Fitting a New Headlining

[4129R]

Not the easiest of tasks, and one I had been dreading.

Lying on my back, I wedged the lining above the rear screen hole using strips of foam rubber so the lining was in the right place and defying gravity.

Then I clipped the lining above the open windscreen hole using clothes pegs.

Then I marked the perimeter with a pencil, half at a time. Then I cut along the pencil line with ordinary scissors, spray glued the roof and lining, waited for 2 minutes and pressed into place.

Then repeat for the other side.

This is as much for me to remember as anyone else as I have 4 more to do.

Not as difficult as I imagined and a new headlining looks really good. The material is foam backed vinyl available from Banks. There was enough left to do the two strips down the front screen pillars.

[4129R]

Note to self:-

Use 3 x 1/8"x 1" battens side to side to hold the headlining in place.

3 bulldog clips are better than clothes pegs to hold to the front screen edge.

Lay the cloth on the roof first to cut roughly to shape.

Then put the headlining inside and hold to the roof with the 3 side to side battens.

Then cut accurately.

Then glue the back half to centre. Hold in place with batten while drying.

Then glue the front half to centre. Hold in place with batten while drying.

if you used say 4 or 5 shorter battens, front screen to rear screen, held in place by the 3 side to side battens, you could probably make a decent job of fitting the headlining with the screen in place.

[Roger]

I have replaced my headlining with the screen in place, but I have not found anything to give a clean edge at the front, over the glass.
Any ideas?

[gideon]

Would it not be easier to do it like wallpaper? Cut it oversize, apply glue, stick it in place and then trim to fit.  Trimmming before gluing sounds more error prone.

Roger - does this help?

http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2158

[kram350kram]

What headliner material did you use? Is it just glued to the fiberglass top ? Thanks

[4129R]

Vinyl, with a foam backing bought from Banks.

I use contact adhesive for the noise deadening underfelt, the carpet, and the headlining.

The fumes get a bit overpowering when you are working in the footwells.

[Roger]

Would it not be easier to do it like wallpaper? Cut it oversize, apply glue, stick it in place and then trim to fit.  Trimmming before gluing sounds more error prone.

Roger - does this help?

http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2158

That's what I tried, but you can't get a clean cut, there really isn't room, and the edge of the headliner is slightly ragged.
Originally I think there was a piece of trim, fitted over the liner edge, before the windscreen was installed. I'm wondering if there's a substitute I can fit with windscreen in place.

[4129R]

Well it worked, sticking up the back half first to the centre arched batten, then when dry, doing the front half.

I now need to sharpen the Stanley knife blade to get a clean edge to the screen curve.

[gideon]

Originally I think there was a piece of trim, fitted over the liner edge, before the windscreen was installed. I'm wondering if there's a substitute I can fit with windscreen in place.

A possible substitute was shown by Gmg31 in this discussion - see link below.  Did you take a look?

  http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2158

[dakazman]

  4129r. Thanks for taking point on this task.
 
   I soon will be taking on this battle. What type glue are you using? I have test pieces that have all failed holding in the heat.
 
Dakazman

[SilverBeast]

Temperatures in Norfolk are unlikely to be as toasty as those in Florida..... 

[EuropaTC]

I used this stuff when I did mine a year or so ago.  It's a contact adhesive and very "instant" and the fumes are enough to make you want to wear a mask, but it works very well.

Brian
edit to add - I used 2 tins. Sounds a lot and no doubt I could have got away with a single tin but I didn't want to leave any area uncovered. It's the Moron Philosophy, as in "we'll have a bit more on there".   

[4129R]

  4129r. Thanks for taking point on this task.
 
   I soon will be taking on this battle. What type glue are you using? I have test pieces that have all failed holding in the heat.
 
Dakazman

Evostik by Bostik. The fumes can get to you.

I used a metal wide blade filling knife to spread it on the roof, and the foam. You get drips on yourself and the carpet. I suggest doing it with both seats out.

If you leave the adhesive for about 5 mins after spreading (2 records on the radio) then it stays up, but I put my 3 batten hoops back up to hold it in place for 2 hours.

They were playing 2 Beach Boys records while I was doing it. Daddy taking her T-Bird away..................

[Pfreen]

I do not have access to my car right now so I can't take a photo.
  I found this trim https://tacomarine.com/flex-trim, which replaced the original, poorly mitered trim around the top and sides of the windshield.  It bends so that the corners have a minimal (maybe 1/2") radius at the upper corners so one piece of trim was used.   This trim went between the headliner and the windshield opening.  The windshield was placed over the trim and held away from the trim by the windshield urethane sealant. 
The crashpad 3/16" foam and vinyl covering was folded over and under the front of the Banks fiberglass crashpad and glued.  This has eliminated the pull away the original crashpad had in the Florida sun.

As far as the headliner, my car's original headliner material looked like the attached.  The closest match I found was at https://smsautofabrics.com/pages/headliners.  I used Whipcord.

[Roger]

Originally I think there was a piece of trim, fitted over the liner edge, before the windscreen was installed. I'm wondering if there's a substitute I can fit with windscreen in place.

A possible substitute was shown by Gmg31 in this discussion - see link below.  Did you take a look?

  http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2158

Yes, I saw that thanks, but I have nowhere to clip on a section like that. My windscreen is bonded in place, and the space between the glass and fibreglass is filled with the bonding goop. No room to slide anything in there!