headliner installation

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bill hauck
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headliner installation

Post by bill hauck »

Can this be done by a regular idiot or is it best left to a body shop??
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

Well there are quite a few people on here who have done it themselves, and it does require removing the rear (and I believe rear side windows), so I had a shop do it for me - others more ambitious have done a real nice job (like Scruffy for instance). I think a regular joe can do it with the right amount of patience. Good luck! John
bill hauck
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headlilner

Post by bill hauck »

thanks for the reply. I have a DVD that shows how it is done. Might take a shot at it myself. If it is a six hour job, I would imagine a pro would charge quite a bit to do it.
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

Since you have the DVD I would suggest to "Go for it", that's exactly the approach I would take if I were going to do the job...a picture (or video in this case) can make the job 100 times easier. Good luck!
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scruffy
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Post by scruffy »

Nice thing about doing it yourself you can see what is up there [rust etc] and take care of it.add some sound proofing whatever. It was not a real difficult job,just take it slow!don't worry about the tiny wrinkles,the material kinda shrinks after it is installed.careful with the adhesive,makes it kinda tuff to get off.[overspray]. rear window to reinstall was alot easier then the front by far. Have fun and let us know how you come out :)
66vw,62vwtrike,71vw super project car and 73vw bus,and one sometimes understanding wife
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

I didn't think the front window had to come out - I thought the headliner tucked in to the roof before it reached the front window (without my bug here I am lost for a visual), am I wrong?
volksbugusa
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Post by volksbugusa »

hello
i have done several headliners in my garage.you must remove all of the glass.do not attempt to complete the project with out doing this step. the reason is the headliner would crease and one of the steps in avoiding this is a series of slits that must be made thru each window. the headliner sits on a series of figerglass stringers which move and adjust,and you have to deal with the side grippers.if you are handy you will not have a problem installing.only use 3m spray adhesive,you will need a hair dryer.and very clean hands..any questions just send me an email.the how to do cd's are your ticket
mdazzo@optonline.net
Last edited by volksbugusa on Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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scruffy
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Post by scruffy »

The headliner itself wasn't bad for me,the door posts were the real pain to get them to look right especialliy[sp] near the floor along rear quarter panels.
66vw,62vwtrike,71vw super project car and 73vw bus,and one sometimes understanding wife
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elkluvadore
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Post by elkluvadore »

If you havent started I would warn, don't, I have seen many headliners done well, but many more that looked like shiz, have a professional do it, they dont charge over 400$ but it will look and last great
A volksie thanks,
Max
bill hauck
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headliner installation

Post by bill hauck »

Matt:

would you recommend a crushed grain vinyl vs. a perforated vinyl for the headliner?? wouldn't have to worry about the glue seeping through as much. I can easily return the one I have and exchange it for the crushed vinyl.
bill hauck
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headliner

Post by bill hauck »

Got the headliner installed this afternoon.

all things considered, it looks great!! Is it picture perfect, no it isn't. But it looks pretty nice, I think. If I had to do it again, it may be best to wait until it is warmer, but it didn't make much difference, really.

Like others, I did have some problems with the B post/windlace pieces and will try to see if I can get some replacement pieces. JBugs won't sell just these pieces but maybe Sewfine will. The Jbugs DVD is quite helpful.

Bottom line: If you have unlimited funds you can certainly pay $400 or more to have it done. If you don't, it isn't that big of a deal to do it your self.

Many thanks to Matt and all others who provided information on this.
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

Congrats Bill! I'm sure it feels great to have that behind you!
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elkluvadore
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Post by elkluvadore »

sweet, you have quite the touch then
A volksie thanks,
Max
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scruffy
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Post by scruffy »

excellent, Once it warms up you'll notice any wrinkles that you may notice,fold marks etc will magically disapear,mine did anyway! 8)
66vw,62vwtrike,71vw super project car and 73vw bus,and one sometimes understanding wife
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