problem areas (leave extra time to dry, blowing can help to speed it up). Then turn the whole thing over or stand it up and lean it against a wall and glue the excess material to the "back" of the backing. Be sure to pull this excess fairly tight before you press it down for a neat look from inside the car, and again, be aware of where all that excess glue spray is going!!
Nextly, it is time to sit down with a cup of tea and pat yourself on the back! and then you will be ready to put the newly covered headlining into the car (unless you have a sunroof, in which case you will have to work out how to cover that bit. I have left mine as if there is none for now, as I ran out of material. I will add to the post once I have sussed and covered that later).
Don't forget to have breakfast before you start and regular meals thereafter. I started at about 9 am on a Sunday (had already covered the door cards and the pillar covers the day before) and finished at about 3.30 pm. after which I had breakfast
this was my biggest mistake in the whole process!
Anyway, to get the headlining into the car you will need to open the hatch (god help you if you are doing a saloon - i've not tried it but I hear it's a PITA) and then remove all the handles, the sun vizors, the rear view mirror and light, and the rear seatbelt supports and window clasps. of course you will have done this already if you had the headliner in the car in the first place!!!!
Slide the headlining in from the back (play about with the angle, it only just fits!) and carefully push it farward.
something in the boot to support the back is a good idea, the front can rest on the front seats which you may want to fold forward. The hardest part now is getting it "up and in" without damaging it. and lining up the handles and sin vizors. I put the rear pillar sections in last but you may find it easier the other way around - either way it will be fiddly.
Finally, Be carefull not to push too hard with your fingers on the material as it will "bruise" easily and look a bit pants if it's got pits from you finger prints all over it...
Oh, and don't forget to wire up the interior lights before it is finally in place!
.
Ce fin!!!
It is very satisfying after all that work to sit in the car and look up to see a clean, neat bright roof, rather than a saggy, foamy mess, or the black metal and wirey sight that was in my car. Also as I had none in before, it is now much quieter in the cabin, and it warms up quicker and holds the heat better. Also visibility in the cabin is better in dark conditions, as I now have an extra light!!
If you are planing to do your headlining I hope you will find this helpful, and you might also want to check out this tutorial. It's best to read through both once before you start.
best of luck!
arum
As some of you may know my C900 came to me with a bare inside roof - the previous owner had decided the best way to deal with the saggy liner was to remove it entirely!!
Well 6 months later I have finally got around sourcing, covering, and installing a headlining for my '88 3 door 900, phew!!
I thought it might be helpful for others intending to carry out replacement of the headlining if I posted some pictures and tips of my experience, so here it is - I hope others find this useful.
Firstly - the materials. The actual headlining backing, or card frame that fits to the rood was missing from my car, so I had to source a suitable replacement - thanks to SuperNev! for supplying that!
Next I had to find the lining material, which I eventually got from Woolies (thanks BillJ). The one I got was
285 in Empire Grey (very light grey) ........................ only £6.50 Per mtr
I got 3.75 mtrs and 2x cans of high temperature spray adhesive. Which all came to just over £50 including P&P, and which was very swiftly despatched! According to woolies they regularly supply saab owners with 3 mtrs and two cans of spray, so 3m should be enough for most saabs but I got a bit extra as I wanted to cover the door card inserts too, and I have a sunroof and I didn't want to be caught short (Oy, watch it!!
). It turns out I didn't have enough to do the sunroof in the end (would have if I had cut it better but didn't want to risk it!!) so I did the back parcel shelf in two sections instead.PFS also do headliner kits in various colours but they work out a bit more expensive than the woolies kit, which I am totally happy with.
Once you have all the kit the fun begins!! I started on a Saturday morning and got the backing card cleaned up and repaired, and the pillar covers covered on saturday. then I covered the main card on Sunday and fitted it all. I still have the sunroof to attend to however. So you will need to set a weekend aside if you want to do it all in one go, though it could possibly be done in one day....
Also you will need plenty of space to lay out the material. Ventilation is crucial as the fumes from the glue are nasty - and a mask would be a good idea too.
I actually started with the door card inserts, and then the rear pillar covers to get a feel for the process before taking on the BIG BIT!!
(PLEASE CLICK THE THUMBNAILS FOR A LARGER IMAGE)
the lighter one is the new material
The first step is to clean off all the old foam and material from the backing. A wire brush and lots of patience will help here. Also I found an old toothbrush was very useful in those hard to reach areas. If you have one with a "tonge brush" on the back that is even handier! It will pay off to be really thorough at this stage as any old materials will impede adhesion later, and thus your good lady will be sagging again sooner than you would like
. If you're going to do this, you may as well do it well and do it once!!
Next, roll out some headliner material on the floor and place the backing on top. Carefully mark the size out, remembering to leave extra for the curvy bits - and then cut a rough bit off. I marked one edge of the material where it was to stick to the pillar card and stuck that bit first, before gradually and carefully moving across. Always start by gluing the straightest side first otherwise it is very difficult to get it lined up.
Remember to put some newspaper underneath and be careful not to stick the material or backing to it! spray the glue into both the material and the backing card and wait for at at least 20 seconds to let the glue get tacky before you try to stick it down. Ignore this at your peril - if you try to stick while the glue is still wet it will not take, and letting it dry after you have tried to early doesn't really work! Also be careful that when you spray onto the surfaces that none of the glue is falling back onto the outside of the material, as it is very difficult to get off, as I found out! If this does happen, wait until the glue is dry before trying to remove it.
Leave an inch or so of excess material to fold around each edge of the backing, and once it is all stuck firmly in place you can cut the holes for the seatbelts/handles etc.
Once you are happy with covering the smaller pieces it's time to do the main roof section. Make sure you have plenty of time as it's best to do it in one go. Also make sure it is will lit so you can see what you are doing easily.
Unfortunately I stupidly left my backing card in the barn for too long and it got a bit soggy, and split in a couple of places.
I fixed it by gluing some strips of cotton ribbon over the splits on both sides, which turned out to be a very strong and simple solution. It is very important that you fix any splits and let them dry before you stick the material on, as it won't be strong enough if it's not in one piece, especially when it comes time to put it back in the car!!
Once the backing is ready, lay out the material on the floor next to the backing and make sure it is long enough!! then carefully and evenly roll the material back onto the cardboard tube. Make sure that the edge you start with is straight and at right angles to the longer (rolled up) side of the material. If you stick it on wonky - well obviously it will roll out a-skew and won't line up!!
I started at the back (the bit which will be at the back of the car) and worked my way slowly forward in stages. Start by having the backing card upside down, with the material roll on top of it and glue just a little bit to the inside back edge of the backing (the part that will be touching the actual roof of the car, and not visible). then turn the backing over, being careful not to let the roll pull the material off.
The next thing is to carefully move forward, spraying small sections of card with the glue, and the the material (don't forget to wait a bit for it to get tacky!!) and carefully laying it down, being sure to firmly, but carefully smooth it down with the back of your hand. Try too keep your hands as glue-free as possible or they will stick to the material!
be especially careful that on this first section you stretch out enough material to fill the bulge and spray on enough glue to make sure it will hold fast, as this seems to be the part most prone to sagging. Go slowly, if you stick it down with creases or not enough slack it is difficult to go back, and if you do it won't hold as well.
keep going slowly up the backing, being sure to smooth firmly into any contours and keep the overhanging edges straight. If you have a sunroof, forget that for now and just go straight over it - you wily cut the hole for it later.
Also be aware of where you point the glue cans as it is all to easy to squirt it over the the top of the foam side of material roll and onto the facing side!! again, if this does happen, deal with it later once it's dry, as trting to rub it off now will just make a mess! (as you have no doubt guessed I found out the hard way!)
Once the backing is covered go back around the edges and make sure they are all stuck down well, check for any bubbles and carefully peel back a bit and re-glue any problem areas (leave extra time to dry, blowing can help to speed it up). Then turn the whole thing over or stand it up and lean it against a wall and glue the excess material to the "back" of the backing. Be sure to pull this excess fairly tight before you press it down for a neat look from inside the car, and again, be aware of where all that excess glue spray is going!!
Nextly, it is time to sit down with a cup of tea and pat yourself on the back! and then you will be ready to put the newly covered headlining into the car (unless you have a sunroof, in which case you will have to work out how to cover that bit. I have left mine as if there is none for now, as I ran out of material. I will add to the post once I have sussed and covered that later).
Don't forget to have breakfast before you start and regular meals thereafter. I started at about 9 am on a Sunday (had already covered the door cards and the pillar covers the day before) and finished at about 3.30 pm. after which I had breakfast
this was my biggest mistake in the whole process!Anyway, to get the headlining into the car you will need to open the hatch (god help you if you are doing a saloon - i've not tried it but I hear it's a PITA) and then remove all the handles, the sun vizors, the rear view mirror and light, and the rear seatbelt supports and window clasps. of course you will have done this already if you had the headliner in the car in the first place!!!!
Slide the headlining in from the back (play about with the angle, it only just fits!) and carefully push it farward.
something in the boot to support the back is a good idea, the front can rest on the front seats which you may want to fold forward. The hardest part now is getting it "up and in" without damaging it. and lining up the handles and sin vizors. I put the rear pillar sections in last but you may find it easier the other way around - either way it will be fiddly.
Finally, Be carefull not to push too hard with your fingers on the material as it will "bruise" easily and look a bit pants if it's got pits from you finger prints all over it...
Oh, and don't forget to wire up the interior lights before it is finally in place!
.Ce fin!!!
It is very satisfying after all that work to sit in the car and look up to see a clean, neat bright roof, rather than a saggy, foamy mess, or the black metal and wirey sight that was in my car. Also as I had none in before, it is now much quieter in the cabin, and it warms up quicker and holds the heat better. Also visibility in the cabin is better in dark conditions, as I now have an extra light!!
If you are planing to do your headlining I hope you will find this helpful, and you might also want to check out this tutorial. It's best to read through both once before you start.
best of luck!
arum
! Can this be made a sticky ?
Very frustrating, I had to cut out and glue an extra piece of material to make up for this mistake.
I was driving around with the sunroof open a few weeks ago and when I got home and parked up I found a big, wet, white bird poo on my coat which was lying on the back seat. I swear they did it on purpose 