TheSamba.com :: View topic - Your Tips On How To Repair A Torn Headliner

Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:24 pm

Looking for non replacement ideas for mending my headliner. It's in great shape other than these 2 rips. The big one was the only tear in the headliner's life. I (Dummy Head) caused the smaller one putting crap in the back.

I thought about trying to use some sort of hook needle and sewing the tears up using the little holes in the headliner...Dunno?

Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:45 pm

My new bus has similar damage. I am interested to see what everyone comes up with.

Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:49 am

you can stitch it but it will not cure totally the problem. once the ripping showed, the surrounding material relaxed, so the restitched part will not meet again the perimeter. there will be always a gap. if you try to force the sitution it will cut through the holes of the stitching. heat will help a bit.

it is a very old material and sometimes rips are caused by the tension that happened with aging of the material itself because aging will reduce overall dimension of the vinyl. sometimes the vinil is pulled out of glass seals too.
you can glue another piece in the back too, but it will be always visible.
i believe this will be a llittle better solution.

Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:59 am

What if you could get some cardboard paint it the same color put it up there glue it then put the old material up to the glue. I know there are other questions that go along with this like how to get it up there ect just a idea.

Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:27 am

At this point I'm just looking to hide the rips and keep them from spreading. They're at the back of the bus and I could remove the headliner just enough to patch. I'm afraid of not being able to stretch it back into position though.

Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:42 am

Have the same problem in my 65 bug would love to see where this goes. I agree it almost seems like a better solution to glue something on the inside to cover the hole but who knows. Any interior or upholstery experts out there?

Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:44 am

Do a patch of heavy upholstery material that will lay down flat. Put Landau yellow upholstery glue on backside of old headliner and patch in one small area. Put patch through hole and press together on the spot. That should hold the patch steady so it won' t move around on you while you apply the rest of the glue between the pieces. Then apply glue to the center and fold the remaining headliner from the tear to lay flat. Once hard, whip off excess glue with Cosmoline remover. Be patient and do it in steps. Also you could make a patch from headliner material and glue it over the top so you won't see the rip.

Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:23 pm

Alright I gave it a shot...I'm pleased with the outcome. Thanks for the feedback and advice everyone!

It was actually easier to pull down part of the headliner than I thought...I'm lucky it was close to the end.

Here is the adhesive I found locally...I bought the needles but didn't use them and the vinyl type material was 0.89.

A clamp & blocks of wood on each side for the bigger patch...Just for 3 minutes.

These are the smaller rips which I accessed by removing the headliner further. I thought it would be better than trying to patch through the hole.

The larger old tear isn't as concealed as the smaller newer tear...But I can live with it.

Sat Mar 17, 2012 12:20 am

very good result. it' s barely visible.

Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:24 am

Maybe a bit of matching paint in the lines would conceal the repair further And you could color in your dots black where the glue has come through . :idea:

Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:42 am

I'm impressed. Crispy old headliners are tough to repair.

Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:01 am

Great job,
thanks for sharing the process and results

Sat Mar 17, 2012 6:25 am

Scooterboyd wrote: ...Put patch through hole and press together on the spot... Then apply glue to the center and fold the remaining headliner from the tear to lay flat... I did it this way when I first got the bus but used cheap spray adhesive and it didn't take...Thanks for the liquid adhesive idea.

To take this a step further. If you can't remove the area of the torn headliner:
Sew a string to the center of your patch.
Apply glue to the patch.
Once the patch is in position sew through the center of the torn flap.
Apply glue to flap (Assuming it's not just a slit) and tuck into position.
You now have a string to apply opposing pressure from above the headliner...Carefully!
Cut the string off when dry.

floyd1969 wrote: ...you could color in your dots black where the glue has come through . :lol: I thought the same thing...Great minds think alike!

Sat Mar 17, 2012 7:02 am

I've got a hole in the same place. Thanks for sharing your fix. You've got to love the Samba!!!!

Sat Mar 17, 2012 12:26 pm

id call that a win.. good job.. id be happy with that for sure

Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:22 pm

Wish I could have results as good as yours, but I'm afraid my '66's headliner is torn much worse. I'm not sure what to do with it actually. Hate to take it out.

Your results are great!

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Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:28 pm

:shock:

Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm

Focker wrote: :shock:

:lol: Yes indeed!

"I’ve tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas!"

Well, I started out with nothing, and still have most of it left!

Wed Dec 11, 2013 4:57 pm

there are some 3M spray adhesives that are very good.

I have some Loctite "medium" strength that I tried. I cut a patch panel a little bigger than the hole, taped off everything outside about a 1/2" of the patch hole and cleaned everything with lacquer thinner. Sprayed the glue on the "edge" of the hole and the patch, stuck it on and it was just about right. went around the edges of the patch with my fingernail to "seal" the edge and it was nice and flat -- then read the can where it specifically says that it won't work with headliners and the patch is slowly coming down.

One huge benefit is that this (wrong) adhesive dries an off-white so a little over spray isn't a problem, clear would be best.

the problem with this adhesive is that it becomes tacky and sticks great initially but it never hardens... I'm going to find some adhesive that will actually dry.