Headlining replacement guide, repair, replace fix, DIY.

Post by **Red-Arrow** » 17 Dec 2010, 20:33

HI guys.

I just realised Matthews Volvo site allows pretty good picture upload support so I can just put the images directly on here without having to host them on some other website and link them.

if a moderator can embed the images in order between the text I would be grateful.

The headlining in my 1995 T5 wagon was all kinds of saggy pants, dropping blobs of fluffy orange foam that looked like dried mince meat. I didn't even take a picture as it was so embarrassing and awful. So trust me it was fugly.

I have replaced headlining before so I figure this won't be hard, its not but patience is a must. I broke a few clips from the plastic panels, typical really. Aged clips and not knowing the correct angle to remove the panels didn't help. Be careful.

So after you unclip all the trim panels, grab handles, and courtesy light and removing the sunroof trim the whole board should be ready to be dropped down and pulled out the rear of the wagon.

: Panel removed.

Once that is done you you need to pull the old cloth off and remove all the old foam as some of it will be caked on. I used 80 grit and 120 grit to work it all off, this took me a day as I was in no rush and I was thorougher.

: panel clean up

After spraying 2 coats of Nashua 377 primer to help seal the fiber board that is very flimsy and sanding it down may have removed some strength. I let it dry for a day.

: Primer adhesive and 3m filters & a drink for doing a good job.

I then applied the 3M medium spray adhesive which is perfect for foam backed cloth. Do not use the heavy duty 3M as its designed for plastic or leather. It will soak the foam and bind the cloth down. I got the 3M from PepBoys for $17 a can. I had hoped 1 would do the whole board but no such luck. I had to buy another for the sunroof board. I was not going to skimp on glue here. To apply the glue you spray it from say a foot away and allow the adhesive to tac over, in other words make sure its not wet and once you put the foam down you CANNOT pull it up. You will rip the foam off the cloth. Care is required here, make sure the fabric has a small amount of tension in it. DO NOT stand or lean on the foam whilst its drying. It will leave an impression that won't come out. You don't need a size 12 foot print on your roof right

: Spray on primer or glue.

When spraying the 3M adhesive do it in a well ventilated area and wear a proper mark with vapour filters. Its a good idea to cover the ground with paper to protect it from over spray. Also wear some old horrible clothes and shoes because once it gets glue on them its never coming off. Gloves are highly recommended as well. Make sure you have good lighting so you can see what has and has not been sprayed with glue.

: 3m spray adhesive, medium duty. $17 each.

The headliner was purchased from a store in down town LA from a place called Micheal Lavine. $10 a yard I bought 4 yards. You need 3 yards for the main board and another yard for the sunroof.

: Grey headlining foam $40 four yards

The sun roof board comes out with easy by pressing the two clips from above but putting it back in was a nightmare! I dropped the whole sunroof assembly as I could not figure method to reinstall it. I'm still not sure how I did it to be honest.

If you go to a textile store you can buy any print you like such as Tiger, fake Snake, Sheep or what ever floats your boat

I know the cream handles look off but it will do for now. I'm not sure Volvo did grey ones? Well I hope this makes sense and has helped someone else. Like I said its not a hard job at all. it just takes time.

: refit

: side view

: side view inside

: end

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 18 Dec 2010, 07:12

Well Done!

...Lee

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 18 Dec 2010, 10:11

+1

That is a professional job if I have ever seen one.

peacock · Post by **peacock** » 18 Dec 2010, 12:58

ive often thought of replacing my headliner with that fancy suede stuff you see in top gear on dash boards of super cars. Mine is not saggin but its getting a bit dirty.

Post by **Red-Arrow** » 18 Dec 2010, 16:45

You mean alcantara suede? its expensive and much heavier than foam back fabric but it could be done I guess. Doing the dash in alcantara suede would be excellent I agree.

I forgot to mention that I had to cut the wires for the courtesy lights on the front pillars. I jointed them with crimps but I should have soldered them. Crimps as when know can be unreliable. All the wires for the lights in the roof board are ducked taped down. I could have ripped them off but why bother making more work.

This project cost me around $40 for the foam fabric. $34 for 2 cans of 3M spray adhesive, and the Nashua 377 spray glue I purchased from Big Lots for $15 for 3 cans, sand paper sheets from a Mom and Paps store 99c each, so around $91 all in. Actual labour time was maybe 4 hours but I did this over 4 days

Post by **Red-Arrow** » 18 Dec 2010, 20:11

Digging in my wife's Mac book I found a few more pictures and 2 of the hideous old headlining. This is exactly how it looked when I removed it. imagine that hanging down now

robbo · Post by **robbo** » 18 Dec 2010, 22:24

Nice job on this project. Just to clarify- the material you purchased had the foam already attached to it? My car needs this badly, sagging and dirty from previous owners large dog.

Post by **Red-Arrow** » 19 Dec 2010, 01:09

Yes its actual called foam backed fabric or head liner fabric. Any textile store worker should understand right away as its not uncommon. ( Yet only one store in LA down town fabric district had it)

The foam allows the fabric to curve into spaces that regular fabric would crease in, Grab handle curves specifically. The foam perishes over time with moisture and heat but after 15 years its understandable. There is another kind of fabric which is actual PVC made to look like leather and has a felt backing. its way to heavy to use on the board so don't buy that kind.

Also I don't recommend very dark colours for the fabric as it will make the interior very gloomy especially if you have tinted windows but this is my personal preference, if your Goth then please be my guest

hrahn · Post by **hrahn** » 21 Dec 2010, 02:43

I did the same to my T5 wagon over a year ago. The headliner was dirty because one of the previous owners was a smoker.
I sanded the remains of the old foam down though, and used a different kind of adhesive.
Mainly, because I have done stuff like this before and the usual spray glue will not stand the heat from a warm summer (can get up to 60°C inside the car), and the headliner would fall down again.

So I used "Kovulfix" which is a shoe glue and comes in tubes and also in little cans (300ml). I needed 3 cans for the whole roof, application goes like this:
Use a brush and cover about 30cm of the headliner with the glue. Wait 10mins for it to create a murky film and it is "dry" to the touch. Just when you think: "That's it, nothing will stick to this anymore" apply the cloth with some good pressure - shoe glue is "pressure activated" - the more firm you press (not the longer) the more lasting the bond gets, yet it still stays flexible and will withstand temperatures up to 100°C.
To get even pressure without flattening/soaking the foam on the back, especially in the handle cavities, I used a shoe brush (was a tip from a upholstering company).
The cloth I used has about 3mm foam backing and is flexible in both directions - very important because the headliner has a lot of little bulges, especially if you have a sunroof.

To get the handles in the desired colour, I used spray paint from "Foliatec", their "Interior Spray" line creates a strong bond with the plastic underneath, it penetrates it to a certain degree so that even light scratches appear in the painted colour!
Great stuff, have done a few interiors with it now without any problems.

Here's how mine turned out:

As for the colour: mine's pitch black, and I fitted the dark-grey pillar covers from a V70 as well as T5-R seats (had dark grey leather before) - feels very comfy. Didn't like the bright interior before at all, somehow the car felt "cheaper" with it because it always remembered me of that dull light grey plastic from the usual minivans.

Rollin On · Post by **Rollin On** » 10 Feb 2011, 22:24

Hello all. I'm getting all my gear together to take on the headliner of my '94 850 Wagon this weekend and have a question regarding the following quote from Red-Arrow.

Red-Arrow wrote: There is another kind of fabric which is actual PVC made to look like leather and has a felt backing. its way to heavy to use on the board so don't buy that kind.

As I have a big black dog my currently saggy tan headliner is almost completely covered with dark hair. My goal was to replace the headliner with said PVC faux leather material (which I have already purchased). It is the perfect material for my needs, wondering if you had tried it previously and it didn't work? As I haven't pulled out the current headliner board I can't say how sturdy it is.