what's the best glue for headliner?

[Daves72'GMC]

What is the best glue to use to glue your headliner to the top of the truck and what is the best way to hold it up as it dries? Thank you

[gonebad2]

3M makes a glue for convertible tops. That stuff is sticky as hell. I'm having a leather covered headliner made for my sons truck. I'm going to mount it with those plastic christmas tree fasteners. I will put them through the board before it's covered. I had a post a few weeks ago asking if anyone knows how much space is between the interior and exterior roof panel. After talking to many people, I decided to go to the boneyard with a cordless drill and a depth caliper. I would apply the 3M glue to the board and the cab ceiling and have a few people hold it up. It dries very quickly. And you don't put the two pieces together until they are almost dry anyway.

[barn9]

This is a little different situation, but the headliner in my Jimmy is starting to come loose and is sagging next to the visor. I have contemplted making a small hole and using spray on glue through a nozzle placed in the hole. Anyone have any thoughts or ideas regarding this fix. I would like to get it stabilized before the whole damned thing starts coming loose from the sag weight.

[67Fleetsidedream]

3M make really good glue for headliners.
The main reason the headliners fall is because the cushion foam between the fiber board and the fabric deteriates and releases.
When fixing a healiner the fiberboard needs to be cleaned really good and the cushion needs to be replaced. I highly recommend that a professional repair or place a headliner in you truck......

[Tx Firefighter]

I do upholstery work, so I'm real familiar with what's going on here.

If you're holding something in place while the glue dries, you're doing it wrong. You are supposed to coat both sides and let it dry to the touch, where it is still barely sticky. Then join the two parts together and you're done. No holding nothing. When the two pieces touch, they will be mated for life instantly. I've seen countless people fight with this issue. An old trim guy taught me this years ago, and I've never fought with it since. I buy the convertable top glue in the one gallon cans and it says right on the label to let it dry a few minutes before joining.

Try it before you dismiss what I'm saying. I've got headliners still up after 10 years of Texas heat doing it this way.

[Old Dave]

Larry it's not hard to do at all. My wife and I did the one in our 86 Suburban which was a 2 piece. They wanted $325 to do it at a shop and we did it for about $85. The hardest part is getting the glue off that held the old liner onto the molded cardboard. I used a wire brush, paint thinner and a hell of a lot of elbow grease. The guy recommended only using 3M spray adhesive to put it back on with and it was about $9 a can. It turned out really well when we were done. I've been down the road of trying to glue it back up...it doesn't work.

Dave

[72moneypit]

Originally posted by Tx Firefighter
You are supposed to coat both sides and let it dry to the touch, where it is still barely sticky. Then join the two parts together and you're done. No holding nothing. When the two pieces touch, they will be mated for life instantly. I've seen countless people fight with this issue. An old trim guy taught me this years ago, and I've never fought with it since. I buy the convertable top glue in the one gallon cans and it says right on the label to let it dry a few minutes before joining.

Talk about timely! I was contemplating re-attaching my headliner this weekend and was wondering how I was going to hold it up while it dried. I'll use the "coat both sides" method... Thanks!

[Tx Firefighter]

The instructions say quote-

" Allow both coated surfaces to dry before bonding (approximately 5-10 minutes under normal conditions). When dry, the adhesive wii adhere to, but not transfer to the finger when touched, If adhesive becomes too dry and will not bond, reactivate with a light coat of adhesive.

Index both pieces accurately. Contact adhesives bond instantly on contact and work cannot be shifted into place."

That's the CORRECT way to use a contact adhesive. Anybody who has been frusterated in the past by contact adhesive needs to try the way described above. It's like night and day difference in results.

Daves72GMC this is for you.

[oldsub86]

Make certain you get the right glue. I did one a couple of years ago with 3M adhesive and naughahyde. It looked great for about a year and then it let go. I talked to a local auto upholstery shop and they say naughahyde is too heavy. They say they can put in a new headliner like the original for a little over a hundred dollars.

[ChevLoRay]

On the later model vehicles, headliners sag because the bond between the foam backer board and the covering is weakened by heat, and time.

I tried to reattach my headliner, using the 3M adhesive, and following the rules on the can. It just would not stay because the foam was no longer any good.

I resorted to staples....okay, I didn't have any money to fix it right, but I was sick and tired of the stinkin' headliner falling down in my face and really tickin' me off!!!!!

Now, we can purchase special fasteners that will hold the headliner up...kind of a screw-type of fastener that holds the headliner in place.

Then, you could just go buy a new one from GM, and put it in yourself.

[67Fleetsidedream]

I think that is what I said..........hmmmm

[rage'nrat638]

me and my son had this problem with his now DEAD jimmy.. RIP

we went to joe-ann fabrics and found the same foam backed fabric ...that was on there....used the 3M SPRAY ADHESIVE....

worked great...sprayed the liner,,, then the fabric....let set a few
then installed...still up there after he rolled it