Headliner on my head!

[Anonymous]

I have a 1980 Mustang. The blue vinyl headliner fabric has separated from the support board. Anybody have any suggestions on the best way to fix this?

[795.0pacecar]

Pull it down and use spray contact cement to glue it back to the board.

[RACECAP97]

I would recommend 3M spray adhesive. Its expensive though. If you do use it a little goes a long way, I did this with my old headliner. Same problem.

[795.0pacecar]

I used some sort of contact cement that I ordered off 50resto when i put in a new headliner a few weaks ago.

[Hissing Cobra]

I had this same problem in my Cobra. I took out the cardboard backing and peeled the rest of the material off of it (be careful not to tear it if you're reusing it). I then took some lacquer thinner on a rag and continuously wiped the factory adhesive/foam until it was all removed from the cardboard. This will take a bit of time, and a few rags, but when you're done, you'll virtually have a new clean surface in which to work. Be careful to do this in a well ventilated area, extinguish any pilots/flames, and lay all rags flat on a cement floor for a few days when done to prevent spontaneous combustion (you don't need your house/garage burning to the ground!).

Once the cardboard and headliner have been removed and cleaned, a can of Permatex headliner adhesive can then be sprayed onto the cardboard and also to the back of the headliner. Let them get tacky and then press together. Reinstallation should be very easy if you have gotten this far. Just follow your instincts.

For what it's worth, I ended up buying a new piece of vinyl at my local fabric store ($8.00), so I didn't have to worry about cleaning the back of my factory installed fabric/vinyl.

Total cost for this project was less than $20.00! Good luck! :wink:

[Anlushac11]

Standard Mustang problem, especially if your a tall person.

Ford used a water soluable powdered glue. It works loose if it gets expoased to moisture, and htere is always moisture.

I have had this happen on every Stang I have owned.

I took mine down and used a stiff broom to scour away the rest of the loose glue, sprayed board down with 3M adhesive, let it set for a minute, then set the board down carefully on some new cloth I bought and then trimmed it and put it back up and never had a problem with it again.