Headliner removal

[1987HondaAccord]

hey,

my headliner is comming apart. its one of the fabric ones that has like a really fine foam between the fabric and the wood. Basically I want to take the whole headliner out and put something else in. I was thinking about carpet or something like that, maybe insulation between the ceiling and the headliner? The problem is i don't know how to take the headliner out, or what kind of glue i should use?

I'm pretty sure everyone else here has more experience with this than me. This would be the first appearance mod i've done.

Thanks for your help!

[lostforawhile]

yea i can help,first,the headliner is molded to fit the roof,the sunvisors the trim etc. it won't look right with carpet. it's cardboard under the cloth. what yo have to do is carefully remove the headliner then peel off the cloth and foam before you recover it,if you aren't good at upholstery work i believe JC whitney carrys a replacment headliner for this car. I need to know if you have a hatch or sedan before i can tell you how to remove it. edit: hatchback,i should have read the thing first. I sent you a pm message on how to ge ahold of me,i'm too tired to type it all in tonight but i def can help you.

[mykwikcoupe]

ok well the good news is it only take sa phillips screw driver to get the headliner out. You need to remove the a-pillar pods by just pulling on them. There just held in with clips. from there take out the c-pillar pods by removing the screw in the top centered over the window and rear window holder if its a coupe or HB. From there the overheadlight comes off. pop off the cover and remove the 2 screws. teres a few screws that become exposed as the trim piece s come off. Its preety simple should take about 20 minutes max. The bad news is that the Headliner is made of ight cardboard so you have to use a lightweight material on it. The 3m brand adheisive glue has always worked good for me in the past. Go to an uphoalstry shop and get the actual headliner material with the faom backing itll eork best and it comes in every color.

[lostforawhile]

in order to get the rear trim out in the hb you have to remove a lot more then that,the iner quarter panel trim has to come out,which involves removing the rear seats,one you do this it exposes the screws holding the trim in place. also the trim around the speakers has to come out,the sunvisors and overhead light should be the last thing that come out,this will keep it from falling on your head. also the clips holding the rear of the headliner in the back of the hatch can be damaged easy. my suggestion would be to cover the cardboard with fiberglass mat first. this will make it a lot stronger before you cover it. don't forget to remove the mirror and the hooks at the sides of the headliner,there is some more small stuff but i can't remember. i've done a lot of headliners before but for some reason the one in the hatch is a bitch to get out. i pmed my number if you need a hand give me a call i'll try to help you, i've taken every part off this car at some point in time,it will take longer then 20 minutes on the hatch just because of the way the rear trim is designed,so give your self plenty of time to finish it.

[88Accord-DX]

Replacing the headliner requires substantial dissembly of the interior trim panels & componants.

How to remove the headliner.

1. Remove the sunvisors & grab handles.
2. Remove the rear view mirror.
3. If the high-mount rear brake lamp is positioned on the upper edge of the rear window, remove it.
4. Remove the front pillar trim.
5. Remove the dome light.
6. Remove the rear quarter window trim panel from all hatchbacks.
7. Remove the rear roof trim.
8. If equipped, remove the sunroof trim.
9. Remove the headliner from the car carefully, taking care not damage the seats, other interior componants of the headliner itself.

[lostforawhile]

the rear seats and inner quarter panel trim have to removed before you can remove the window trim in the hatch. also the pieces that cover the rear speaker basket,thats where the other screws are hidden at. one of them goes right through the speaker basket arm. there is a considerable amount more work involved in the hatch vs. the sedan or coupe. the good news is that is's easy to remove the rear seat backs, you pull out the plastic clip and slide the seat over on the pin. it will come right out. if you have carpet on your seat back that is attached to the hatch carpet,you might be able to lay it straight back in the hatch. the bottom seat cushion is held in with a single 10mm bolt. take it out and pull the seat forward and straight up to unclip it. I would leave the domelight and the sunvisors until last,this will help hold up the headliner and keep it from bending in half. i've read the book,there is a lot missing in the book as far as the hatch back goes. this is from "i've taken this headliner out three times" book. i just didn't like the material i picked. got to do it again soon too. stupid cardboard is so old it's wrinkling. thats why i suggested making it stronger with fiberglass mat first. thats what i'm going to do this time. that is an old trick used by car restorers for years to save rare headliners. for a side note,you can't use the headliner out of a coupe or sedan on the hatch,it's wider and the domelight hole is in the wrong place.

[lostforawhile]

the inside of the roof surface is not flat,there are braces and things up there. it would be really hard to put carpet over those. the headliner has a small air gap between it and the roof. it sits on top of those things.the dome light actually sits below the level of the roof and even with the headliner. the only time i've seen carpeted headliners was in vans and that was from the seventies.

[3G Jester]

there are many interior places on the internet that will even send you a free sample so you can see the fabric texture and color. i got a few but i dont have the website im hand. do a google search and check out the sites. at least shop around for colors and prices. free samples are good for this...you could even find carpet to match

[lostforawhile]

there are many interior places on the internet that will even send you a free sample so you can see the fabric texture and color. i got a few but i dont have the website im hand. do a google search and check out the sites. at least shop around for colors and prices. free samples are good for this...you could even find carpet to match

JC Whitney will send you samples