I got my vinyl headliner in but the it won't shrink up like they all told me it would. First tried hairdryer, then got a heatgun, right now I have a Halogen lamp sitting in there sitting in there to warm it up. Anyone have any tips to help me out? Will a steamer help. I don't really know how to describe it's status but I'll do my best. It is fairly taunt with a tiny bit of sagging and some wrinkles diagonally front to rear about half way back and on the rear pillars. MAybe I didn't get this thing in tight enough . I could live with it the way it is but would like to get it better so I don't have to hear everyone elses*****. Oh yeah there is no windows in it yet sO I can't roll them up and park it out in the sun. Help Please Chris
Vinyl, so I don't know if this would work, but how about spraying some water on the area then hit it with the blow dryer? Orrrr, spray alcohol (rubbing type, not the good stuff) on the area and blow dry it?! Maybe?
<font color="green"> Just a few random thoughts strung together here... Before we send the Simulators we build out the door, we wrap them in a heavy white plastic that is then heated with a propane "fan" torch. It is a gun that shoots a fan of flames, similar to the pattern of a paint gun. The plastic shrinks to fit and becomes taut. This makes for a water tight seal and is easier to tarp on the trucks. Anyway, back in the day, I had the opportunity to help with this process, I learned that if you have wrinkles in one area and concentrated on those wrinkles, they would sometimes become worse. The trick was to start heating in the center of that area and work outward. causing the material to shrink in the surrounding areas was sometimes more effective than trying to shrink the wrinkles. Don't know the method you're using but maybe this will help? Oh yeah, DON"T use a propane torch! RASHY</font>
I think RASHY got it right. You prolly already shrunk on the wrinkle.So there may be no more to get. Try going paralell to the winkle at like 3" increments.May not work but sounds good.---Feder
I'll try and get a picture tomorrow. I did think of the heating next to the wrinkles first but after that didn't work I started heating everything. I don't have a clothes steamer. & Jeem I wouldn't call it minor issues, more so medium. Thanks CHris
If the headliner sags between the bows, it needs to be pulled tighter from front to back. If you have wrinkles running front to back between the bows, it needs to be pulled tight side to side. If the wrinkles are running diagonally between the bows and they start halfway back, you've probably got the headliner crooked. Try running your fingers along the bow at the rear of the wrinkles, like you're trying to straighten the diagonal wrinkles. Then pull it tight side to side. If the wrinkles in the rear area are vertical, try pulling it tight at the bottom with one hand, and then stretching the headliner either toward the front of the back, whichever gets rid of the wrinkles. If they're horizontal wrinkles, just pull them out from the bottom. Little diagonal wrinkles at the bows near the windows can usually be removed by pulling down w/ one hand and running your fingers along the seam at the bow, pulling the wrinkle out at the bottom. After you're sure you got it tight using these methods, then hit it w/ the heat gun, around the outside of the wrinkle first, in a circle, then slowly move into the center of the circle, heating the wrinkle itself. By the time you get to the center, the outside is cooling and shrinking, pulling out the heated wrinkle in the center. Hope this makes sense and helps!!
Will try the circle thing. I used that chrome bubble insulation stuff on the roof so the bows are up real tight against the roof skin making it hard to move the headliner at all.
With the headliner being vinyl, a steamer wouldn't really work anyway. It kinda sounds like it may not have been pulled straight in the rear area, and should just be unhooked and tried again. It's tough to tell without seeing it. JP
Unhook it all, heat it and then pull it all tight again.....front to back and then from one side to the other. {I hope you haven't trimmed it already though!} Keep the area you're working on warm. I used a hot glue gun to do my headlining and it worked well. Used alligator clips to hold the headlining while the hot glue cooled. Enabled me to move very quickly. Took me and hour and a half to do my headlining.
If the bows are real tight on the roof.you may find that the cotton tubes that the bows are in are held too tight to slide on the bows.Try putting a finger each side of the bow and working towards the side at as close to 90 degrees to your wrinkles.I hope this makes sense
The headliner is already trimmed glued up with contact cement. Are you guys sure a steamer won't help?
The guy that sold me the headliner said I should try and heat up the glue and take the rear down and start over. I'll try and get some pics at lunch.
A clothes steamer will work. Also the new steam things that are available to clean your bathroom without chemicals, may work. It will get tighter as time goes on. Don't worry, it'll look good.
If this thing is really loose you must tightin it up. After that you can take a bath towel and wet it good then use a hot iron on the towel to the headlinner, if you do this several times it will shrink and do a good job.--TV
OK thanks guys. I forgot my camera but will try and get a picture on tomorrow. My front 3 bows move fore and aft so I think i might just pull the front of the headliner back off and pull those forward to take up some more slack. that should be simple enough, I just din't want to pull the rear off cuz I have mega glue back there. Thanks again
Before After I ended up pulling off the front and pulling all the bows forward and re-stuffing above the doors. Took up a lot of slack and I think it will be fine ( it actually looks worse on camera than in person). It is definetely liveable to my tastes as is for my first one, but I gonna try and steam a little more. Let me know if you guys have any more advice. Thanks Chris
<font color="green">I had a friend redo the headliner in his 72 Challenger and he "Anal Andy'd" the thing to death. He got it so tight that when it did shrink up, it pulled loose and was too small to go back. Keep in mind that it was the highest quality liner JC Whitney sells. RASHY </font>
From what I can see, it needs to be pulled tighter side to side. That will get most of those wrinkles running front to back out of there. If the bows are too tight against the roof insulation, sometimes there's another hole to put the bows into that's a little lower. Then pull with one hand at the edge of the seam, above the windows, while running your other hand along the seam. I don't think steaming is gonna get those wrinkles out, you should pull 'em out. But I gotta tell ya, for a first time you did pretty good- I've seen alot worse!!!
If you could get it alittle tighter the iron and wet towel really will do the job, I've seen it done many times.--TV
Thanks but I think I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead. I don't feel like ungluing all that back by the 1/4 glass. I have a halogen lamp in there pointing up and it's real humid here, I think it's actuallu helping.
[ QUOTE ] If you could get it alittle tighter the iron and wet towel really will do the job, I've seen it done many times.--TV [/ QUOTE ] I tried the iron thing last night and I think that helped too. Will try it again when I replenish the water in my body, I think I sweated a gallon out last night in my garage with the steam and all.
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