1970 VW Karmann Ghia - Headliner Installation:

Video Transcript:

Hi I'm Sam with JBugs.com 0:01 This isn't a rock show but this is a headliner. 0:06 We're going to put it in this Karmann Ghia, follow along. Installation prep 0:14 Before we get started on the installation, we still have a little disassembly to do. 0:19 The metal gripper strips around the windshield opening need to be removed 0:22 as most aftermarket window seals are not designed to be used with them. 0:26 While we're doing that, we'll take a moment to ask you to click the like and subscribe buttons if you don't mind. 0:32 So between prying the strips up with a screwdriver, 0:35 bending and pulling them back and forth with a pair of vice grips, 0:39 and even using a hammer at some points, 0:42 we get all the metal grippers removed from around the windshield. 0:46 We start the install with a loose yardage piece of material that comes with our headliner kit 0:51 and mock it up against the a-pillar to get an idea of how big of a piece we'll need for either side. 0:57 And, we cut a piece of material for them. 1:00 We double check that the piece will cover the a-pillar. 1:03 Then we start brushing on Landau top glue, that is specifically made for vinyl to metal contact, A-pillar headliner installation 1:09 onto the pillar of the car wherever we want the material to cover. 1:14 We are cautious about not applying glue too close to the outside edge of the body. 1:19 We also coat the back of the vinyl with the same glue. 1:22 This same process will apply throughout the installation. 1:25 Whenever we glue a piece of material in place, both the surface of the car 1:29 and the back of the material will need to be coated in glue. 1:33 As the glue will need some time to set up, once we're done prepping one side 1:37 we start applying glue to the other a-pillar and material piece as well. 1:42 Once the glue is tacked up and is more or less dry on both the body and the vinyl, 1:47 we line up the material so that it will cover the pillar completely 1:51 and press it into place where is lies smoothly. 1:55 At the bottom side, where the material will tuck in behind the dashboard, we cut off the excess material. 2:02 Then we cut down the roof line and a-pillar very carefully with a razor blade. 2:06 We don't press hard as we don't want to cut into the paint, we just score the vinyl. 2:11 We choose a cut line that will be covered by the aluminum molding later 2:15 and we come back with a pair of scissors to help as we tear and cut the extra material off. 2:21 Now we can start to work the vinyl into the windshield opening. 2:24 We cut back the material at the top where the roof portion of the headliner overlap. 2:31 A trim tool helps to get the vinyl pressed into place against the window seam. 2:35 Relief cuts at the top allow the material to be stretched down and pressed into place. 2:40 At the bottom of the opening, and at the dash, we heat up the vinyl so that we can stretch it and press it into the seam. 2:47 A trim tool helps with the tight areas. 2:49 With the vinyl glued in place, we can cut some more reliefs in the material. 2:54 [We] make sure that the vinyl is pressed in place, 2:57 and then we cut off the excess material 2:59 and roll it over the body seam and press it against the outside edge. 3:04 With one side done, we follow the same process on the opposite side a-pillar. C-pillar headliner installation 3:09 Then we move to the back to get to work on the c-pillars. 3:12 Like we did up front, we mock up a piece of material yardage, 3:17 cut it, and a piece for the opposite side, and apply glue to the back side of both pieces. 3:26 While the glue sets up on the material we apply more glue to the c-pillar. 3:31 Once it's set up we set a piece of material against the inner window ledge 3:37 making sure that we can wrap the material over to the quarter window. 3:41 The vinyl is pressed into place and a trim tool helps to make sure the material is tucked in against the seams. 3:48 The extra material overlapping the seam is cut back leaving us about a half inch of material. 3:55 At the top edge we trim back the material at the top where the headliner will overlap. 4:01 We cut reliefs into the material at the curved area 4:04 and then roll the lip of the material over the body seam to the outside of the car. 4:09 The vinyl is pressed down into the rear window shelf and cut along the front lip. 4:16 Then a heat gun is used to warm up the vinyl so can work the piece into the quarter window opening. 4:23 Reliefs are cut as needed and the materials trimmed along the roof line. 4:28 We also trim the vinyl at the bottom edge of the rear shelf, 4:32 into the quarter window opening, 4:35 and finish cutting the material at the bottom edge of the c-pillar. 4:39 This entire edge will be covered by the new window molding. 4:43 The same steps are used to cover the opposite side c-pillar. 4:47 And now we can get to work on the roof portion of the headliner. Roof headliner prep 4:51 Since we still have the old headliner that we pulled off, 4:54 we can use it for reference and start by measuring the length of the bow pockets 4:58 which are all about 33.5 inches long. 5:01 We'll use that measurement to cut back the pockets on the new headliner which are fully sewn across the width of the material. 5:08 The new headliner is folded in half and we measure 16.75 of an inch 5:12 half of 33.5, from the seam and make a mark and carefully cut the pocket from the edge to our mark. 5:19 Once all eight edges of the pockets are cut open, we can slide the headliner bows into place. 5:25 We left the bows in the old headliner when we pulled it out so we would know the orientation. 5:30 The medium length bow is at the front pocket, 5:33 the two short bows go in the middle pockets, 5:35 and the longer bow sits in the rear pocket. 5:39 Ghia headliner bows have a bent and curved ends that will sit up on the roof brackets inside the roof channels. 5:45 All four bows are slid into place in the headliner. 5:49 Then we start setting the headliner in place into the brackets. Roof headliner installation 5:53 At the back points, we set the bows and the holes closest to the rear window. 5:58 We stretched the material from back to front, adjusting the bows as needed, 6:03 and end up with a bows in the front two mounts at the foremost points. 6:07 Your installation may vary. 6:10 Here we'll use pinch welt as a tool for installing a headliner to temporarily hold the material up in place 6:16 at the front while we stretch and glue the vinyl at the back. 6:19 The pitch welt is not included with the headliner. 6:21 There seemed to be confusion with this the last time we did a headliner video. 6:26 Glue is applied to the edges of the rear window opening. 6:30 Then the headliner is pulled up to the roof so we can apply a line of glue as a reference point. 6:35 [Before] we apply a full coat of glue. 6:39 Once the glue is set the real fun begins. 6:42 The middle of the headliner is stretched back to the window opening and pressed against the window seam. 6:48 We work from the middle out, stretching the headliner back and towards the quarter window openings. 6:55 Down the c-pillars overlapping the pieces we've already glued in. 7:01 We cut a relief at the curve of the rear window, 7:04 use a heat gun to warm the vinyl up, 7:07 and use a trim tool to press it into place into the rear window seam. 7:11 Now, we pick a cut point for the headliner on the c-pillar, past the overlapping point. 7:17 Then, we trim the headliner along the rear window seam across to the other side where the process is repeated. 7:25 Once we have the headliner material cut away from the c-pillars, 7:29 we pull back the material slightly, 7:32 apply glue to the vinyl underneath, 7:35 and when it's ready the material is folded back into place and pressed into the window seam. 7:41 At the back window opening we cut release in the material across the edge, 7:46 and roll the material over the outside lip. 7:49 For the moment, we finish the back edge with our pinch weld tool to hold the material in place while the glue cures. 7:56 Next, we apply glue to the side of the roof all the way along the length to the front a-pillar. 8:04 Then we apply a coat of glue to the headliner material. 8:08 While the glue is setting up on one side we do the same to the other side. 8:14 Once the glue is tacked up, we begin pulling and stretching the headliner from the rear window and c-pillar 8:20 to the side window and from the center forward towards the outer edge. 8:27 We repeat the process on both sides. 8:29 Once the headliner is in place against the window side openings, we trim back the headliner along the body. 8:36 We leave some loose material at the front 8:38 which we'll use later when we stretch the headliner down the a-pillars. 8:42 We apply glue to the windshield opening and seam, 8:46 to the back of the headliner along the front, 8:49 and down the sides where it will meet the a-pillars. 8:53 Then we stretch the headliner forward and press it into the windshield seam. 8:58 We pull the edge towards the front and the a-pillar and press it into place. 9:05 We pull the headliner back from the center to work out some wrinkles and waves. 9:10 Inside the car we use a heat gun to get the material to smooth out more. 9:15 While the material inside is cooling down, we cut the excess material from the windshield side of the a-pillar. 9:22 Then cut the headliner across the post past where it overlaps the material underneath. 9:27 Here you can note how the headliner is much smoother where we use the heat gun. 9:32 The headliner material is tucked in to the windshield seam, 9:36 and the excess vinyl is cut back from the side window opening. 9:42 We press the headliner into the body at the sun visor mount. 9:46 Work in the headliner to the windshield seam along the front with a trim tool, 9:51 before cutting relief slots trimming back the material at the corner and across the front. 9:59 The remaining material on this side is rolled over the outer lip of the windshield opening, 10:04 pressed in place with a trim tool, and we press in our pinch weld to hold the headliner in place. 10:12 Then we can do the same steps on the other side of the headliner; stretching, heating, cutting, 10:19 until the headliner is finally installed and we can press in our pinch welt to hold the vinyl in place. Rear view mirror installation 10:26 Inside the car we can cut the opening and a headliner for the rear view mirror, 10:31 pull out the wires, 10:33 install them onto the rearview mirror noting the positive and negative terminals on the base, 10:38 and finally screwing the rear view mirror into place. Sun visors installation 10:42 Next, we'll locate and poke holes in the headliner for the visor clips. 10:47 We only puncture the material for the base of the clip which is pressed in, in the vertical position. 10:54 The clip is rotated down into place and since the clip is keyed, 10:58 if it's properly installed it'll stay in place without a screw. 11:03 The screws for both clips are threaded in, before we mock up the sun visors. 11:09 Here we'll note with emphasis: 11:11 the mounts for the visors are pressed all the way in and must be rotated out from the visor until the posts line up with the clips. 11:18 We can't tell you how many times we've gotten calls or emails from angry customers that say their visors won't line up. 11:23 They won't, until you twist the visor away from the mount. 11:28 Now, we'll poke three holes into the headliner for the mounting base of the visor. 11:32 One for the arm and two at either side for the screws. 11:37 Then, we'll set the visor in place into the roof and the clip and we'll screw the mount in place. 11:45 We twist the visor away from the mount a bit more so that it lines up with the rear view mirror. 11:50 And repeat the process on the other side. 11:54 We wrap up by cleaning up all the glue and smudges from the headliner and roof. 11:59 We'll sit back for a moment and enjoy the view before we get to work on our next step 12:03 installing the carpet in our next video. 12:05 Thanks for watching and let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.