Installing an Early-Style Headliner
(six piece)

Installing a headliner in a Type I can be a tricky operation. They are available either as one-piece kits (more or less) or multi-part kits. The one-piece kits leave no visible contours between the central roof section and the material around the rear window and quarter windows. I have never installed one of these but I have been told that they can be somewhat difficult to install properly (without wrinkles, etc.). The multi-piece kit is supposed to be easier to install because there are more ways of eliminating (ie: hiding) folds or wrinkles. While not really much harder to install, they do take longer to install (it is best performed over a weekend). Strangely, the kit I bought from TMI was a multi-piece kit, with instructions for the one-piece design...

I posted an article on the VintagVW mailing list a year or so ago based on the procedure I used to install the headliner in my old '56 Bug. The headliner for that car was made completely from scratch and was actually easier to install than the TMI kit I recently installed in my '63 Bug. In an attempt to save material, TMI designs their kits to be installed using multiple pieces. While they could have reduced the number of pieces by simply cutting larger portions to cover both areas, the amount of waste material would have been much greater. In effect, the TMI kit is actually an "8-piece" kit, with two additional pieces that are cut from excess material from the others.

I am writing this presuming that you will be installing your headliner over a weekend, taking your time, and allowing the contact cement to dry before moving on. As with all glues, the drying time of contact cement (of either variety) is dependent on the temperature and humidity where you live.

(Friday night)

First, you will most likely want to remove the windows. If the material of your headliner is secured to the upper lip of the windshield opening, you will need to remove the windshield as well. While it is possible to install the headliner with the windows still in the car, it is much harder to slip the material under the rubber seals and secure it. The best way to remove the windows is to get a friend to stand outside the car while you cut the inner lip away with a razor blade (be careful!). Unless the seals are relatively new, this method has literally no risk of breaking the glass. If you insist on reusing the old seals, push slowly but firmly from inside the car, starting at one corner and working around the opening until the window is free all the way around. You'll still need a friend to hold the glass so that it doesn't fall.

Next, you will need to remove the seats and old headliner. You will also need to remove the rear quarter trim panels and peel back any carpeting in the rear luggage area. Most cars have some sort of factory padding material underneath the headliner to provide passenger comfort and reduce outside noise (my '63 did not since the PO had stripped it out prior to painting the car). You may want to take the time to replace some or all of the material with sculpted layers of ¼" foam padding. Spray adhesive is fine for gluing the foam padding in place. As an optional step, you may wish to line the roof with something like Dynamat™ or Dead Beat™. This material sells for about $50 a roll and is more than enough to do the roof section (you don't need to cover the entire roof section). It is available from most car audio stores and adheres to the sheet metal thanks to an adhesive layer bonded to one side. It functions by dropping the resonant frequency of the sheet metal to which it is bonded below the range of normal human hearing. Road noise will be reduced, as will the sound of falling rain and tapdancing marsupials.

When installing the headliner, begin with the rear window section. The section should be made up of two pieces of material stitched together (the two seams point downward). Begin by gluing the material around the bottom of the rear window opening. Do not use spray adhesive— you only want to bond the edges of the headliner, not the whole thing! Use contact cement that comes in a can and brush on a generous layer to the sheet metal first. Then bring the material in contact to transfer some of the cement to the headliner. This will let you know which parts of the headliner will bond to the metal. This is where all that colouring in preschool begins to pay off... apply a layer of contact cement to this area of the headliner— and don't paint outside the lines! You will use this method later when trying to stretch the material for a snugger fit. Let the contact cement dry on both surfaces until it is barely tacky to the touch (porous materials such as fabric will require one coat to waterproof the material and a second coat to provide the actual bond). Then carefully position the material and bring it into contact, making sure to apply firm pressure all along the bond. Use some clothespins to hold everything in place and walk to 7-Eleven® to get yourself a Slurpee®.

One quick note before I go any further: I used a water-based latex contact cement instead of the normal solvent-based stuff. The latex stuff costs over twice as much and takes longer to dry, but it has a few major advantages. First, it isn't nearly as thick or sticky when you brush it on, meaning that you will not have a bunch of wispy strands floating around between the can and the brush. Second, it gives you more time to work with it before it is ready for bonding (if you try to brush it on too thin, it has a tendency to separate from the surface and roll up into little "balls of snot"). Third, it seems to penetrate into whatever you're bonding a lot better (porous material such as fabric will require a thin waterproofing layer first). Lastly, it is water-based and is much easier to clean up (if you get some on your fingers and touch the headliner material by mistake, you can simply wash it off). Solvent-based contact cement usually requires ten to twenty minutes prior to bonding and another six hours to dry completely. On the other hand, water-based contact cement requires fifteen minutes to an hour prior to bonding and twelve hours to dry completely. I tried resorting to normal contact cement when gluing in my carpeting but after fighting with the stuff for fifteen minutes, I immediately dropped everything and went out and bought a new can of Latex contact cement. I'll never go back.

Once you have the bottom of the rear window glued in you can move up along the sides and top. Use some clothespins to fasten the material around the rest of the opening and try to distribute the material as best you can. It might require some trimming but try to avoid cutting it too close in case you have to shift it a bit. Also, the extra material may be needed below the quarter windows so it is best to trim it away in one large cut than in a bunch of smaller ones. Of all the pieces, the rear window section is probably the most difficult to install. If you are having second thoughts at this point, you may want to reconsider and hire a professional. Once you have everything set, bond the sides and top of the rear window opening just like you did the bottom (applying glue to the metalwork and transferring it to the material to see where it will bond). Let it set up until tacky, and then begin bonding it in place. Start by bonding the material at the top of the window opening and work outwards. Then bond the lower corners and work upwards. You will want to go slow to make sure that the material doesn't become too tight or too loose. Finish the job in the upper corners and clothespin it in place.

(Saturday)

After you've finished watching all the good cartoons, the rear window section should be dry enough to stretch the material into place. Wrap the excess material above the rear window over the metalwork and secure it along the top. Wedge clothespins between the roof skin and the metalwork to hold the material in place until it dries. Bring the material in contact a few inches at a time so as to make sure that the rest of the material will remain taut when secured along the side and bottom. If you feel that excess material might cause a fold to develop, you can modify it later at the bottom corners of the rear window.

To each side of the rear window area (or "sail panel") should be a set of metal tabs designed to accept a strip of plastic or cardboard sewn to the material sections covering the area above the quarter windows (and doors). You will want to glue the material from the rear window section underneath these tabs. After securing the material at the top, begin gluing the sides. You will want to apply glue near the tabs and transfer it to the material to gauge exactly where the material will bond to the metalwork. Once stretched and bonded into place, trim away only enough of the material so that some still remains to slip under the tabs. Glue the bottom in last. If you have extra material left in the bottom corners that causes the material not to lie flat, carefully cut the thread that holds the seam(s) together. Then carefully trim the material and glue one section down on top of the other.

Next, install the material above the quarter windows. Begin by folding the material over the sewn plastic strip once (so the strip is no longer visible). Then slip it carefully in behind the metal tabs on the sail panel. Hold the material up and out of the way while you tap the metal tabs down on to the plastic strips (the strip may need to be trimmed to fit properly). Optionally, you can layer strips of ¼" foam padding over the metal tabs to help hide them. Next, pull the material forward and make sure that the forwardmost tip reaches far enough forward above the doors to completely hide the tabs along the top of the door opening. Hopefully, it should reach.

With the quarter window section attached back near the rear window, pull the material forward and bond it to the lip around the rear corner of the quarter window opening (making sure that it will still completely cover the area above the door). Let this dry for a while and check on the rear window section. Trim the material around the rear window opening flush with the metal lip with a razor blade and make sure that it is secure around the opening.

Next, pry back all of the metal tabs that run vertically up & down each door pillar and test-fit the door post sections. You can either trim away extra material or fold it under. I chose to trim more often than fold under, due to the fact that I was installing a velour headliner and the material sometimes looked strange along the foldline. TMI states that you can use excess material to cover the area between the bottom of the quarter window and the top of the rear trim panel (they recommend gluing it in place). This material can come from either the discarded scrap from the rear window section or the pieces that run above the doors on both sides of the car. Since I had ordered extra velour for my door panels, I decided to use some of that instead and stitch this material directly to the door post section. If you find that you have scraps from the rear window section that you can use, you can now stitch them to the door post sections so that they line up with the bottom of the quarter window. Otherwise, you will have to wait until the material above the door openings is secured in place to determine if the scrap material trimmed from here will work or not.

Continue to secure the material above the quarter window along the upper lip of the window opening (to a point at least 45 degrees around the upper corner of each quarter window opening). If you chose to glue the horizontal strip of material beneath each quarter window afterwards (instead of stitching them to the door post material), simply stretch and bond the door post material in place. Gluing the horizontal strip in afterwards will be easier if you first trim back some of the door post material and line up the overlap with the forward quarter window lip. It will not look as professional, however, and may eventually separate over time. Be careful when gluing this section in so as not to get contact cement all over everything :-(

If you have time, secure the section above each quarter window along the full length of the roof seam from front to back. At least four hours should have elapsed since you bonded the area around the top lip of the quarter window. If there isn't enough time left in the day, it can be done first thing Sunday morning. Beginning from the back, pull the material taut and bond it in place (using clothespins wedged between the metalwork and the roof skin. Bond the material around the top of the door post and continue forward, bonding the material all the way to the leading edge of the clips along the top of the door opening. Fold the material over here to create a finished edge and glue it in place (again, wedge clothespins between the metalwork and the roof skin). You will need at least ½" of material from the area above the doors to slip underneath the metal tabs. Trim away any extra material and stitch it to the door post sections if you have not already done it. If it doesn't look like you will have enough material left over you will have to call up your supplier and explain your problem. Hopefully they should be able to provide you with some material free of charge.

Now install the plastic lace of the door post sections (together with the stitched horizontal sections) under the metal tabs and tap them down to secure it. The lace should protrude forward to cover up the opening between the pillar and the rear of the door (when viewed from inside with the door closed). Optionally, you may wish to insert strips of ¼" foam directly over the metal tabs so that when the headliner material is stretched over them, they are less perceptible. Test fit the material by holding it in place with your fingers against the sheet metal where the rear inner trim panel would normally be secured. This is a difficult area to shape, since the vertical door pillar wants to stretch the material in one direction while the horizontal area beneath the quarter window wants to stretch it in another direction. Your best bet is a compromise. Apply contact cement to the leading and lower lip of the quarter window opening and to the sheet metal normally concealed by the trim panel, let it dry until tacky (you might want to wait a bit longer due to the strength of the bond needed), and then carefully stretch and secure the material in place. Start with the area where the two pieces of material were stitched together and work away from this point. Secure as much of the material in place with clothespins as you can. Finally, trim or fold the material at the top of the door post back at about a 45 degree angle and glue it in place.

(Sunday)

Using a dull putty knife, force the extra material along the tops of the door openings into the metal tabs (a double layer of material will stay put better than a single layer). If the material doesn't seem to be very secure, you can bond a strip of scrap material to make it thicker. If you do this, secure it later after the glue has had time to dry. Follow the procedure mentioned earlier to secure the material beneath the quarter window if you have not done it already. When it comes time to gluing the sail panel material over top of this material, you may even want to temporarily reinstall the back of the rear seat to find an inconspicuous area to make the overlap.

Install the wire rods into the headliner loops and climb into the car. For earlier cars, the front of the roof section will have short plastic strips sewn at 45 degrees at each corner; later cars will not have a plastic strip at the front. Insert the rods one at a time, with the shorter ones towards the back, keeping them spaced slightly closer together than normal. Before gluing anything pull the material back and double check whether or not the roof section is long enough (check along the plastic strips where they are stitched to the material, since it cannot possibly stretch here). Beginning at the back, insert the sewn plastic strip between the roofskin and the metalwork. The strip is designed to cock somewhat once fully inserted and lock the edge of the headliner in place when you pull outwards. This job is easier if you have small fingers. An old kitchen knife with the last inch of the blade bent over at 45 degrees will help you force the strip down and under the metal edge. It can take a bit of work to get the strip in position since it is rigid and has a tendency to want to say straight. Once you have one end engaged properly, tension is the key to getting the rest of the strip in place. While pulling on the headliner, work the bent knife blade in to push down on the plastic strip.

Next, install the roof section along one side of the car (about half way). There is still a possibility that a dull putty knife could tear the thread attaching the plastic strip to the headliner material. Instead, use a thin piece of plastic, wood, or metal, making sure that it is dull with rounded edges. Push the roof section between the roofskin and metalwork and engage the plastic strip. Working towards the front of the car, maintain tension on the headliner as you force the rest of the strip into a locked position. Go as far as the door post before switching to the other side. Things will now get a bit more difficult as you try and stretch the roof section sideways to fit. What is happening is that the steel rods are being pulled away from the roofskin under tension, reducing the distance. Using the dull piece of plastic (or whatever), begin forcing the plastic strip between the roofskin and the metalwork until it locks into place. Continue until you have at least one foot engaged. Then pull the entire roof section forwards until it is taut. Continue alternating working both sides of the roof section, adjusting the steel rods accordingly as you go.

If your old headliner material was secured to the upper lip of the windshield opening you will need to glue the new material in place. Use a wide layer of cement and prepare both surfaces, letting it dry a bit longer than normal (an hour for regular contact cement and a couple of hours for latex cement). Then stretch the material into place and carefully bond it to the lip. Secure it with clothespins and let it dry for a few hours prior to reinstalling the windshield. If your old headliner material was secured by a plastic strip between the metalwork and the roofskin of the car, simply install it like you did the rest of the roof section.

If you haven't already done so, install the rear glass and quarter windows (in that order), glue down any carpeting that was peeled back in the rear luggage area, secure the headliner material above each door opening, and reinstall your rear trim panels, rear seats, and dome light. Steam can be used to shrink a cloth or velour headliner in order to remove small wrinkles (don't expect miracles, however). You could do this job in an afternoon, but you certainly couldn't guarantee as nice a job.