Advice before headlining replacement

[fandeland]

I'm about to replace the headlining of my S2 of Feb 1970 and would seek one confirmation...

The brushed nylon cloth came out very easily. According to what I could find around the forum and the web, brushed nylon was used from 1971 onwards. Is it correct?
The foam backing is still in place and in one piece. It has the appearance of a solid foam board and is still half glued to the roof. Some sections can move up by a bit if I push vertically but everything is nice and in one piece. Were there any e-types fitted with foam backing in a board form with cloth glued on it or were all fitted with a cloth with backing glued straight onto the roof? As you would guess I'm trying to figure out if I should keep or remove the foam backing/board....
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[fandeland]

Anyone

[1954Etype]

The 2+2 came with a headlining board. We don't put this back as we use the method used on the FHCs - glue the material directly onto the roof. Make sure that all the old material is removed from the sides, including the piping that these pieces were stitched to. Don't forgeg to stipulate you have a 2+2 when ordering the new headliner,

[265bhp]

Hello Alban
I don't know the answer to your question, only that series 1 cars have a foam sheet with a self finished surface....NOT a seperate layer
Why not ask someone like BAS in Wales what they supply, am fairly sure it would be the same as the early cars....but they can confirm
Jonathan

[mgcjag]

Hi Alban....a friend replaced the headlining in his S3 2+2 it was a thicker type material with a thin foam backing.....he made a real mess fitting it as it was very awkward to fit and the contact adhesive just grabed the foam backing immediatly.....we pulled it all out and cleaned up the roof.....he took it to a trimmers and they fited it whilst we waited about 30mins......well worth finding someone local to do it......its a huge piece of material you are trying glue on whilst in a confined space

[PeterCrespin]

Hello Alban
I don't know the answer to your question, only that series 1 cars have a foam sheet with a self finished surface....NOT a seperate layer

Jonathan, the content of your sentence after the comma above, proves the truth of the eight words immediately preceding it.

If you don't know the answer, discretion is the better part of valour. It's better to 'lurk and learn' from people like Angus, who do know, than add to the mountains of incorrect info on t'interweb... No biggie, we' e all done it.

The only 'biscuit' I've trimmed was on an XJ-S. It was a lot more comfortable to trim it in the open on my driveway and insert it, than the 68 2+2 I trimmed lying on my back or the 66 where the board fell apart before I had a chance. I'm pretty gung-ho on 'elf n safety' stuff, but anyone removing/disposing of a 2+2 biscuit would be well-advised to wear a mask of some sort, as I can't imagine breathing short strands of crispy fibreglass is good for your lungs and the damage might take years to appear. As to whether to retain or get rid of the board, it depends on condition and access. If the glass is out of the car and the board is in good condition I'd remove/trim/re-use it, since the 2+2 larger and more domed roof benefits from a board. If it is falling to bits and the screen is still in the car, I'd dispose of it.

Pete

[265bhp]

Peter
As no one had answered Alban promptly I thought I would at least offer some help...hence the BAS link....you are assuming I wrote my comments after Angus, in fact the timing just so happened to mean that as I was typing mine Angus's posts was uploaded
Discretion is indeed a worthy attribute, but please don't assume to tell people how to try and help
Jonathan

[PeterCrespin]

I assumed nothing, Jonathan, other than that you thought what you were writing was correct, which it manifestly was 'NOT' [sic]

I probably wouldn't have said a dickie bird, but it's rare to find someone abandoning conditionality and confidently using upper case to emphasise 180-degree error of fact. It seemed worth a few keystrokes to correct your mistaken conviction, in case anyone took it as true, before accepting that we've all been there.

I simply cited Angus as a retrospective generalisation and a guy who knows his stuff, as do David and Christopher et al. Incidence/precedence were not in my mind.

[265bhp]

Peter.. You are quite correct.. My mistake..i should have said FHC or swb Series 1... That's what I meant, and be under no illusion I do enjoy the knowledge you, Angus et al provide...

[PeterCrespin]

No probs. Been there, done that.

[fandeland]

Thank you, it clearly helped me understand what I have in the car. I have been looking carefully but can't see how I could remove the board without breaking into pieces as goes well under the steel lip all around the roof. So I'll keeping the board in place and glue the new headlining onto it. I'll report back when completed....

[fandeland]

Most of the job is now complete.
I decided to keep the original hard foam board in the car. Honestly I didn't figure out how to remove it without breaking into pieces...
I brushed it and vacuumed it. There were a few damages (dents and depressions)to it but though that with the foam backed fabric I purchased, it would not be visible
The rear corner steel has been banged upwards by someone, so we I removed the old fabric, the hard foam got damaged.

[URL=http://s358.photobucket.com/user/albanb ... g.jpg.html]

[fandeland]

I decided to use the foam backed fabric for every pieces of the headlining kit. It's a recaro product I could buy through a friend of mine who's into furniture upholstery. I was impress by the quality, the ease of handling and the strength. Really hard to damage.



The central part was cut to rough size, about 7cm extra was left on each edge. Contact glue was applied using a dedicated spray gun on the new fabric and the hard foam inside the car. I masked the rear and side headlining panels.i also put small pieces of masking tape in the hard foam depressions. I didn't want the fabric to be glued there so that it would not follow the curve of the depression but rather hanging in the air. Being less than 2cm in width, I was hoping that it would stay relatively flat and one could not see the defects underneath. These small pieces of masking tape were removed after the glue was sprayed all over.
Both the fabric and the hard foam were marked with a cross right in the center. These were our references to position the fabric inside the car. We introduced the fabric with the glue facing upwards in the car by having it hanging on a carton roll core.
The new fabric was gently pushed upwards against the hard foam board from the center towards the edge.
We trimmed the edge, leaving about 2cm, and tucked these 2cm in between the roof and the side/rear panels. It was surprisingly easier and neater than expected. I'm quite happy that the depressions can't be seen unless one knows we're they are.
The gun



Trimmed edge



Trims for the side/rear panels was cut oversized and glue was applied with a brush.
Position and tucking in was a bit harder. As I used the foam backed fabric all over, I didn't "piped" the side trims. Both thickness of foam were enough to keep the trims well secured between the side panel and the roof. The rear corner were a bit challenging but we managed to remove all creases.

"L" for the side



Putting into position


The nearly finished article



I'm yet to refit the can't rail finisher that I have fully cleaned and recolored with leatherique products (they were very well by the way).

Not the perfect job but I'm quite happy with the results.
Interior work can continue...