How to fit a cab headliner

Discussion in 'How To' started by Diddymen, Oct 8, 2013.

  1. Thought I'd post up the instructions Mrs Diddymen sends out with the headliners she makes.

    admittedly I should have taken more pics!!!! ....and there are variations on the same method, but this one has always worked for me, if any one has any good tips feel free to post up ......and I may pinch them for our instructions :D

    .....take a bit of time and patience and you can get a really great finish



    Please ensure that during installation you do not handle the headliner with dirty tools or hands.

    Your headliner may have fold marks or creases from shipping, or if stored for some time before installation. These creases should ‘drop out’ during installation or you can hang the unpacked headliner up in a warm room or direct sun to help soften the material which will assist in removing any creases.

    Before you start you will need to remove any curtain rails, sunvisors, rear view mirror, courtesy light and the front windscreen and rubber seal. You will also need to remove your existing headliner and retain the two tension rods (tension rods not included with new headliner)

    Tools required:-
    · Sharp blades such as scalpel, craft or Stanley knife blades
    · Blunt clean paint/wall paper scraper or similar tool
    · Contact adhesive
    · Pegs, bulldog clips or similar clamps

    Installation

    It is advisable to warm the air in the cab area and the headliner using a small fan heater or hair drier on a low heat to soften the fabric to make it easier to work with – DO NOT apply direct heat or allow the headliner to come into contact with very hot surfaces as this may damage the material.

    To minimise any creases during installation it is advisable to work from the centre outwards which will be detailed below. Do not glue any surfaces until you are completely happy with the position of the headliner.

    1) Insert tension rods into the stitched bow hoops on the rear of the headliner – shortest rod to the front of the van. Lift headliner into position and insert ends of tension rods into upper recess above cab doors to hold roughly in place. The ends of the rods should be in the lower part of the recess and not touching the roof – you should now notice the curve of the headliner. If the curve is not correct at this point, the ends of the tension rods are not in the correct position – re-adjust as necessary

    2) The headliner can be left in place using the tension rods, and allowed to hang loose to allow creases to drop out with the aid of a fan heater or if satisfied, proceed with the rest of the installation. Position headliner centrally in cab roof area before starting.

    3) Gently open out the retaining clips attached to the rear of the cab roof to approximately 5mm – see fig , and identify centre of the van (approximately centre of courtesy light).

    [​IMG]
    FIG 1

    4) Identify the centre rear edge of the headliner, the rear will have a strip of cardboard retainer attached. Fold the rear edge back, so the centre of the headliner’s cardboard retainer sits in the retaining clips with the cardboard facing down, and firmly press the retaining clip closed. Repeat, so approximately 12inches (30cm) of the retainer is held in the clips.

    5) From the front of the van pull headliner taught in the centre, readjust position of tension rods forward or backwards as necessary, and hold in place by clipping the front edge of the headliner to the windscreen seal lip using pegs or bulldog clips.

    6) Insert the remaining rear cardboard retainer into the rear clips and push clips closed, pull the rest of the front tight and hold in place with pegs. Work from the centre line outwards, and alternate between front and rear until the width of the headlining is in place.

    7) If any creases from installation have appeared, remove a few pegs at a time from the front and pull in the required direction, re-clip with pegs to hold in place.

    8) Open or close side retainer clips to approximately 3mm along the entire length. Using a blunt paint scraper, gently tuck the middle side of the headliner into the retaining clips, pull tight the opposite side and tuck into the retaining clips. To ensure headliner stays in place, push excess material into clips so it bunches up, but leave a small strip to enable you to pull material out and readjust if necessary – the width of the headliner is sufficient to tuck excess material into side clips to hold in place without the need for glue. Use the ‘flat’ of the scraper and not the corner to avoid damaging the material. If material does not hold in place solely using the retaining clips then some glue may be required.

    9) Next work from the rear of the sides towards the middle, pulling tight and tucking material into side clips. Alternate between sides rather than completing one side at a time. If creases form during installation it may be necessary to pull out the headliner from the side clips – do this in small sections at a time, pulling and re-tucking material into the clips until the material is evenly installed up to the first bow seam.

    10) Continue installing sides of headlining towards the front of the van by alternating sides until the last side clips are reached towards the front of the van.

    11) Assess the fit and position of the headliner, and re-tension headliner to the front windscreen seal lip if required using pegs.

    12) If the fit of the headliner is satisfactory, close the remaining side and rear retainer clips. If necessary use a soft faced hammer wrapped in cloth to close retainers – avoid hitting corners of retainers as these can tear through the material. Closing the retainers will add further tension to the headliner to pull out creases.

    13) Glue rear corners in place using high strength impact adhesive, to get a neat finish, make a return fold at the edge of the headliner before gluing in place see fig 2.

    [​IMG]
    FIG 2

    14) Apply impact adhesive to the windscreen seal lip and corresponding area of the headliner, pull material taught and hold in place with pegs until glue is completely set. Start in the centre working towards the sides of the van alternating between sides, gluing approximately 6inches (15cm) at a time – ensuring you have the material in the correct position before pegging in place. Leave a small area at the edges unglued until the front edges/corners have been glued in place inside the van see fig 3.

    [​IMG]
    FIG 3

    15) Make a return fold on the front corners and glue in position. Glue and peg remainder of the front section around the windscreen seal.

    16) Allow glue to fully cure before removing pegs/bulldog clips from front of van. Using a sharp blade carefully cut away excess material from the front of the van, leaving glued headlining on the outer face of the windscreen seal lip only – pay careful attention not to damage any paint work with knife blade when removing excess material

    17) Trim any excess material from the sides which was not tucked into side clips, using a new sharp blade. It is recommended to use a new blade for each cut to avoid tearing material.

    18) Re-install Windscreen, curtain rails, sunvisors, rear view mirror, courtesy light taking care not to damage the new headliner while locating fixing holes.

    Sometimes creases from installation methods will be unavoidable, particularly if the material has been unevenly stretched. In most situations these creases will drop out once the headliner cools, with the majority of the remainder dropping out after time as the headliner ‘settles in’.
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2017
    Chrisniclia and Mary like this.
  2. i always use double sided tape rather than glue

    it gives you a second chance if you need to reposition the fabric and doesn't bleed through the fabric with time
     
    Chrisniclia likes this.
  3. Very useful. That looks like a devon, do you have any advise on doing the rear headlining
     
    Diddymen likes this.
  4. it is indeed a Devon, well spotted :thumbsup:

    The rear is a bit trickier .....it depends on how you are fixing yours, and if you are making one your self or making out of separate pieces

    Mrs Diddymen has made ours with mitred stitching in the corners (orignals were only stiched at the front end)

    She was planning on making some to sell, but as I've not fitted mine completely to the rear yet, I'm not sure what the fit is like so not ready to sell them yet

    Have a look on my resto thread or the cab headliner for sale thread for pics of the poptop surround headliner, as I've got more of a write up there about how I fitted it
     
  5. Get on with it then! :D:D:D:D
     
    Diddymen likes this.
  6. Sorry mate, I've not forgotten about you :)
     
    Keith.H likes this.
  7. Brilliant how to! Very informative

    I'm also putting my name down on the waiting list for both a cab and rear headlining kit..
    Just let me know when they're ready ;)
     
    Diddymen likes this.
  8. sANDYbAY

    sANDYbAY On benefits-won't sponsor!

    Just a comment so I can find this thread again.
     

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