Interior 1st Gen Headliner DIY

Discussion in 'Tuning and Performance' started by minsanity, May 1, 2013.

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  1. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

    Sep 11, 2009
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    Had it w/ my saggin' white headliner. Finally gathered enough courage to do the surgery. Another of those marathon ops. Luckily, no pillars nor clips were damaged. I know there are headliner DIYs out there. Just sharing a refresher for those who plan to do this. I used this great guide for the extraction:

    Mini Cooper Sunroof Motor Repair by ZippeeShade | ZIPPEEGEAR

    Some tips:
    -For the new headliner material, choose 1 that stretches to go over the curves well. Opted for some good matte black leatherette instead of alcantara or suede. No more maintenance, cleaning & detailing woes.

    -You can opt for either 3M headliner glue or contact cement. I chose the latter as I've had good lasting results w/ it on previous upholstery DIYs. Plus, curing time is pretty quick. Just apply on both surfaces thinly, evenly & thoroughly with a paint brush. Leave for about 20mins til it dries tacky, then press surfaces together firmly. You can work in quarter or half panels (lengthwise seemed better) at a time. Doing the entire headliner at once would seem difficult unless this isn't your 1st.

    -Make sure to remove all the foam bits that's on the old headliner base with a nylon brush. Clean & dry prior to glue application. Remember to fold & glue over the edges instead of following the stock edge cut.

    -This will be a good time to replace your antenna base(if needed), clean & lube your sunroof, ziptie your spout hoses to the corner drains.

    Duration? Depends on how many beers you're havin'.:biggrin5: Started mine early on a Saturday morning. Buttoned everything up before dusk, no beer, really.:wink:

    Hope this helps!
     

    Attached Files:

  2. eMINIparts

    eMINIparts Well-Known Member
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    Looks nice , I really like the contrast with the handles and light...:Thumbsup:
     
  3. drabdub

    drabdub Well-Known Member

    Oct 22, 2009
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    Looks like I have another project to add I the list now. Looks great and thank you
     
  4. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, guys. My friend saw it last weekend & asked me to have his done....couldn't say no. Hence, we did it today. Exact same look, so no pix needed.
    1 thing I realized was that his 03 headliner had more styro reinforcements behind than my 02. That was some invisible improvement MINI did.
     
  5. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

    Sep 11, 2009
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    Thanks, guys. My friend saw it last weekend & asked me to have his done....couldn't say no. Hence, we did it today. Exact same look, so no pix needed.
    1 thing I realized was that his 03 headliner had more styro reinforcements behind than my 02. That was some invisible improvement MINI did.
     
  6. Norm03s

    Norm03s New Member

    May 5, 2009
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    Why, why did you do this, now I have to remedy those stains in the headliner from me leaving the sun roof open and it rained in my MINI.
     
  7. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Haha, Norm, it's not that difficult, even less when you've done it twice in a couple weeks' span. It only takes half to a day to take it down, clean, stick & reassemble. Say goodbye to all those stains, sags & detailing!
     
  8. WolfGTI

    WolfGTI Active Member

    May 21, 2009
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    My 02's headliner started sagging horribly over the driver's side and separated at the windshield. I ordered a replacement GP headliner and it was cheaper than ordering the grey one that came with the car.. LOL

    Hope to put it in this weekend.
     
  9. Ballsy

    Ballsy New Member

    Mar 15, 2013
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    What kind of fabric did you use? It looks great and I want to replace my headliner.
     
  10. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: In the article he said that he used 'matte black leatherette.':Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  11. Apok

    Apok New Member

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    Wow, that looks pretty sweet.
     
  12. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, Apok!
     
  13. mrntd

    mrntd Well-Known Member
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    Looks great
     
  14. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, mrntd! Anyone can do this, really.
     
  15. Apok

    Apok New Member

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    If my headliner starts to crap out, I will def be looking this thread back up and probably PMing you for advice, lol.
     
  16. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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  17. ireallydriveabimmer

    ireallydriveabimmer New Member

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    anyone have any pics of the bare ceiling with no headliner or backing?
     
  18. HillbillyChili

    Jun 14, 2017
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    I'll go ahead and bring this back for all you guys, because I know you all missed it. And the link at the beginning no longer goes anywhere.

    I'm looking to dig into this on mine, luckily no sunroof to cut around.

    Where did you pick up your leatherette headliner at? Online or does Joann fabric carry that? And how much you bought, I could measure mine but in case you might remember off the top of your head since you've done it repeatedly.

    I like the leather look, am deciding between that and going with the anthracite headliners that later minis have.

    Since it has been a couple years the weight of the leather hasnt pulled it away from the headliner yet has it? Since I assume it is heavier than the foam backed stuff.

    Questions, questions, and more questions. Appreciate any help with this!
     
  19. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    The pleather is still up there w/ no signs of sag & looks good as new.....w/o worries wiping em clean. Got it from a local upholstery shop. Sadly, memory is failing me on cut dimensions but I remember measuring the ròof. Good luck w/ yours.:)
     
  20. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Apr 22, 2009
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    Very nice! I broke down and paid to have this done late last week. I found a mobile service that came out and was gone just over an hour later. $175 for stock black material. $250 for sueded material.

    [​IMG]

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