This is a pretty simple job. I bought the fabric at Joanne's Fabric and Crafts, which is a national chain here in the US. It's just headliner material, which is a felt-type cloth with a thin foam backing. The light gray color I purchased matched almost perfectly. But, you can see from the video how easy it is to remove the piece with the fabric on it. I suggest you remove it, take it with you to the fabric store, and use it to find the perfect match.

IMPORTANT NOTE! If you have a pre-2003 car, please read WhiteXKR's comments in post #9.

How to re-cover the A-pillar on a Jaguar XK8 - YouTube

Now, here's a video on how to recover the header at the top of the windshield, too!

Jaguar XK8 Windshield Header Recovering - YouTube

 

Oh yeah... I messed up and the part where I remove the fabric from the plastic piece is missing. It's not rocket surgery, though. Just pull on the fabric. It comes right off. I tried to make the video a little bit humorous to make up for my foolish mistake.

 

I am inspired by the instructional and the intoxicating music! No more sagging a-pillar for me...tomorrow (its my vacation) I'm headed to the fabric store.

 

Producer : Sam
Cast: XK8
Title: A Pillar Recovery
Director: Sam
Publisher: Youtube
Genre: How-To Video FAQ


Thanks for this useful topic

 

I love your wry sense of humour, Rev, so I watch all your videos even if I don't need to do the job.

I am also slightly ashamed to admit that I recognised the music before your subtitles came up

 

Thanks, planing on doing this project, but I want to use vinyl instead of fabric as it can look a lot like the leather seats. Do you think I could just go over the old fabric?

 

I wouldn't. The old adhesive holding the fabric will come loose and your new vinyl will then be lose.

 

Sam, Thanks for doing this video. It is a project that is getting higher on my list. Also thanks for the memories. It been a very long time since I heard that music, at least 3 weeks.

 

Nice one Sam...its going to be a blockbuster....nearly every XK8/R I have seen would benefit from this job.

I did mine last year, and have a few of additional pointers:

-Pre-2003 cars have do not have plastic A-pillars. They are fiberglass boards as is commonly used on headliners. They are a bit more fragile, and care needs to be taken not to fray the edges. The foam residue on these can be cleaned off with a stiff nylon brush. The older ones also have 3 attachement clips, not two, and if they have never been removed before might need a little help popping out by prying from behind with a wide paint scraper. For best adhesion, apply the adhesive to both the board and the fabric, and stretch the material very slightly as you apply it to keep it smooth.

-Many convertibles that need the A-pillars done also need the front roof header done. To drop the header, once the A-pillars are off, you need to remove the visors and visor clips, and pull the roof console straight down. One yard of material is more than enough for the A-pillars AND the header.

-Wlsheadliners.com should have the material online. You should always contact them with your make and model and color. Do not try to match the color from color samples on your computer screen. There were only two colors Jaguar used, grey or tan.

 

Thanks WhiteXKR. I updated my original post to make sure people read your comments first. I also added a note to the video.

 

Great Job Rev. I decided was going to fix mine, so I took the laptop out to the car. When the music on your video started to play, mysteriously all of the wrinkles on my A pillars disappeared!! So, whatever you did ... it worked

 

LOL! I have these little blue pills that I put in the fuel tank at every fillup. The pills smooth out all of the wrinkles in the headliner and upholstery, but they only last four hours or so.

 

Lol, thanks for sharing Sam....another good "how to" video and one for the FAQ's

+1 on the humour and the music etc......always good for a laugh too

 

Rev - You've got to be losing sleep staying up late at night trying to figure out what to do next! But seriously, keep the videos and info coming - I have used a number of your "How To's" to my benefit, not to mention that you're sharing of information has provided a resource for others.

 

Rev...If it lasts longer than 4 hours, get it in the shop right away!!

 

I did the A-Pillars and headliner on my 2000 in black instead of the dove gray. I really like the look. I pulled the old headliner material off and used a stiff brush to remove all the left over foam.

 

Help!!!! I put the little blue pills in the tank, just like you said, and now my wipers don't work.

 

LOL!!! That's a good one!

 

Being the perfectionist that I am, I went to a couple difffernt fabric stores and didnt' like the colros of their headliner materials, one was too light, the other was to dark, another had a 'green' tone to it, so...I headed online. In a OCD frenzy, I ordered a yard of four different 'grey' headliners to match my DOVE interior. When I get them, I'll let you know the one that most closely matches the existing fabric -

From onlinefabricstore.net

• Product ID:WEH1808
  Product Name: Ox Gray Headlining Fabric Price: $12.50

From WLS Headliners

• Options: Select your headliner color: 2173 Light Gray 1 $12.75 $12.75 Headliner material 60 inch wide Code: 60_HMT
  
  Options: Select your headliner color: 2005 Med Gray 1 $12.75 $12.75 Headliner material 60 inch wide Code: 60_HMT
  
  Options: Select your headliner color: 1927 Lt Titanium
  
  

 

Matt, you can find comfort in knowing that your OCD tendencies are being used in service for others.