C4 custom headliner...
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
C4 custom headliner...
Custom embroidery courtesy of Susan Wilkins, at CUSTOM THREADS... Total cost was about 35 bucks, including new felt fabric.
Edit: I was just thinkin' there (see the smoke
)... If you DO have a glass top, and you do this right, you could put a logo on BOTH sides, and have the top one exposed through the glass top, AND, still have the whole gig removable.
Removal of the old headliner is pretty easy, even if the one you have now is good, you can pull it.
Got a glass top? You can buy a backin' pad at the same place you buy the fabric from, and if you put the fabric on BOTH sides of the pad, you can probably figure a way to mount the headliner with a professional result.
Removal:
I started with a swiss army knife, since it has nylon handles, and won't scratch. I did this, after seeing that the interior frame of the top does not need to be broken down. It appears that the fabric does not go under that frame; rather it goes over the edge of the 'foam' [fiberglass] pad, back towards the center of the top.
I used the big screwdriver tool of the knife. Work it to the roof panel, and SLOWLY pry, to see how much room you have to work it. You'd like to get your fingers under the edge, but you do not want to break up the edges of the padding/fiberglass backing, if possible.
Make sure the glue doesn't go all the way to the frame, so you can get under the edge. On mine, there was almost no glue along the entire back edge - the straight part - of the top, so you might want to start here. This allowed me to lift it up enough to get both hands well underneath - carefully - do not break up backing. Also you'll probably need one hand to work from the outside, working your fingers around the edge to lift up the fabric that is glued to the roof panel.
Edit: I was just thinkin' there (see the smoke
)... If you DO have a glass top, and you do this right, you could put a logo on BOTH sides, and have the top one exposed through the glass top, AND, still have the whole gig removable.Removal of the old headliner is pretty easy, even if the one you have now is good, you can pull it.
Got a glass top? You can buy a backin' pad at the same place you buy the fabric from, and if you put the fabric on BOTH sides of the pad, you can probably figure a way to mount the headliner with a professional result.
Removal:
I started with a swiss army knife, since it has nylon handles, and won't scratch. I did this, after seeing that the interior frame of the top does not need to be broken down. It appears that the fabric does not go under that frame; rather it goes over the edge of the 'foam' [fiberglass] pad, back towards the center of the top.
I used the big screwdriver tool of the knife. Work it to the roof panel, and SLOWLY pry, to see how much room you have to work it. You'd like to get your fingers under the edge, but you do not want to break up the edges of the padding/fiberglass backing, if possible.
Make sure the glue doesn't go all the way to the frame, so you can get under the edge. On mine, there was almost no glue along the entire back edge - the straight part - of the top, so you might want to start here. This allowed me to lift it up enough to get both hands well underneath - carefully - do not break up backing. Also you'll probably need one hand to work from the outside, working your fingers around the edge to lift up the fabric that is glued to the roof panel.
Last edited by schrade; Oct 28, 2007 at 06:01 PM.
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Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Once you get to the corner from the straight edge, you're gonna' run into glue. Be careful here, to not break up the padding. I used a teflon spatula on a few spots (shhh, I'll clean it).
When you get to the front corners, you're gonna' hit a lot more glue - at least, I did. The tough part is not maneuverin' yer' digits under the pad, but gettin' the fabric unglued from outside, at the edge.
Once you got the backin' off, you might have to spray it with clear poly paint (or flat black) to keep it from flakin/dusty breakup. It also helps the new adhesive bond.
Clean up the interior roof panel of the loose debris. Put the new fabric (I used some medium weight black felt $3.86 at the fabric shop (crooks)) onto the backin' with adhesive - I used cove base glue from Home Depot. Spread it out good, and drop the fabric onto it - THIS STEP YA' GOTTA' GET RIGHT THE FIRST TIME - YOU AIN'T GONNA' REMOVE IT IF WRONGLY PLACED. DO NOT PRESS HARD ONTO THE ADHESIVE - IT WILL COME THROUGH THE FELT. It will not soak through; don't worry about that. Just use a flat palm to press.
I let mine dry for 24 hours before wrappin' the edges back over to the backside surface, and gluin' them the same way. If yer doin' a glass top make sure to get the logo on in the right spot - off center - and have the fabric in the right place for wrappin' over the 'top' surface.
Put another layer of glue onto the roof panel - a little heavier layer, and drop in the covered backin' (again, if yer doin' a glass roof then use the velcro idea; use some rtv silicone to stick some velcro pieces at the corners/edges).
Done.
When you get to the front corners, you're gonna' hit a lot more glue - at least, I did. The tough part is not maneuverin' yer' digits under the pad, but gettin' the fabric unglued from outside, at the edge.
Once you got the backin' off, you might have to spray it with clear poly paint (or flat black) to keep it from flakin/dusty breakup. It also helps the new adhesive bond.
Clean up the interior roof panel of the loose debris. Put the new fabric (I used some medium weight black felt $3.86 at the fabric shop (crooks)) onto the backin' with adhesive - I used cove base glue from Home Depot. Spread it out good, and drop the fabric onto it - THIS STEP YA' GOTTA' GET RIGHT THE FIRST TIME - YOU AIN'T GONNA' REMOVE IT IF WRONGLY PLACED. DO NOT PRESS HARD ONTO THE ADHESIVE - IT WILL COME THROUGH THE FELT. It will not soak through; don't worry about that. Just use a flat palm to press.
I let mine dry for 24 hours before wrappin' the edges back over to the backside surface, and gluin' them the same way. If yer doin' a glass top make sure to get the logo on in the right spot - off center - and have the fabric in the right place for wrappin' over the 'top' surface.
Put another layer of glue onto the roof panel - a little heavier layer, and drop in the covered backin' (again, if yer doin' a glass roof then use the velcro idea; use some rtv silicone to stick some velcro pieces at the corners/edges).
Done.
Last edited by schrade; Oct 28, 2007 at 05:13 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
I was gonna' go with a C4 logo, from an eckler's T-shirt, that woulda' looked somethin' like this:
(edit: can't get the pic on here???)
got it...
These guys have the 'skully' logos:
http://skully.com/SkullyCatalog.htm
The logos are not embroidered. They are the new T-shirt logo, cut out, and embossed onto the new fabric. That was the tailor's idea, so I went with it.
Thanks also to a couple of guys in here who had better ideas about installation of the new headliner (velcro, etc., GIJoe)...
admin's / mods - you can sticky this one too - betcha' see this app in mama, CA, eck's, catalogues soon
(edit: can't get the pic on here???)
got it...
These guys have the 'skully' logos:
http://skully.com/SkullyCatalog.htm
The logos are not embroidered. They are the new T-shirt logo, cut out, and embossed onto the new fabric. That was the tailor's idea, so I went with it.
Thanks also to a couple of guys in here who had better ideas about installation of the new headliner (velcro, etc., GIJoe)...
admin's / mods - you can sticky this one too - betcha' see this app in mama, CA, eck's, catalogues soon
Last edited by schrade; Oct 28, 2007 at 03:36 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,251
Likes: 1
From: Pueblo CO
Good write up. Gonna try and get some matching Ruby interior colored leather or vinyl to do mine. It was sagging, and resting on my head. I just cut/hacked/ripped the material out with scissors coz it was driving me insane, and I still have the adhesive backing stuck to the interior panel. Looks like ****, and it's the only thing on the car that really looks trashy, so it is very noticeable. 
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 0
From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Good write up. Gonna try and get some matching Ruby interior colored leather or vinyl to do mine. It was sagging, and resting on my head. I just cut/hacked/ripped the material out with scissors coz it was driving me insane, and I still have the adhesive backing stuck to the interior panel. Looks like ****, and it's the only thing on the car that really looks trashy, so it is very noticeable.
Thanks.
Ruby material, with 40th AE logo???
