Classic/Antique Car Repair/1986 buick somerset

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 12/30/2008


Question
the felt material has come loose from the inside roof of my car,how do i replace or repair it, it's hailed up with pins now but the stuff underneath the felt is old and dry rotten, it seems to be attached to a plastic sheet too.

Answer
Hi, Debbie!

This cloth piece is called the "headliner" and is actually double-knit synthetic  material with a foam backing. This foam goes bad after a few years from heat and ozone damage, and turns all crumbly and nasty.

The plastic sheet is a vapor barrier. It's purpose is to keep condensation on the underside of the roof sheet metal from showing rust stains on the cloth.

It's possible to glue the headliner back ourself (directions below), but for a really good looking job, I'd take it to an auto upholstery shop.

If you want to do it yourself, you'll want to get a can of 3M Hi-Temp #99 Spray adhesive like this:

http://www.shoplet.com/office/db/MMM90.html

Don't use any other spray adhesive unless it says "high temperature" right on the can label--it gets hot inside the car and other types will soften and let go, first hot day you get.

Unfortunately, this stuff is $20.00 a can, but you get what you pay for.

Take out the pins and let the fabric droop down. Brush and vacuum any loose foam and foam dust from the gluing areas. Spray the glue onto both surfaces--cloth and metal. It doesn't take much. Carefully position the cloth and attach it one small area at a time. When I do this, I start at the center of each edge and work toward the corners, doing each center in turn and then the corners in turn.

There's not much room for error; once it's stuck, it's tough to remove without tearing the fabric, so plan this out and proceed with care.

Good luck!

--Paul  

Classic/Antique Car Repair

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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