| RENEWING THE HEADLINER IN YOUR XR4TI Difficulty Level 4 Difficulty scale: Adding air to your tires is level one Rebuilding a 911 Motor is level ten By Rich Franco and Richard Curtis Got that sagging headliner common to nearly all Merkurs? Have you already tried fixing it by spraying glue into a hole you�ve poked into the sagging fabric, or worse, tried the heavy-duty staple gun and randomly tacked the sagging material? Redoing your headliner is a fairly easy job and among the most gratifying restoration projects you�ll ever do to your Merkur; so what are you waiting for? You have a few options to consider in this project. First, you could just drop the car off at your local auto upholstery shop and ask them to fix it. The bill could exceed $250 (est) for materials and labor. Second, you save the labor expense by pulling the headliner yourself and have an upholstery shop put new material on the cardboard at an estimated cost of $75. Finally, for an estimated $40-60 and about 3-4 hours of time investment, do the whole thing yourself. THE CAUSE I�ll refer to the material on the headliner as �mouse skin.� The skin comes from the factory in approximately �� thick foam backing that is glued onto cardboard (its more like fiberboard). Over time the foam deteriorates and crumbles, and the mouse skin sags as a result. Squirting some adhesive up into a hole punched in the fabric will not work; its been tried before. The problem is that the skin is separating from the foam backing and you end up with glue soaked cloth. The old foam is really nasty crumbly stuff and it needs to be removed with a wire brush before anything will stick to the board. So the only way is to yank the board and start fresh. REMOVING THE HEADLINER Removing the headliner is pretty straightforward. Begin by removing every interior side plastic panel. They are all held on with screws so get your reversible power screwdriver with a Phillips head bit and get to it. I started from the front and worked to back but it makes no difference. From the front: A-pillar covers, visors (disconnect the electrical lead on the passenger side visor vanity light), the overhead handles, sail panels, seat belt anchors, everything. The caps covering the screw holes in the overhead handles pry right out to reveal the screws. The overhead light console screws are easily accessed by opening the sunroof since they are on the top of the car. You�ll also need to loosen the plastic trim panels that hold the rear speakers (the rear seat belt hold-down bolts are the most aggravating thing of all, I think). No need to remove any of the moon roof hardware except for the winding handle. You will have to remove the u-shaped trim around the opening of the moon roof; it pries right off. You don�t remove the moon roof screen as that tucks back into the compartment for the moon roof glass. Once everything is unscrewed, the headliner will slide out through the hatch very easily but having a helper makes things even easier. INSTALLING NEW HEADLINER MATERIAL Trying to salvage the old headliner won�t work. Since installing a new one is fairly cheap and looks incredibly better and you might as well do the job right, especially if your going to take the time to remove the headliner anyway. We bought bulk mouse skin material at an automotive trim shop. They sell the material by the yard and it comes in a variety of colors and thickness. We have done several headliners and have used material that was 0.125� and 0.25� thickness. The 0.125� thickness is closer to stock, but its no more or less difficult to use than 0.25� thickness and the end result looks nearly identical. I used the 0.25� thickness in my XR and was able to match the old headliner color almost perfectly. You will need about 2 square yards of material and I paid about $20. You need to buy professional grade glue. We used 3M Products No. 08090. This glue is expensive: $18 a can and it takes just a little over one can but you can get away with just one can. Also recommended is "Super Bond Trim Adhesive" by SOSMETAL Maintenance Products (for professionals; part number No. 211417) and is about the same price. Both of these products were available on the shelf at our local trim shop. There is also a product sold by Pep Boys named �Heads Up� which is a kit that includes gray mouse skin and glue. The headliner material was of the 0.125� thickness and very close to stock in appearance. The skin was good but we do not recommend the glue. We used this product in one XR and the headliner was sagging within one week. The XRs done with either the professional grade 3M or Sosmetal product have lasted more than one year and are still holding up great. Strip off the old headliner material; mine came right off. Use a stiff wire brush to clean off as much of the old glue as possible from the cardboard liner. The old glue is yellowish-orange and very nasty. The more you get off the better although getting the old panel absolutely clean isn't imperative. The foam backing on the new headliner material will disguise any old balled-up glue that you leave behind. This is one reason that the 0.25� thickness material may be a better choice than the stock appearing thinner material. Be sure to clean your hands REALLY well before handling the new material. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH Start with a clean work area on the floor of your garage. You�ll want to ensure you have appropriate ventilation, as is normal precaution with any glue. Lay out a good amount of newspaper on your working surface and lay the headliner cardboard with the side to be glued FACE UP. Position the new �mouse skin� glue side DOWN. Take time to position the material just right so that there is equal amounts of overhang on all sides. There should be about an inch or two of excess around the entire panel. Then fold the mouse skin back at the � point as shown in the picture. Spray a good coat of glue on the headliner cardboard and the folded back portion of the mouse skin and allow time for the glue to set up. Then carefully press the glued portion of the skin onto the cardboard working from the center out toward the sides, working out any bubbles or wrinkles that may develop. Be advised that once the glued fabric meets the glued panel, it's stuck pretty much forever so caution would be a good thing. Once you are done with the first half, repeat the process for the second half. After you've gotten the material attached to the panel, go back and trim off the excess with a sharp razor. We folded about a half-inch of material around to the backside of the panel to make a trim appearance (this is where the thinner headliner material is slightly easier to work with. Also cut out the section for the moon roof, trimming carefully and wrapping the excess up over the top of the moon roof hole. You are now ready to reinstall the cardboard with new skin back into the car. Installation is the reverse of removal. Most difficult part of the entire operation was reattaching the trim piece around the moon roof opening. You really have to work at getting that trim over the new material. Just take your time and it will go on. PITFALLS The most obvious pitfall is that you get bad air bubbles or wrinkles as you press the new skin down into position. The other obvious pitfall is that you don�t leave enough overhang and end up with visible cardboard showing. Less obvious is that the leads for the antenna and rear speakers run along the passenger side of the roof line. When reinstalling the interior panels on that side of the car, be sure not to ground these wires. I unintentionally drove one of the screws that secure the overhead handle on the rear passenger side into a speaker wire and grounded out the entire sound system. I had to undo the entire headliner to finally find the culprit. OPPORTUNITIES While you're doing the headliner, you may want to take the time to PAINT the plastic trim. Spray paint especially made for plastic is available from auto paint stores. Choose a color that matches your interior and go for it. You may also want to take the time to fix that clogged moon roof drains or repair that broken rear hatch antenna wire. The whole job took about 3 hours with lots of breaks but could really be done in about 90 minutes. Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 10:52:29 -0800 From: Ken Sandberg <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Remove Sunroof to Removing the Headliner??? Stan, The sunroof generally does not have to be removed to get the headliner out. The inside molding easily pulls out. After that, open the sunroof and from the outside top of the car, look down at the black metal sunroof frame that is screwed down. Unscrew the frame and you'll be able to lift it up just a little bit. The headliner is lightly glued in this area and just requires that you gently pull the fabric out. Once you have done that, the headliner will be free of the sunroof. Subj: Re: [Merkurowners] Headliner Adhesive Date: 08/10/2000 10:02:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: [email protected] (Dean Hedin) To: [email protected] > My headliner is beginning to sag a little. Anybody have suggestions on > fixing and what would be the right adhesive to buy for the repair work. Your best bet is to just replace the headliner. What you are seeing is the actual sseperation of the cloth from the foam backing. Any glue you spray in there will soak through the cloth. The headliner replacement job is not that bad. I was able to purchase gray healiner material (1/4 foam back) from a local fabric store for about $20. This material is thicker than original but it fits and looks just fine. The procedure for the Scorpio is to remove the overhead console and all the plastic trim. The headliner cardboard can then be removed through the rear hatch. Pull the cloth off and use a wire brush to remove the old foam. Many have posted certain types of spray on adhesive. I have found that the brush on contact cement is more secure and less expensive. Just apply the glue, let it set, and then place the material over the cardboard. You can then trim off the excess headliner material after it is in place. I believe the above is applicable to the XR as well. Total time for the job is about 3-4 hrs. While you're doing the headliner, take the time to PAINT the plastic trim. I chose a gray that matched the leather. Spray paint especally made for plastic is available from auto paint stores. Don't forget to paint the screw heads !! This is THE MOST GRATIFING PROJECT I'VE DONE SO FAR. This is also the time to fix roof drains or put in a new roof antenna. How about a light bar ?? Subj: [NOVAMOG] Headliner replacement Date: 05/20/2001 8:32:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Saturday, I finished replacing my XR's headliner; it had just begun to droop and I wanted it fixed before Carlisle. The No. Virginia Merkur Owners are having a Headliner Replacement Day on Sunday, May 27. This was my 2nd personal XR headliner replacement; last year, the NOVA group did three others in which I assisted. A write-up on how to do this r/r is posted in several places on the Web (Merkur Encyclopedia, for one) but here is some further information: Removing the headliner took 25 minutes (yes, this was quicker than my first time. I've learned a few things.) Things to look for: After rolling the sunroof all the way back, remove two screws that hold on the thingie to which the overhead map light console is attached; the console won't come out otherwise. Be sure to remember which screws came out of which holes. This will greatly speed reassemble. Note that the passenger visor has electrical connections at BOTH attachments. It is important to remember this at the earliest stage on reassembly. To remove the two "snap" fittings at extreme rear center of headliner, rotate the fittings (there is a common screwdriver slot) 90 degrees, then pry out gently. Otherwise, you'll snap them off. Replacements available at auto parts story, or auto upholstery store. After removing the headliner, simply strip off the material. Using a wire brush remove all the old yucky glue/stuff. Be careful not to get it (a) on you; (b) on the new material; (c) on anything you value. Especially anything the spouse values. Specifically follow directions on the glue. If you use the commonly available 3M spray contact adhesives, be sure to apply two coats, one at 90 degrees to the other (that's what the directions say). Don't be stingy with the glue. I used a half can of Sosmetal spray contact adhesive (couldn't find anymore; it is $14/can) and 1.25-1.5 cans of 3M part no. 8088 spray contact adhesive (about $11/can). I used a LOT of the 3M stuff. Cut the new material slightly oversize (mine was bought at 1.66 yards, 54 inches by 48 inches, cost $27.00) because you'll need to lap about an inch over to the backside of the headliner board. I used a razor for trimming. Be sure to cut holes in all the appropriate places so that you can reassemble the headliner into the car. This is FAR easier to do BEFORE you put the headliner back into the car. Glueing, cutting the new fabric took about 30 minutes. Reinstallation took about 2 hours, working slowly and by myself. The time-consuming part is finding the holes into which to drive the screws. Don't forget those electrical connections for the passenger vanity mirror. Yes, you will have to disassemble all the plastic trim pieces that "touch" the headliner, including removing the upper front seat belt bolts and both bolts that secure the rear seat belts. A power screwdriver speeds things along considerably. Other tools used: One normal size Phillips-head screwdriver and one very small Phillips-head screwdriver (to use for one screw near the upper rear seat belt mount)(+ power driver), flat-tip screwdriver, 17mm socket & wrench, and wire brush. You might want to refer to a Foul-Language Dictionary occasionally. In the previous headliner article for the Merkur Encloypedia, I wrote that the 2nd time I did this r/r, it would take about 90 minutes. I was WAY wrong. Maybe, just maybe, it might be done in 2 hours IF IF IF you could find all the screw holes easily when reassembling. Of course, having a friend to help you would speed things up considerably. Hope this helps someone. Richard Curtis Fairfax Station, Va. 87XR (almost ready for Carlisle |