I don't know if there is already a thread on this but I have a raggedy looking red headliner in my 79, and a fine looking BLUE headliner in my part truck. Now here's my question: How easy is it to paint a headliner? Has anybody else done it, and does it look good? If not, I'm gonna pin up my rebel flag over the old one (hope that don't offend anyone here)

 

LOL no offense taken here and i certainly would not expect you to apologize for history and heritage.....i recovered the headliner in my wifes truck not to long back never thought of painting it so i will be watching this thread for that same reason. By the way i covered the wifes headliner in the rebel flag...i dont have pics of it right now but i will take some and post them tomorrow.

 

depends on the type of headliner. If it is covered in vinyl, you would need to dye it. If it is a cardboard headliner, pretty easy to paint. If you are dying vinyl, covering blue with red is going to be tough. I would probably try and recover it with some new material. use some contact adhesive and glue it on, should be a relatively easy and cheap upgrade.

 

Ha you sound like me, and please post pics of the headliner bc I would like to see what it looks like before i do it, and how did you do it, pin it up or spray adhesive?

 

I'd be interested too.... condensation dripped from the roof skin and warped the cardboard backing. I'm going to insulate and Dynamat the entire roof and thinking of using fiberglass paneling as a backer covered with some sort of material.... 'haven't decided on it yet. Any other recommendations as far as backing material? Maybe fiberboard like shower surrounds back in the day?

 

While I know mine was a supercab, I did put a step by step gallery together of how I built the headliner for my truck. I used 1/8" ABS plastic, as it won't rot, it's flexible enough to put into position, and still just rigid enough to have enough dynamic tension to maintain it's arc shape in the cab (no sagging). I had to use two 4x8' sheets of ABS plastic as the supercab headliner is too large for one, but the method would be roughly the same for a standard cab.

The only issue is that you can't really paint it unless you use paint specific to plastic, and even then I'm not sure it would look good. I didn't plan on painting mine, and I covered it in 1/4" foam, and then black vinyl. I think it came out pretty good.

Anyway, it's another option to consider.

 

Hey guys I apologize for not getting a pic on yesterday and i apologize for the crappy image seems the camera on my phone hates the sunshine. I used the original cardboard headliner with 1/4 in. foam and heavy duty spray adhesive. The only reason for the foam is for noise reduction so if you dont mind having a little extra wind noise then you can use just the material and the cardboard or plastic liner of your choice. The ABS plastic that Behemoth used in his headliner is an excellent choice of material for a headliner since you can use a heat gun to gain any contour that you desire.
When i find my digital cam i will see if i can get some more detailed pictures of the liner....maybe even do a removal and re install series of pics.

I tried to get a pic of the passenger side but even moving the truck to a different position it kept coming out almost totaly white but this one will hopefully give you a small idea of what it looks like.

 

that looks awesome! no lie, I might think about doing that

 

Mine appears to be completely cardboard, and has a gazillion holes throughout it. I think it may have used to have red vinyl over it as there is one tiny bit left in the corner, but the rest is long gone. Are these headliners hard to remove, replace, re-do, etc. ? Never have messed with it since it was in place good.

 

Could you elaborate on this plastic more? Where did you get it, what is it usually used for, how much $$?

DC- they are easy. the strip around the edge holds it in, and there is one screw in the middle for support. The only thing about the cardboard is that it is fragile after 30 years.

 

does anybody know the dimensions of a regular cab 79 headliner?

 

I had mine painted while the truck was at the body shop. My buddy used somekind of interior paint on the headliner. He also used it on the door panels, turned out great.

 

The plastic is basically just what I said....ABS plastic, in 1/8", in a 4x8' sheet. It's black, textured on one side, and smooth on the other. You won't be able to get this stuff at your local hardware or auto parts stores. You'll need to find it through a commercial plastic distributor that sells the stuff in full 4x8' sheets. If you have a standard cab, you can probably get away with only one sheet, or even possibly less (like 4x4', but they may not sell it in those dimensions). I had to buy two full sheets as I have a supercab, and the dimensions were more than I could make fit with one sheet.

I can't remember the specific cost, but I think the two sheets and the ABS glue (I needed the glue to make the two-piece backing), was around $120.00. So, I'd guess that you'll end up paying maybe $50.00 for a sheet of this stuff.

The link below is just an example of a place that sells this stuff. Their price is $69 for a sheet of it, but you can shop around. I managed to find a distributor near Seattle when I lived over there, and I just drove up to pick it up. Just remember, that if you can't find a local distributor, you'll have to have it shipped to you, and due to it's size, that'll cost. So, before you buy anything online, make sure there isn't anyone in your area can get it locally.

ABS Sheet | U.S. Plastic Corp.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks! I have a crewcab, so I will need a bunch as well.

What is the stuff actually supposed to be used for?

 

It's just commercial ABS plastic, so it can be used for just about anything.....I'd figure the larger sheets like that can be heat or press molded into just about anything. For example, the plastic that your computer monitor is housed in is probably ABS, but just thinner, and without the texture.

A good example would be a plastic toolbox....those are also usually ABS, but just thicker. My guess, however, is that they'd use pellets instead of a sheet, and they'd use injection molding to make the shape rather than stretching a sheet. The sheeting is probably used for other obvious applications, but I just can't think of any at the moment.