Correct Headliner for 1967 Samba

[Tizian]

Hi Bullis,

this is my frist thread at the Samba although I have been reading for years now! So high time to contribute a little.

I am about to do some testing with digital printing on vinyl and this is what I am planning to do:

Get some correct headliner material in wolkenweiß (which should be cloud white in English) and correct texture, or at least try to match best.

Create a digital dot pattern.

Make some testing in printing and veryfication on dots and color and durability.
Printing method is already developed and applied on various products. So the testing will be mostly limited to the specific headliner material if the print is durable or not.

Get some of the vinyl printed and the rest perforated.

Take all the material to my headliner specialist who has the correct sewing patterns as per original.

Get it installed.

Now sounds like a plan but surely will be a demanding one.

Unfortunately my original headliner got scrapped. So I have to recall which portions were printed an which were perforated. I remember the sunroof headliner to be printed. The ones which were glued to the body and panels were printed. How about the rest? Above drivers seat to the air channel and rear part. Were theese the only ones to be perforated? I can’t remember. Or was the whole headliner printed for the 67 samba? Does anyone have images of the original?

I’ll keep you updated on my testing results...

Grüße
Olli

[Tizian]

These are some images of the original before it got torn out:

None of those look perforated to me...

Olli

[Tizian]

Here is the correct pattern.

I got confirmation that the headliner was all printed... Does everyone agree on that?

I meassured the pattern on one of my ragtop bows. These strips of liner are glued on the bows for protective purpose only and the pattern's orientation is rotated by 90 degrees in comparison to the actual liner in the car.

So point to point distance transversal is 15mm and longitudinal 10mm.
Point diameter is 1.2mm

[ozinbc]

good luck with the project- lots of interest in the non perforated lining. The perforated head lining began at the rear of the sunroof to the rear hatch. Presumably condensation towards the rear explains why?
Everything towards the front was black dot only.
_________________
the invisible and the non existent look very much alike

[Tizian]

Thanks!

I heard that there also was an all printed version. Can anybody confirm?

[Tizian]

Here comes the digital repro...

Let’s see how the print turns out...

Olli.

[ted698]

OK - not a Samba - but I have a 1967 11w non sunroof and everything in the bus is printed dot pattern except the last panel in the headlining, which starts at the rear of the last window to rear hatch, and that is fully perforated.

It took me years to realise this, and in fact someone pointing it out to me on a forum and I didn't believe them until I saw it with my own eyes!

I've never known why just one panel is perforated and all others are dot printed

[BarryL]

This has been my take on it but only my opinion. The painted dot areas were where either wind from the sunroof or moisture condensation could drip onto a passenger. The perforated area was to provide ventilation to dry the condensation. The painted dot areas where glue is don't let the glue seep out the holes. I think different years had mixed perforated and painted areas.

[Tizian]

[Tizian]

Printing tests are done...

Dot print vs perforation

Solid color

The print turns out a bit glossy

Did some cleaning tests.

1. Water and soap: No problems at all

2. Cleaning solvent based on petrol: If not rubbed firmly the print withstands even that and dries up leaving no traces!

3. Alcohol: like 2.

All in all not too bad in my opinion!

[BarryL]

Wow great effort producing that product. Do you know how the original dots were applied? Where they done with a pressure or with a spray? How are yours applied if you are allowed to divulge? What is the black (or color) made out of?

[Tizian]

[ozinbc]

Can I second what a great effort this is. I have a complete NOS headliner for the later split bus- black dot used on all areas where glue was used. The perforated section was only to the rear of the sunroof- I have a 21 window, and was the roof section only. The sliding roof liner is black dot.
When I get it out I will take a pic of all the bits unmolested. It will soon no longer be NOS.
_________________
the invisible and the non existent look very much alike

[Pau]

yesterday I saw with my eyes that dots are printed. Only last panel has holes (have a 1967 21window as well)

Thank you for teaching! Keep on your progress, maybe one day I will need your headline due to mice nesting...

Vielen dank!
_________________
Freedom for the Catalan Countries
Si ens destrossen les contrades alçarem les barricades !!*!!

[Tizian]

Thanks everyone! This is great help!

And just for the sake of completeness: The direction of the front part (front edge of sliding roof forward until sunvisors) is rotated by 90 degrees compared to the other bits. So here we have the smaller dot spacing going in direction of the cars width vs. the rest is orientated longitudinal. Not nice but original.

Grüße

[zozo]

FWIW, my 65 standard transitions at the back of the front most popout.

[ozinbc]

Hi zozo - does your bus have 6 pop outs? I thought standards had pop outs at the level of the rear seat only?
_________________
the invisible and the non existent look very much alike

[zozo]

[Tizian]

[zozo]

Just in front of the middle seat. That window you see in the pic is the first popout, just behind the bulkhead.

Just above my dogs tail.