My bus originally had a vinyl headliner in the cab in a sorry state so ive removed it Id like to fit a wooden cab headliner after paint but im wondering if i need to remove the original metal tabs that held the vinyl headliner in? Obviously if i do then its better to remove them before paint Pic below
I would guess yes Para, probably depends on how you are planning to secure the wood panels. I've got J strips in mine. Here's my link http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=3565.msg50270#msg50270
if your going for a fixed headliner you can either go for j strips that the headliner pops into or you can just put a few screws into the roof strenthening bars( mine was done this way by vw in the factory. i have some j strips i had made and can get some pictures of my headliner ( though im away for a couple of weeks now) but you will almost certainly have to remove the tabs, if you want lots of pictures pm me
a westy one has a mixture of screws and channeling holding it in, above each door is a U or J shaped bracket pop riveted to the door frame which the wood slots into, the front and rear are screwed to the van direct, i've just renewed mine as my headliner was saggy (westys have it glued over the wood) some pics on my van thread probably, if not holler and i'll take some.
The factory headliner grippers are at the same level as the J trim westys use for their wood headliner so you'll have to whip them off.