Kinda O/T-Late model headliner question

I have a "94" Buick Roadmaster wagon.It's in pretty good shape(135'000 miles)except the headliner fabrick is pulling away from the foam backing.Trim and interior shops want way too much to replace the headliner,which is according to them,the only fix.Does anybody out there know of a way to fix this,and still make it look good. Ihave a friend with the same problem who used a spray adhesive and it melted the foam and now it looks worse.Idont want to screw this up.
any help out there?

Chuck Fish

 

Chuck..hate to break it to ya...but ya gotta replace it for best results....BUT, you can do it yer self....go to Jo Ann Fabrics... They have headliner foam in about 4 colors. I think AutoZone carries it too..but not sure. Remove all the plastic parts that hold the headliner in and pull it out the back. Strip all the old foam off...Clean up the residue with a wire brush. Get some good contact adhesive in a spray can. I suggest 3M. Follow the directions and glue the foam down... I suggest doing half at a time...rear then front. Trim and replace.... takes about an hour. IF, you can't get the material at the places I mentioned... a trim shop will sell it to you...S***ch

 

The foam seems to be in really good condition,it's just the cloth cover that is seperating from the foam and dropping down.

Chuck Fish

 

Nope...no fix...it's too thin to accept any kind of adhesive without it bleeding thru. It's the greatest thing GM and other companys did for the local trim shops...a 12 year life for all headliners

 

Let me add...I'm not a dooms day trim shop guy... I only do rod and custom...and I ALWAYS stay away from evil headliner foam/cloth. It's disposable...

 

If I'm gonna spend the money at a trim shop,can I put a real(as in naugha hide or vinyl)headliner in or am i stuck with that foam stuff?

Chuck Fish

 

No, you can have 'em do anything you want... but to save $$$$, I'd do it yourself. Most late model headliners are glued to a shell that is hard. Any shop can re-foam it with poly foam...or hard landau foam and cover it with cloth, vinyl, etc... But they are REALLY simple to do...

 

Thanks! I'll give it a try.
Chuck Fish

 

You mentioned a "real" headliner. I had a custom 80 Regal that had a bad foam headliner. Instead of replacing it with another, which wouldn't be the right color for the car anyway, I put in a real headliner. J C Whitney had a kit that you could do this with. Attaching hardware, a set of headliner bows, and a real vinyl headliner. Took about 6 hours to put it in. I don't know if they have a kit for wagons, though. Looked fantastic.