TheSamba.com :: View topic - Pulling, and reinstalling headliner--Possible?

Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:12 am

Hey,
I will be fully sound deadening the bus after a short while, and am going to be needing to pull the headliner out of the bus, and reinstall it. Do you think there will be any troubles with this? Is there a better way to do it than another? I've never pulled a headliner before, and really do not want to replace it. For those of you who are a bit more experienced in this field, do you think it would be possible to pull down half (or so) of the headliner, apply the sound deadening, and remount the part pulled down, and do the same with the other half?

Thanks in advance,

Thu Jul 24, 2008 3:50 am

yes it is possible, but be careful not to rip it. by comparison, new headliners are a nightmare. the one i bought from WW was defective, and they did not offer to replace it when i complained, so i had to fix the problem myself.

Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:44 am

Leave the headliner alone. If you do the bottom half rite; you'll get the same results.

Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:24 am

So okay, who makes the best headliner, and how much of a pain is it to replace? Also, do you have to remove the windows to do it, or can it be done with them all in place?
My headliner is original, but ripped and hanging in a couple of places. I was hoping to replace it myself, but looks like a monster job, and I'd rather not remove the windows if I don't have to. :?

Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:43 am

I will be doing this bus all out and it will be nearly necessary to put SOME sound deadener on the roof. Tons of sound resonates off of the tin can roof of our buses. I will be taking the windows out to paint, should I wait until I take the windows out to try and tackle this, or use them to help me keep it up as I place the sound deadener?

Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:56 am

All the windows except the rear hatch, front doors and the slider have to come out, the back clips into a groove first so you can only take it down from the front to back. I've never had great success recycling headliners, do it on a warm day and work slowly, the corners over the windows rip really easy. The area over the cab doors will be tough to get back in as you have no excess to hold onto when stretching and tucking.

I did a doublecab for a guy a few years ago and he didn't want any soundproofing in the roof, it has to be one of the loudest vehicles I've seen and he's still kicking himself for cheaping out.
You may want to wait until you paint and do it all then.

Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:21 am

I to wanted to add additional insulation to inside roof area. After removing old headlinner i found that the orginal insulation was intact and good. I added only 2 new sections. Buy a new headlinner if you are going this far.
I removed all window at the time of installation of new headlinner. This made the job easier but it is a long time consumming job, but well worth it. :D
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Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:03 pm

Ouch,
The more I see and hear the more this sounds impossible. How much is a new headliner? Are there any companies that are by far the best manufacturer of them?

If I do decide to do it, a hot day shouldn't be hard to come by... :roll:

Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:35 am

Remove the windows. Remove the headliner. Clean all the junk out. Maybe even prime or coat the ceiling. Prep and paint exterior. Put in your new insulation. Then do a new headliner. Then new window seals.

I used a Sewfine headliner in the bug. Excellent quality and good instructions. Absolutely no comparison between SF's and the other ones.

Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:23 pm

Question on this for you all... i know you are talking about existing or new headliner, but if i were to use masonite or baltic birch as a headliner i would not need to remove my windows correct?

Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:52 am

Correct. But if you want to put in a wood ceiling like in a Westy camper it would probably be a bigger job than pulling the windows for a vinyl headliner. Assuming your bus allready had a vinyl headliner. Forget using masonite.

Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:57 am

The PO paneled mine. Not the best job but it's well insulated.

jim

Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:06 am

Hm...I didn't think about paneling it. What are the advantages/disadvantages? I'm assuming the paneling would turn out as an all around cheaper modification than replacing the headliner, am I correct?

Would Masonite be the best option?

Any tips on mounting?

Also,
Diggin' the purple curtains jamesdagg!

Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:10 am

masonite is heavy in that quantity which will effect mileage. birch is much lighter

Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:41 pm

I think I've decided to use birch. I did some searching on here and decided to try and track down a few 5'x5' 3mm birch panels. I'll be painting them with a semi gloss exterior enamel in white. Can anyone offer tips to mounting the wood to the roof?

Also,
Can someone please post a pic of the rear corners of the bus without the headliner in?

Thanks in advance!

Sun Aug 03, 2008 10:13 pm

NinetyEight wrote: Can anyone offer tips to mounting the wood to the roof?

Track down a Westy camper somewhere and study how the ceiling is installed. See what parts are needed and then start trying to find the parts.

Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:11 pm

I've decided to buy a factory style headliner for our 71 Bus & modify it, so the window rubber doesn't hold it in place! It will be mounted just above the windows & a chrome strip or maybe an aluminum strip will cover the mounting screws & edge of the material!
I've looked at a bunch of Buses with factory headliners & a few with a custom-fit headliners & after much thought & design, finally came up with my design.
Since the interior was painted when the Bus was almost 7 years ago, I don't want the material between the windows either. I'll install the grab handle straps & make a few trim pieces & it should come out real well!
When I get started, I'll try to take some photos.

Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:27 pm

Sounds like a killer plan.

That was going to be the route i was going to go if I decided to keep the stock headliner. I think I've come to the conclusion that I'll be doing the same as you, only instead of the stock headliner I will use birch painted white.

I'm going to be running curtain tracks along the edges, and I'm thinking of putting a shield type front plate in front of the curtain tracks which will conceal the curtain tracks, the exposed edge of the headliner, and will have custom LED lights mounted in them.

Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:32 pm

Hey manxmaniac,
Please keep track of how your project comes out, and what you did to accomplish it. I need to replace my old original headliner, but I don't want to remove my windows. I had them tinted, and I'm afraid that the tinting film would be ruined in the process. :?

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:52 pm

In my opinion, if your going to take down the old vinyl headliner, I would put up wood. I've never done a vinyl headliner before, but I heard if you've never done it, it can be a pain, at least if your a perfectionist. wood is super cheap and fairly easy in my opinion to install. Your going to have to get some aluminum groove slots for the wood to slide into, which you can pick up from your local homedepot, also, pick up a few sheets of either birch or some sort of flexible door skin, then some sealer and stain or polyurethane of your choice. Cutting out the headliner panels is easy, I could give you the dimensions of what sizes you need if your interested in giving it a shot. I like vinyl headliners when they are super clean and white, but its hard to beat nicely finished wood. The one I did came out smooth as marble, I didn't expect it to come out like it did and it was about a 2 day process. Whatever you do, good luck with it!