Just finished my R & R of the headliner in my 86 VDP. It was a job I found a little tedious but NOT difficult at all. If I can do it...anyone can do it! I was fortunate to find my material at JoAnne's Fabric for $10 a yard. They only had 2 colors to chose from but the beige color was just about perfect for me. It is 1/4" vs. the 1/8" but it did not interfere with the sun roof sliding etc. at all so it worked just fine! I think the thicker material might hide any imperfections in the backer board better anyway! There has been quite a bit of material written about headliners so I don't plan on repeating a ton there but thought I might mention a few things that someone might find helpful.

Removing the old headliner:

1. Remove mirror (it just pulls out), bracket, visors, visor clips, and dash end caps.

2. Remove the felt windlass...start at the front working to the back about even with the top of rear seat. Coil and place on rear shelf.

3. Now is the time to find an old sheet or something to cover as much as you can of the interior. Carefully remove the fabric molding around the sunroof. Once that cloth comes down it will dump a ton of sticky foam crumbs everywhere and makes for quite a mess. Nothing you want ground into your carpet or seats as it is not fun to clean up.

4. Remove the rear grab handles. Pry the chrome covers off and "walk" them up the handle to expose the 2 screws on each side. Remove the handle and it will show a seam in the molding. Start forward prying off the molding clips (about every 8") Prying between clips could damage your molding. By starting here the clips are much easier to locate. There is one clip pretty low on the front pillar and it is tough to remove. The front of the molding pillar jams into the side of the dash pretty tight but can be slowly pulled out. (Not so much fun when putting it back)

5. The rear pillars DO NOT have to be removed...only losened. There is one clip and one screw holding them on. The bottom screw in the map light is the only screw that needs to be removed. (it is also what grounds the unit) Once the bottom screw is removed, pop the clip out and the pillars can just hang loose. (sometimes there are little clips fastening the material to the rail) The rear molding can now be popped free.

6. I used a screw driver to slowly pry the side tabs of the headliner out working from back to front until the board was free.

7. Remove the headliner through the rear passenger door. It is MUCH easier. I removed mine from the front as that is what I always read and it has to bend way too much. I cracked mine and had to do a little fiberglass work on the back to repair. Replacing through the rear door was a breeze compared to the front door as it doesn't have to bend nearly as much and you will not experience quite as much "pucker factor"! Lay the seats down and work it out. If your fabric fell off prior to removal be sure to protect your seats as the edges of the board can be pretty abrasive.

8. Pretty much goes back together in reverse order after you have re covered. When installing your side molding...start with the seam under the rear grab handles and work forward. If you start at the front, it is hard to get your holes for the handles to line up. You will have enough flex to push the front pillars down beside the dash ends. That last clip is a bear.....(mine doesn't have that one now!!)

9. Re-install the grab handles but leave loose.

10. Re-install your felt windlass...start at the rear and work forward about 12" or so. Now move to the front and start at your seam. It will stretch pretty tight but it will go on all the way back. I found that starting at the back and working all the way to the front...I was always about 1-2" short...leaving a gap in the windlass. By leaving the grab handles lose you can push the felt on around them much easier. Once it is in place tighten your grab handle screws.

11. Re-install your front pieces, your sunroof molding and you are done!! Crack open a cold one and admire your work!!!

I'm sure I forgot some steps somewhere along the way but hopefully this might help someone somehow. As I said earlier it is not a difficult job but a little bit time consuming. I will cover what I found with the sunroof on a different post. Good luck!!

 

I've got to do mine on a 1997 XJ6 soon. Just curious, what kind of fabric did you choose to replace your liner with? And which contact cement, if any did you use?

 

It was actually called "headliner material" It is about 1/4 thick foam type material. Heavy enough to cover most small imperfections in the board. Just make sure you take the time to clean your board very well. I wire brushed it good then sanded it. I used 3m Headliner adhesive. A couple good coats going both directions on both board and the material. I used about 2 1/2 cans. Allow to dry a bit before placing the material to the board. Try not to stretch the material as you are placing. It will go down very smooth.

 

the correct headliner material can be found at any Joann's Fabrics store, in any color, just don't do Pink please!