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Thread: DIY - Microsuede Headliner Recover - (e36 vert hardtop)

  1. #1
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    DIY - Microsuede Headliner Recover - (e36 vert hardtop)

    I just picked up a hardtop for my convertible and really wanted the headliner recovered in microsuede. Its SO HOT! I decided to make a write-up for this, since I couldnt seem to find a write-up with pics of the process. I hate write-ups that leave you stranded when you dont understand what the writer is talking about, so Ill make it pretty detailed. Dont get bored.

    I had another member here, Extemporia, help me with the install since she's done it a few times before and the install on her car is still holding up - even after a hot L.A. summer.

    1 - We went to Joann's (a fabric store) and picked up 2 and 1/4 yards of Microsuede fabric and some Headliner Glue. You want to be sure that the fabric you buy has some stretch to it for laying it nicely on any curves in the headliner. You also want to be sure the material isnt too heavy. I bought 2 cans of aerosol glue made specifically for automotive headliners. It has a stringy look when you spray it, reminded me of Silly String. This was enough for me to do the cieling and C-pillars on the hardtop for my car. You may want to pick up a little more for use on your coupe or sedan. I spent about $20 on fabric and each can of glue was $20 as well.

    Here is a pic of the glue I bought.


    2 - Obviously, you'll need to get the headliner out of the car. Start by removing the Oh-Shit handles and lights. On my hardtop, there are little covers that cover the screws that hold the handles in place. Perhaps they are used on coupe/sedan handles as well? I dont know, but these covers can be removed if you tug GENTLY on them straight out at a 90 degree angle. They have thin little guide pins that can break off if you pull in any other direction. The C-pillar lights have a little groove on the edge where you can ply them off with a flat head screwdriver. Then gently tug on the panels. They are held in by little plastic tabs that stick into the metal of the car at 90 degree angles. As for getting the headliner of the car, I cant help you with that one, as I did this with my hardtop off the car and on its stand. The best advice I can give is get creative and be gentle with it.

    In the pic, I circled in yellow the slits there the plastic tabs hold into. In circled in purple where an Oh-Shit handle attaches.


    3 - We layed the liner on 2 padded bar stools that were sitting in the garage. The original liner on my car was still in perfect shape, so we decided to lay the microsuede over it. Extemporia says that if the liner is sagging, you need to scrub it and the foam middle part off of the fiberglass mold. Use soap, water, and a stuff brush. Be careful not to get any fiberglass splinters. They are no fun because they are invisible.

    4 - Extemporia advises that it is better to glue the microsuede down little by little instead of all at once. We layed the fabric out over the mold then folded the fabric over in half to expose the backside of the microsuede and the headliner that the fabric would be glued to. Just like when you see a made bed with the corner of the comforter pulled back to expose the sheets. She sprayed the glue lightly in the side-to-side center of the top, over the fold in the fabric. She sprayed an area about one squared foot with half of it on the backside of the fabric and half on the liner. I suppose this would be directly to the rear of the sunroof, if you have one.When you spray the glue, be sure to keep your arm moving to prevent getting too much glue in one place. you DO NOT want the glue to soak through the fabric!!! After letting it dry a little (about 30-45 seconds), she folded the fabric back into place and gently pet over the glued areas to help them stick together. Let this bond for a few minutes, then tug gently up on the fabric. It should peel off a little bit, then be able carry the whole headliner with it. If it starts to peel off but shows no signs of having a stronger bond in the center of the sprayed area, you'll want to redo this and maybe use a touch more glue or not let it dry as long before setting the fabric in place.

    here is a pic of what the glue should look like when applied.


    And petting the fabric down...


    5 - Extemporia insists that it is best to start in the center, then work towards the rear, then work from the center out to the edges, then from the center to the front. She knows quite a bit about arts & crafts type stuff, plus her headliner still looks good, so I take her word for it. Be sure you test the bond of each section before moving on to the next by lifting the fabric and making sure it carries the weight of the headliner. You dont want any sags that scream out 'I did this myself!' Also, you'll want to lay out newspapers over the fabric while spraying the glue. Its messy, and you definitely dont want any glue getting on the side of the fabric that will be seen.

    Heres a funky diagram I made of the order in which we glued the fabric down. The green box is the area we started with. Dont laugh.


    6 - When its ALL glued down, flip the headliner over. Use a hot glue gun to glue the fabric down around the edge.


    Then trim it with a box cutter, scissors, or an exacto knife.




    7 - For the rectangular holes where the Oh-Shit handles (and other things) attatch, we cut an X in the fabric, and folded the corners through the hole, then glued the triangles onto the backside of the fiberglass.

    Thats about it. Installing the headliner back into the car should be the reverse of removal.

    Some pics of the finished product...


    Last edited by palomino; 11-28-2006 at 11:00 PM.

  2. #2
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    In sedans, to get the headliner out, slide the seats all the way foward, then tilt them all the way back. it should come out the driver side door with ease.

    Ive seen people do it in the rear driver door, but i dont know about that.
    ">

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    DAMN!!! I'll make you a deal, I'll buy you dinner and a bottle of your choice of poison if you help me with mine. Name the time and i'll make the drive to so-cal. THAT looks damn HOT, what a kickass job!!!!!

  5. #5
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    excellent job and nice write up
    where may i ask did you purchase the headliner glue/spray?-i'm actually doing this project on my e30 hardtop this weekend-i purchased some headliner material(black) from joann's fabric....just need some heavy duty headliner glue,thanks

  6. #6
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    I bought the glue at Joann's as well.

  7. #7
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    Thanks for the write-up! Yours looks great. Mine turned out similar, I also used black microsuede and it looks exactly like yours. On the sedans we have this hook rail right before the rear windshield, that the headliner needs to hook onto. You did not mention it, so I'm guessing you don't have it?

    I glued my edges onto the back of the headliner just like you, but forgot the hook. So I glued over the rear curve of the headliner and mine doesn't hook into the rail now. Now I've got to redo it!

  8. #8
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    good job! my interrior job starts after christmas, i'll keep you guys up to date, and this is an awesome reference for the headliner!

    thanks!
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yuen View Post
    On the sedans we have this hook rail right before the rear windshield, that the headliner needs to hook onto. You did not mention it, so I'm guessing you don't have it?
    I do have that on the hardtop, but my fiberglass is a little warped and can no longer hook into it, so I didnt think to mention it. Good point though.

    I have to figure out another way to secure mine up before the issue gets worse. The curvature of the rear edge of the fiberglass flattened itself out. Im thinking, hit it with a heat gun and find a way to hold it in place as it cools?

  10. #10
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    you are my hero

    Did the microsuede you get have any stretch to it? or is not not stretchable at all?

    edit: nvm, reread your post
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    Quote Originally Posted by roberttran View Post
    you are my hero

    Did the microsuede you get have any stretch to it? or is not not stretchable at all?

    edit: nvm, reread your post
    what a noob.

    its totally easy to awesome results if you take your time with it.

    do it on Teh Gwen while the car is all apart anyways.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by palomino View Post
    what a noob.

    its totally easy to awesome results if you take your time with it.

    do it on Teh Gwen while the car is all apart anyways.

    teh Gwen is on jack stand now and the project has started. I've already started on some interior bits and the exhaust. I might take the headliner out and have Brittie re-cover it while I'm working on other parts. We'll see

    btw, shoot me an email when you're about to do the M3 master brake cylinder swap. I'll try to get that done by mid December so I'll have a DIY for ya.
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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by roberttran View Post
    teh Gwen is on jack stand now and the project has started. I've already started on some interior bits and the exhaust. I might take the headliner out and have Brittie re-cover it while I'm working on other parts. We'll see

    btw, shoot me an email when you're about to do the M3 master brake cylinder swap. I'll try to get that done by mid December so I'll have a DIY for ya.
    sweet.

    although, i must confess that the cylinder swap is low on my list, considering that i am pretty much brokexorz.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by palomino View Post
    sweet.

    although, i must confess that the cylinder swap is low on my list, considering that i am pretty much brokexorz.
    robert brokexorz > palomino brokexorz :P

    you dont even want to know how much ive already spent since september and will spend on teh gwen
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    i bet.

    hope you spent some money on space heaters for the garage!

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by palomino View Post
    i bet.

    hope you spent some money on space heaters for the garage!
    Thanks for rubbing it in, Damn you and your warm winters :P

    And I do have a space heater, and my halogen work lamps will produce enough heat to keep me warm
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  17. #17
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    So how's it holding up?

    Okay, I'm finally getting around to replacing my saggy-ass headliner. And don't ask me why I still have my hard top on in the summer (long story, just take my advice and don't move your ragtop up and down quickly - I got stuck).

    So how is your jo-ann's microsuede holding up after all this time? Did you do the 303 Fabric Guard trick to minimize fading?

    I'm also wondering - my interior is sand but my hardtop has the standard deep gray/black (anthrazit?) color. Any thoughts on how this would look with some color-matched tan/beige? Granted the a-pillar is black and all the trim is black...

    Finally - if you agree, can one of the mods move this to the 'vert forum?
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    still looking good. no sags, no problems what-so-ever with it. i think tan would show glue bleed-through more than black would. i only had 2 spots where the glue bled through on mine. its really important to wait a while after spraying the glue, but before laying down the fabric.

    i was never able to re-attach the handle though. i cant seem to get the pin to slide through all the way to keep the handle in place. no biggie though, i just hold the handle up to the top as if it was fixed in place to lock & unlock the latches.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by palomino
    i think tan would show glue bleed-through more than black would. i only had 2 spots where the glue bled through on mine. its really important to wait a while after spraying the glue, but before laying down the fabric.
    Thanks for the tip. I may try tan on the side pillars to see how it goes. Worst case I just rip it off and start all over anyway. If I do go black microsuede, I'm half considering redoing the whole interior black anyway. As they say, once you go black... Ok, enough bad jokes.

    Any thoughts on whether there would be enough room to put dynamat or some other sound-deadening material between the fiberglass and the aluminum top? or is it an uber-tight fit (as I'd imagine)?

    Quote Originally Posted by palomino
    i was never able to re-attach the handle though. i cant seem to get the pin to slide through all the way to keep the handle in place. no biggie though, i just hold the handle up to the top as if it was fixed in place to lock & unlock the latches.
    Do you mean the center lock handle or the oh-shit handles? I can take "before" pics if you want. Lemme know.

    It's funny - the reason I've been putting this off is because I didn't know how to take off the center lock handle. It's amazing what you discover with a flashlight - a simple hex socket!

    Anyway, thanks for the tips. I'll post my results here if I they don't look too much like my summer camp projects of 25 years ago.

    BB
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    Great write up!!!

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    Don't recall this old post. That headliner looks great. Almost Alcantara like.
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  22. #22
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    Ugh, if there was a microsuede headliner for the soft top, I'd be reaching for my wallet right now. I bet that stuff sucks up road noise real nice...
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by MParallel View Post
    Don't recall this old post. That headliner looks great. Almost Alcantara like.
    You're not losing your mind. I stumbled across the post in the non-vert section of e36 and suggested it be moved here (the post predates this forum).

    As a note for those who may try this:

    Being a guy and totally out of my element at Jo Ann's fabrics, I'll share some hard earned knowledge. DON'T go to the "clothing fabric" section of the store, but rather to the "home fabric" section. The "home fabrics" come on a 53" wide roll.

    I bought 3.5 yards of the black microsuede and two cans of the glue and a table lamp (long story) for $100, but I got lucky as the fabric was on sale ($10.50/yd rather than $21)

    I plan on wrapping the headliner, the c-pillars, and the handle covers ("flap rear left" 54218153225 and "flap rear right" 54218153226)

    Will post pics when done...
    BigBilly
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  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by NiTrOuSoXiDe View Post
    Ugh, if there was a microsuede headliner for the soft top, I'd be reaching for my wallet right now. I bet that stuff sucks up road noise real nice...
    That's a great idea. If my hardtop effort doesn't end in disaster, I may just try re-covering my softtop headliner too. Considering most of the stitching is out and it needs to be replaced anyway, what could it hurt? (famous last words)
    BigBilly
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    Hey everybody - it's been a while. Glad to see BF.com is still thriving.
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  25. #25
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    I'm simply interested in the extra insulation it would provide between my passengers and the outside noise. In my old Pontiac Sunfire vert there was thick felt on the headliner and that car was VERY quiet on the road. I just don't understand why so much noise passes through the so-called quality BMW canvas top...

    That, and it looks very nice!!
    - Chris




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