Mustang Headliner Replacement - Heads Up!

Once the headliner material is removed, you'll be faced with a landscape of dried foam backing. The easiest way to remove the foam is with a stiff brush that has metal or hard plastic bristles. Work the brush back and forth, removing the foam from the backing board.

Here's a shot of the backing board after a 15-minute wire-brush frenzy. Ninety-eight percent of the foam is gone, but the board needs to look like new in order for the new foam-backed material to adhere properly.

After another 15 minutes with a finer brush and some light scraping, the backing board is clean and ready to serve as a foundation for the new headliner material.

The headliner comes in a roll and is precut with a generous amount of extra material. Lettered on the foam backing are "front" and "rear," along with a centerline mark, making orientation a snap. After positioning the material, fold it on its centerline and center the material on the backing board.

Using a high-quality automotive trim adhesive, evenly coat the material and the backing board. Allow the pieces to tack dry before attempting to stick them together.

Hold the opposite side of the headliner material (where there's no adhesive applied) and gently, yet firmly, stretch the headliner material over the glued backing board. This helps remove any lines and wrinkles in the material.

While pulling the headliner material snug, use the open palm of your hand to gently push the headliner material onto the backing board so the adhesive makes contact. Do not push too hard or you will collapse the foam and it will stick together, leaving hand or finger impressions. A new paint roller works well to apply even pressure.

Once the headliner material has been completely applied and smoothed out, let it dry for at least an hour, preferably two. Then, trim the excess headliner material from the backing board. Do not trim right to the edge of the board, but leave about a 1/2 inch overlap to prevent any gaps when reinstalling the trim around the headliner.

Cut out the openings for the accessories in the headliner, again leaving a small edge of material overlapping the edge for a safety margin. As you can see here, we're not installing the sun visors or their mounting brackets (it is a race car, after all!).

Installation of the new headliner is the reverse of its removal. Slide the headliner backing board into the car, rotate the board, and lift it to the roof panel, making sure you don't catch it on the plastic quarter-trim. Reinstall the two T-shaped retainers over the door openings to hold the backing board into place.

Reinstall the accessories such as map lights and visors. If there's too much material in the opening for the accessory to sit properly, carefully trim the opening, removing a little at a time until the item seats properly into the headliner.

Snap the metal retaining trim pieces (except for the rear section of the hatchback model, which has screws) into place. Line up the trim piece with the openings in the roof structure. Give the trim piece a firm hit with the palm of your hand to snap the metal clips into place. Do not force the clips. If they bend or slide out of place, straighten or reposition them and try again. The finished product makes the interior of our Real Street Mustang look complete.