Since I'm approaching my time to do something about that Custom Cab Cardboard, I searched this forum for ideas & precedents, then visited my local auto upholstery shop for their thoughts. The upholstery shop approach that's simplest and least costly uses spray adhesive to attach a bonded headliner cloth. The cloth is obtainable with either 1/8" or 1/4" foam bonded to the backside, and is stretchable enough to mold around curves. The technique is to start in the center of the piece to be covered, then work to the outside edges, spraying adhesive on both the cardboard and the foam backing as you go. The shop cautions to get an adhesive which will withstand heating which can occur in a sun-baked cab top. I figure to call 3M's 800 number on this question.

This is very similar to the method used to re-headliner my '86 Chebbie Nova (a Corolla clone to the chebbie-knowledge deprived) while employed in Korea about 10 years ago, except the Korean shop used plain cloth--not bonded--and some other adhesive (maybe rubber cement) which proved about 95% successful. There are a few minor, small unglued spots, but it still looks reasonably good after 10 years. The Nova's headliner base (surface to glue to) is a molded plastic-cardboard composite similar to an old fastfood hamburger box, but denser and stronger. Thinking about that little Korean guy working over his head with a glue brush and cloth falling all over him, inside a buzzbox car, I'm impressed still, especially by the fact it's a one-piece installation.

But I digress. Given that my upholstery shop finds this an unsurprising solution to a truck headliner situation, I'm puzzled that this method didn't show up in my forum search. Nevertheless, I would like to hear from anyone who's tried it, or something similar, or just from anyone who's got an opinion about it.

The bonded upholstery cloth runs less than $20 a yard, 60 inches wide. There are maybe 40 colors available in the 1/4" bonded, but only 10 or so in the thinner stuff, and they're all conservative.

Perhaps the biggest challenge comes with the clip "attachment" of the cardboard top piece to the piece covering the rear crown down to the rear window. My tentative solution for that is to make a hardwood bow that crosses the cab roof at that point, with the wood wide enough to allow mechanical attachment of the cardboard edges of the two sections. the attachments would either be attractive, or then would be concealed with a chrome strip of some kind, resourced out of the 1,000 hulks at my local salvage yard.

I'm liking my plan for several reasons. It uses the existing headliner and therefore will have a bit of the original "look." It's inexpensive. It uses some ingenuity and will have my own hands' labor in it, which I always find preferable to buying a readymade. Makes it more "my" rig.

 

Check with Carolina Classics. They have headliners for the slick 60s.

 

I also like your plan so I did something similar about a year ago.

Took my headliner and covered it with black vinyl. The vinyl had a backing that made it nearly impossible to get it to stick to the headliner. I sprayed the headliner and the vinyl and it stuck, but not real well. I'm thinking a vinyl without backing would have stuck better. It does look nice though. Also, I stuck 1" foam pad on the cab before installing the headliner to help reduce the noise level.

I built a center console for my gauges and speakers out of wood and covered it with the same vinyl. Thought I would try contact cement instead of spray adhesive. Good thing I experimented first. Know what contact cement does to vinyl when put directly on it? Not a pretty sight. Put your hand in a bucket of water for a couple of hours if you would like to see what the vinyl looked like. Ended up putting the glue on the wood surface only. Stuck just fine. (With the help of staples on the underneath side.)

 

I'm at the same point you are but,I didn't have the original headliner.I found an old headliner at the junkyard for 8 bucks.It was in bad shape but,good enough to trace on to some fiberboard.I plan on covering it with the same materal you are.I plan on buying some new clips and useing them.

Brian

 

I should add a few other details. The upholstery shop recommended cleaning the cardboard headliner well, and perhaps roughing the surface a bit to improve the adhesive bond.

Naturally, I have cardboard visors as well. There are a couple of possibilities there. One would be to sew up the headliner cloth, inside-out, into a pocket, then just reverse it and slip it over the visor with some kind of minor attachment of the pocket at the pivot end. The other would be to do the visor in the same way as the headliner, with spray adhesive. This would require sewing a binding tape around the edge of the visor as a finishing touch, and would match the style of the existing cardboard visor.

Another issue is the seatbelt problem. The seatbelts must be figured out and installed before doing the headliner. I've ordered three-point non-retractable belts with an attachment plate which slips behind the sheetmetal in the cab corner. However, after thinking about it, That attachment plate seems a bit small to me, and I'm thinking to fashion a somewhat larger curved piece of steel maybe 1/8" thick that I can slip behind the corner sheetmetal, then use it with the mailorder anchor kit.

Finally, maybe some sound-proofing/insulation should be installed on the cab roof before doing the headliner. I'd like to hear recommendations on materials and installation method for this.

 

Lil bro, Spray on bedliner materal is supposed to be excellent noise dampening.

John

 

Does spray-on bedliner come in a rattle can, or does it have to be commercially applied?

 

Some impressive ideas, LB. My original probably won't survive another re&re, so I await your elegant solution. My partial solution to the cheesy attachment was the use of door-edge guard along the forward edge with velcro to hold it to the windshield header. I couldn't solve the similar problem at the rear - I like your idea of making a bow.
I used Noisekiller for sound insulation, and I'm pleased with the results. I used contact cement to attach it to the roof panel, but relied on the adhesive backing elsewhere. Five rolls, in total, in the cab. Expensive, but it's like a different truck now.
Eric

 

Little Bro,
For sound-proofing/insulation I used an insulation material I found at my local home supply store. (Lowes) Its like bubble wrap with silver foil on either side, comes in about a 4 foot wide roll 1/4 inch thick. I put it under my carpet on the floor and plan on putting it in the roof as well. Its easy to cut,forms well and is not expensive. I liked products like the Dyna-mat but couldn't stand the $$$

 

Hey Little bro

For the visor:
Do you still have the piece that goes around the edge of the visor? I believe it was plastic and sewn on. I took my cardboard visor, covered it with the afore mentioned black vinyl, and sewed the piece back on. Looks pretty nice.

If you are keeping track, I have vinyl on the headliner, the visors, the center console I built, and also on the door kickplates.

Now if I could just get the exterior of the truck looking good!

 

Yeah, MFT. I can relate to the impatience to have the exterior looking fine. However, if my improvements had started on the outside, I know I'd feel even worse about the needs under the hood, etc.

My visors are still intact, and in good condition; their only shortcoming is just being cardboard. The trim edge on my visors is gray, which matches the visors themselves. At the auto upholstery shop there's a black binding about an inch wide with pre-folded edges which can be used in the way you describe. I bought some awhile back and used it under the dash front chrome strip to cover the gap where the dash vinyl had shrunk over the years, developing a 'holiday' that had to be covered. Worked out well.

Today at my local sheetmetal shop I had made two curved plates to go behind the cab corners to provide stronger anchors for the three-point seat belts. The plates are 16 gauge, which is a bit over 1/16" thick. These plates curve all the way 'round so the side edges are well under the door flange and the rear window flange. They are 4 1/2" high. Behind them will be the belt anchors which came from the belt mfr. These are 1/8" thick, and are 1.5" X 4.5" with an anchor nut welded over a center hole.

After talking with the sheet metal guy, and looking at the cab roof with the headliner off, I'm thinking of doing a center roof console for radio mounting. I have an original radio, but don't want to chop holes in my uncut dash. A roof console also might provide some additional options for securing the improved headliner. My preliminary thoughts on the roof console are to make the sides of wood, and the bottom and faceplate out of anodized aluminum, with flanges fore and aft for screw mounting to the existing cab metal flange at the front and metal brace crossing the cab roof. I'd like to hear about your center console, too. Pics in your gallery?

 

I have no idea if the bed liner comes in a rattle can, but I don't think I would use it if it did. I saw a jeep completely covered in Rhino Liner once and the owner says any tinny sound is now a very dull thud. I think the Bossman (Mr. Payne) put a do it yourself liner in his Ranger and is happy. There should be a tech article on site about it.

When I get back to work on my truck, (been using it to work out of) I plan on covering from the top of the windsheild around to high under the dash with the materal. My truck runs too good to stop and get back to work on it. lol

John

 

Maybe I'm not as high speed as you all;
But I covered my headliner with the 1/8" upholstery liner from a local fabric shop; I intitially place the 3m insluation (offer in magazines for floor insluation) between the liner and roof to reduce cab heat lost for the winter's and to prevent heat stress during the hot summers; I sprayed with a 3m Adhesive and tuck and rolled the edges and curves; It was a tight fit especially between the larger board and the so call back board piece; I was able to use the factory clips and screws as well; I also recommend using the custom cab chrome trim moulding along the upper door rail area as well.
hope this helps out
C.C.

 

I also used the cc door trim. Got it off my donor truck before junking it. Really looks better.

Little Bro - sorry, no pics. Maybe someday I will get my daughter (15) to take some and help me post. Especially of the interior as the exterior of truck is BAD. That's what happens with salty roads and a wreck! Seriously doubt it will ever get done. As long as it keeps running though, I don't really care what it looks like anymore.