There are several good threads here about fixing sagging headliners, thanks to all the contributors.

Example: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...headliner.html

More recent discussion: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ent-ideas.html

However after searching quite a bit I was unsure whether I could get a crew cab headliner out without removing a window. I read a few posts saying it could be done if you bent it just right but was unsure what that bending would look like and if it would tear up the headliner shell.

So I thought I'd try it and got mine out, took photos, and thought I would post if anybody wants to see this process. Not focussing on the recovering process here since that's already been covered fairly well in other threads.

Couple quick notes:

1) I have my interior completely apart for various projects (fixing rear windows and wiring, sound proofing, already had seats out for seat repair, they are pretty easy to remove). So seats were out of the way.

2) You do have to bend the headliner a bit. Trick is to curve it gently into a bow and not crease it. Several posts mention taking care not to crack the corners. I have one cracked.

Here are the pictures.




Removing upper trim panels allow it to drop.





It sits on small clips like this over the front and rear doors.








Off the clips and down...


Tipping it over to head out the back left door...





Bowing it gently into curved shape...





View from inside..





Headliner completely out now.





Example of corner where it's prone to cracking.


I have fabric, hoping to repair soon and reinstall. Will post photos then once I get around to it. Probably will be a while before I have it done. So wanted to go ahead and post the photos of removing it in case it's helpful for anyone.

 

I just flipped it in the cab, re did the liner and flipped it back over. Easy.

 

Thanks, I'm sick of looking at my sagging liner and have been wondering if I had to pull the back window to fix it, now I know.

 

I was thinking I had to pull the window too but decided top try and get it out of the door. while doing that it flipped over and I thought well why not leave it there and do it. Just use lots of good glue LOL I did not remove my old liner as it was not sagging at all. I hope that does not come back to haunt me.

 

Thanks for mentioning doing the work inside the cab. For me that was not an option though. I'll be removing the old material and 1) didn't want a mess everywhere inside the cab and 2) needed to be able to keep driving it while I sourced materials. Still working on that. Meanwhile, I threw the seats back in and have been experiencing the truck with absolutely no interior except for the dash for a couple weeks now. Needless to say, it's a little noisy, but honestly not as bad as I thought. Always good to hear different ideas on how to get something done, thanks.

 

Just reporting back on this small project. For what it's worth...refinished headliner went right back in the way it came out. No problem. Did not disturb the new material at all.

Couple quick notes if anybody is tackling this project.

1) I completely stripped mine, which slung foam dust everywhere. So while doing it inside the truck may be an option as mentioned in an earlier post, fair warning, it will make a powerful mess inside the truck.

2) Lots of the threads I read mentioned getting the right glue and using plenty of it. I got lucky and the interior shop I got my material from was willing to glue mine on for a price about equal to what I could buy the glue for. They too stressed the importance of using good glue here.

3) I put some 3/4" foam up in the roof for sound deadening while it was out, which made it a bit of a snug fit pushing it back up against the roof. I'll do a small write up on the sound proofing stuff at some point, but if you do any of that I think 3/4" is about as thick as you should go for the OBS headliner-roof clearance.

4) While riding around with no interior panels at all, I was amazed by how much sound either does or does not come through the shifter boot (I have a ZF5 4WD truck). I put a small post up here earlier this winter about a little attempt to fix some cracks on the shifter boot for a more snug fit, and I think that actually contributes way more than I expected to any interior sound control efforts. Will post more about that later...nothing really to do with headliner removal there.

Short recap...with seats removed and with careful bending headliner will definitely come in and out of an OBS crew cab okay.

 

When I pulled mine out, I pushed the driver's seat to the most forward position, and then extended the seat backwards making it as flat as possible, and pulled it out the driver's door. I ended up creasing mine, so I don't recommend it being done that way.

As for putting the foam, rather than using clips, we rolled the foam into a tight roll, and sprayed sections of the board with 3M headliner glue and rolled it into place. I will also say we sprayed the board AND the foam itself, just to make sure we got a good stick. It's a lot more time consuming, but the way it turned out made it seem really effective. That process will cost you about 5 bottles of headliner spray though. If you do it in an enclosed area, definitely get a mask. We did mine inside due to a thunderstorm and the fumes are pretty bad.

I replaced it with a 3/4" foam, and a thing, cotton-backed black vinyl over the top of that. The cab is significantly quieter, but you'll run into problems trying to put your dome lights back in. I had to get some extended screws so it would fit. It also didn't go on straight (probably those fumes I mentioned) so it's a little crooked, but I'm happy with it until I get a replacement board.

Figured I'd add my two cents into how it went for me. Maybe someone will learn from my mistakes. Good luck!