Hello fellow enthusiasts. My current project is XJ40 head lining replacement. I have been looking online for local suppliers but I would like to know if any of the members have done theirs and where they purchased the head lining fabric.
If anyone hs done this please let me know. The head lining board is now out of the vehicle, cleaned and ready for the application of the new foam backed material. I need to know some suppliers and naturally if members have suggestions it would be appreciated. Regards Rodoz




i removed decomposed foam from this original headlining for colur and textture comparison when purchasing

 

Hi Rodoz,
I haven't actually done this project yet, but I need to do it 3 times and soon! I have gotten the foam backed material from a U.S. national fabric chain called "JoAnn Fabrics" (but not used it yet). I'm not sure if AUS has anything similar. They have -or had- grey and tan in stock. I am sure its not correct, but for me if I had anything up there it would be a major improvement.
If you got the headliner board out in one piece then you are ahead of the game. That has been my stopping point, since I don't want to disable a car for that long. For me it is a can of worms since I want to redo the whole interior once I have the liner out. I have upgraded Interior parts from an xj12 that I plan to swap out.
Regards, Jerry

 

Hi Rodoz,

I do not know any suppliers of headlining fabric in Australia, but I'm sure there must be some. In the U.S.A., like Jerry, I have purchased the fabric from JoAnn Fabric stores, and I have also purchased headliner fabric and other uphostery supplies from Your Auto Trim Store (https://www.yourautotrim.com/). A nice service of Your Auto Trim Store is that for a few dollars you can purchase a headliner fabric sample board so you can identify the best color match for your car.

One thing to be aware of is that the aftermarket headliner fabric commonly available has a foam backing that makes the overall fabric about 3/16 inch (5 mm) thick. This will work fine on the main headliner board of an XJ40. However, if your car has a sunroof, there is typically not enough clearance for fabric this thick and it will bind/drag when the sunroof panel moves. The original fabric on the sunroof panels is quite thin and has little if any foam backing. I have overcome this challenge by purchasing knit "Tee shirt" fabric or faux suede (Alcantara) of similar color to the main headliner fabric and used the thin knit or suede only on the sliding sunroof panel. Be sure to only get adhesive on the areas that will fold over onto the top of the sunroof panel or the adhesive will bleed through and show on the visible underside of the panel. I carefully remove the old fabric and use it as a pattern for cutting the new knit and applying the adhesive only to the edges that fold over. Note that the panel has a ridge around its perimeter, which holds the fabric a small distance away from the main central area of the panel. If you poke your finger into your sunroof panel fabric you will see what I mean. The fabric is not glued to the show surface of the panel at all, but gently stretched across the ridge along each side and each edge.

Speaking of adhesive, it is important that you use a spray adhesive specifically designed for headliners, for two reasons. The first is the temperature rating. Common automotive trim spray adhesives like 3M Super 77 and most other trim adhesives are only rated to 43°C/110°F to 49°C/120°F. The roof of a car can easily exceed those temperatures while sitting in the sun, and you only want to replace the headliner once. Headliner spray adhesives are designed to withstand much higher temperatures, typically 77°C/170°F. The two brands I have used successfully are 3M and Permatex. Loctite and others also offer headliner adhesives, but I do not know their temperature ratings.

Another significant factor is that the headliner-specific adhesives are made with fast-drying solvents that will not dissolve the polyurethane foam headliner board and are less prone to soak through and discolor the headliner fabric.

At the link below you can download a brochure that gives the temp ratings of 3M spray adhesives:

3M Aerosol Adhesives Comparison

Cheers,

Don

 

Look for 3mm foam backed material.