New headliner done!

[PeterH]

My headliner was looking pretty sad, hanging down right across the rear of the roof, so I got to it and replaced it.
It did take a couple of days from go to woah, longer than expected, but the result is nothing short of excellent.
I thought I'd do something different and went for a dark charcoal colour instead of the original grey, and it came up suprisingly well, looks brand new now!
Here's before and after photos, thought some of you may be interested.
Cheers, Pete.

[poleonpom]

That looks fantastic!

[Robsrod 58]

Hey, pretty classy that!!

[wayneg]

You beat me to it, I have had the shell out for a good few weeks but decided to wait for some 140c glue. Needless to say I am still waiting. I have applied rubber sound insulation sheet to the underside of the roof and applied 20% tint to the sunroof glass and reflective foil fabric to the outside face of the sunroof blind whist waiting.
Yours does look smart, I would like to see it in the flesh. I have gone the opposite and have a lighter shade to go on when the glue finally arrives.

[benji]

That looks fantastic!

Did you have any troubles with the material puckering around the corners?

[PeterH]

Thanks for all the replies, I'm really happy with it!
benji, the headliner material I used was much better quality than the older style stuff, went on much more easily and was pretty forgiving with no wrinkles at all.
No problems on the corners, I did spray a bit extra adhesive into the depressions where the roof handles go to make sure it stuck in there properly.
The adhesive I got from the trimmer supplies place was 3M super 74 foam fast, it sprays on with a fine string like pattern, you spray both surfaces and it bonds on contact.

[Hoges]

Top job!! :clap2::clap2::clap2:

[mtb_gary]

Very neat modern appearance! Well done :banana::banana::banana:

[PeterH]

If any of you are considering doing this job, a few tips that might help...

You probably could do the sunroof shade without taking the entire sunroof off, but once you have the shell out it is only one electrical connector and six bolts. I got it out and back in on my own, but it would be easier with a helper to do the bolts up.
The two middle bolts on the side of the sunroof assembly will hold it in place, they should be the last to come out and first to go back in.

Have 4 new cable ties on hand to replace the old ones you need to cut off in order to remove the drain tubes.

I found my two rear sunroof drain hoses were blocked by blowing air down them, an easy fix to clear them is to put a garden hose into the end of the tubes and turn the hose on...not too much though, even fairly light water pressure will clear the hoses out nicely.
I ran water through the front ones as well, thought it was a good opportunity while they were disconnected anyway.

I also sprayed silicon spray along the sunroof guides to help lubricte things while it was apart.

The pillar covers are a bit brittle and would break easily if forced, they pull straight out at a 90 degree angle. There is a plastic cover over the middle of the seat belt feeder, that will pop off with a screwdriver, then undo the bolt, makes life much easier as you can then manouver the feeder through the pillar cover and the cover will then pull off.

Hope that helps someone!

[poleonpom]

Where did you get the cloth from? What material and thickness?

I think you did an excellent job and this is on my list as one of the things I need to do.

[PeterH]

poleonpom, there is a place called Daley's, in Leo St Fawkner, who supply headliner material as well as the proper adhesive spray cans. Daley's - Home (http://www.daleys.com.au/)
They let me into the factory to show me what vehicle headliner materials they had, so I was able to hand pick the one I wanted, which was a dark charcoal colour, but they do have pretty much the original headliner colours there as well if you prefer that.
I think it is a standard thickness, foam backed material, but you would be able to check it out for yourself.
I got 3.5 meters, which left a little bit over after doing the sunroof...better too much than not enough!

[RoverHse]

For the less adventurous of us living in Perth, I saw an advert by Sew Good Canvas and PVC Products advertising that they redo head linings. They even have a Disco as an example.

I've not contacted them, so don't know what they charging, or how good they are. Maybe they'll sell you some glue Wayneg :)

[derpomz]

My headliner was looking pretty sad, hanging down right across the rear of the roof, so I got to it and replaced it.
It did take a couple of days from go to woah, longer than expected, but the result is nothing short of excellent.
I thought I'd do something different and went for a dark charcoal colour instead of the original grey, and it came up suprisingly well, looks brand new now!
Here's before and after photos, thought some of you may be interested.
Cheers, Pete.

Did you replace the foam backing and if so how and what did you use.
What adhesive did you use and how easy was it to remove it.

[Tombie]

You beat me to it, I have had the shell out for a good few weeks but decided to wait for some 140c glue. Needless to say I am still waiting. I have applied rubber sound insulation sheet to the underside of the roof and applied 20% tint to the sunroof glass and reflective foil fabric to the outside face of the sunroof blind whist waiting.
Yours does look smart, I would like to see it in the flesh. I have gone the opposite and have a lighter shade to go on when the glue finally arrives.

Be very wary of doing this... Film tinted sunroofs often have a tendency to explode / fracture the glass when parked in direct sunlight on a hot day. :o

[benji]

I know the Delicas have the same problem with their 'moon roof'. People get them tinted and the absorb more heat.

Sent from my GT-I9305T using AULRO mobile app

[wayneg]

Be very wary of doing this... Film tinted sunroofs often have a tendency to explode / fracture the glass when parked in direct sunlight on a hot day. :o


Urban Myth I fear
in the late 80s ...Nissan sent out flyers thru our film suppliers stating that if you filmed their sunroofs that there was a great risk of them cracking. This is where the MYTH started.

Please prove me wrong, where is your evidence. My understanding its possible with certain glass types and perspex but not that used on P38 sunroofs

From a tint pro.............."It could be a problem ,One is if it's constructed of a non-glass substance. I've not heard of a non-glass sunroof, but some camaros and firebirds from the 80's had plastic T-tops.

The other is if it is made of laminated glass like a windshield. I've not heard of laminated sunroofs, either, so I doubt that's a problem."

"Any time a tempered window breaks on a car its from something hitting it or a defect in the glass itself. Window film will not cause it to break all on its own UNLESS the glass has a defect in it, Then there is a small possibility that it could happen. I have never had one break in my 18 years of tinting."

[wayneg]

Did you replace the foam backing and if so how and what did you use.
What adhesive did you use and how easy was it to remove it.

The cloth is foam backed. The sagging problems starts as the foam deteriorates over time and detaches from the cloth, water ingression from the sunroof is also an issue. This is why you need to use special foam backed cloth if you want an original finish.
The old cloth just pulls off but leaves behind the foam residue. This must be removed before you get a sound surface to stick the new cloth to. Once all cleaned up I coated the shell surface with PVA glue a few days before the new cloth went on. Have a look on youtube, there are loads of vids.

[Tombie]

Urban Myth I fear
in the late 80s ...Nissan sent out flyers thru our film suppliers stating that if you filmed their sunroofs that there was a great risk of them cracking. This is where the MYTH started.

Please prove me wrong, where is your evidence. My understanding its possible with certain glass types and perspex but not that used on P38 sunroofs

From a tint pro.............."It could be a problem ,One is if it's constructed of a non-glass substance. I've not heard of a non-glass sunroof, but some camaros and firebirds from the 80's had plastic T-tops.

The other is if it is made of laminated glass like a windshield. I've not heard of laminated sunroofs, either, so I doubt that's a problem."

"Any time a tempered window breaks on a car its from something hitting it or a defect in the glass itself. Window film will not cause it to break all on its own UNLESS the glass has a defect in it, Then there is a small possibility that it could happen. I have never had one break in my 18 years of tinting."


For starters from the Guy on this forum, who has had to replace several for customers that have cracked from the tint.

The heat reflective properties of the Sunroof and the film cause the problem as the 2 interact.

Not a myth this one, it's supported by several tint companies too...

[wayneg]

Cracked because of tint.??
A laminated windscreen will crack.
a zone toughened tempered glass sunroof ( p38 style) would shatter into a million pieces.
If mine shatters Ill get another, I doubt it will as its already sat outside for weeks on end not moving over the Perth summer

[Tombie]

No problem, and it may not happen to you..

Just passing on some genuine info.

[Tombie]

Cracked / Shattered :)

[PeterH]

derpomz, if you have a look earlier in the thread I have put up a photo of the spray adhesive supplied by the headliner supplier. It sprays on with a fine string texture, I was able to do the job with one can...just!
The material is a special foam backed headliner, comes in different colours.
When removing the original headliner, the top material just pulls straight off, leaving the residue of the old foam behind. I used a bristle scrubbing brush to go over the shell to remove the residue, then I used lacquer thinners and a brush to help dissolve what was left.
With a bit of effort it will clean up well enough to enable the adhesive to stick properly.
It's a bit of a messy job, have a dust pan and brush handy, along with a plastic bag to dump all the mess in.
Here's some photos for you, hope that helps.
Cheers, Pete.