Hello!

I have a 2003 Mustang, and the rear of the headliner has dropped. I'm looking for others that may have had the same issue, to find out how/what to use to repair and reattach the headliner.

Jim

 

Welcome to the forums!

Contact cement is your friend:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-Weld...0272/100125525

That and a roller. Peel off, gently, the headliner, scrape the backer so it's smooth, roll on the cement on both the headliner and the backer, wait for it to tack up as indicated by the instructions, then carefully but rather quickly align and attach the headliner to the backer, maybe using another roller to press it in gently, rolling constantly for about 15 minutes. Let dry fully (24 hours, I'd say), then stick the whole thing back in.

Or... and this is what I'm doin'... pay someone to redo the headliner. You can certainly just take it to the upholstery shop. It's not a fun job. Doable, sure, but... yeah, not fun, for me. Done it before. And then, the cool part is you could opt to put some other color or material on the backer instead! I think green zebra would look nifty, m'self... But in a red car, it might clash. But you want to do it anyway, you know it... Hey, but if you are doing it yourself, you could just go to a cloth store and get material... Maybe that boating pattern would be...

...um.

Sorry. Living vicariously.

But yeah, that's how you'd do it. Contact cement, patience, time, effort, and be real careful about it. Maybe two people to help align it. Start from the front, work to the back... or the middle out... or... Whatever works as long as it's smooth.

Here's a video that pretty much shows the process I'm describing. They're using contact cement.


That spray adhesive in a can? Yeah. It won't work. Not even the 3m stuff. It maybe lasts about 90 days in the heat, maybe long in colder climates, but it will fall down again. Guaranteed. Ask me how I know....

Hope that helps, good luck!

 

Thanks everyone. I do need all of this info. I need to give you more specifics. The cloth is not sagging. It is in excellent condition, not dirty, and totally attached. It is the hardboard that it is attached to that has dropped along the backside only.

 

So... the short version of events:

Step 1: Remove the interior pieces that surround the headliner. A-pillars, B-pillars, weather strip to do those. Also the upper seat belt turnbuckles if applicable. Coat hooks. That stuff. Get the edges of the headliner board exposed.

Step 2: Remove the visors and dome light.

Step 3 : Remove the headliner board. It will be somewhat adhered to the roof with strips of glue, so take your time on that as well.

Pretty much it. Installation reverse of that. However, the plastic after 18 years may not like being played with, so be very careful, take your time. The A-pillars especially. It might be a good move to have some proper tools and a proper shop manual on this subject.

There's no videos out there that I can find on this particular subject except one that... not good. But there's a few on the Fox bodies which are similar enough they may be worth it, and some on the S197s which also might be worth looking into.

 

Thank you for responding. I did not find any videos either. It really surprised me that this headliner does not have a trim in the back, and the front, to hold this in place. I was hoping a strong adhesive could be applied, then press it back up. Then use a jig of some type to add pressure as it cures.

 

Yeah, I came back here as I thought about it, as I realized I didn't address the fixing of the board itself. Which is going to require the removal to see if it's compromised or not, and needs physical fixing anyway, I'm guessing.

Otherwise, yeah, there's just the little bit of glue strips that you'll likely find on the top, and then the various perimeter coverings, visors and dome light that keep it in place. Not much to 'em, really.