(The “Easy” Install Kit) Okay, the time has come. The interior is shot and down-right manky.

Holes everywhere, pieces of headliner crumbling off due to age, parts missing even? Yup, that’s two “before” shots of my back seat area. Just terrible, and I have to look at that through my rear view mirror. This is the (my) most dreaded task on the car, it requires patience and acute attention to detail. Your hands are going to get sticky (and therefore dirty), your back will ache and your family might learn some new, unwelcome vocabulary. And this is the “easy install kit” even.

Preparing Yourself and The Car Okay, right off the bat, this is going to take 4-8 hours pending your experience. It took me 6 1/2 hours and two headliner kits to get it, well, better then the pictures above. Let’s get our stuff together: • Upholstery Glue – I used a can from JBugs (VW Headliner Glue, Code: Quart-Can, about $10) that came with my kit.

Pre-67 VW Bus Sliding Ragtops. Instructions & Tech. Headliner Add On Installation Instructions. Four Piece Frame Instructions. Here are some tips to instal a headliner in a VW beetle. Things you need (and to do) 1) wash your hands! 2) make sure you have everything you need.

• Headliner Kit – This arrives in a long box. • Sharp Scissors • The 6 Headliner Bows – Pull these out of the old headliner. • New Headliner Caps • Utility Knife • Heat Gun – Hair dryer will also work, it has to blow hot. • 2″ Paint Brush • A Helper • A clean space – Large enough to lay out the main piece.

• Small Screwdriver Now, lets prepare the car. This procedure is better done after the body has been painted, and the seats, carpet, side panels and windows (all windows but the door) are still out of the car. Yes, the Seats, Side Panels, Carpet and Windows (even the windshield) have to be removed before proceeding. You will also need to remove EVERYTHING that attaches through the headliner to the body. These include Seat Belts, Rear View Mirror, The Sun Visors, The Dome Light, The Rear Vent Plastic, The Rear Defog wires, and those white rubber seat back stops above the rear wheel wells. Good, go ahead and clean all that up.

See my other How To’s for the restoration of those items. Now tear out that old headliner. Easy “Big Cougar”, don’t go nuts; try to remove it in one piece. The Door Pillar sides are held in by many short clamps with very sharp teeth. You’ll have to peel back the Door Pillar piece and take your screw driver and pry these open; try not to break any off in the process.

Where the Main Piece meets the doors are also longer clamps without sharp edges that require “widening” with your driver. Remove the carcass from the cabin and locate the 5 or 6 (pending your year, I had 6) headliner bows. These are simply large gauge wire in two sizes; the smaller ones go to the front and the four longer ones go to the rear. Note the order you pulled them, for my memory might not serve me as well as I thought. Label them even, I did. Take a digital camera and record where stuff went into the top bow, dome light area, rear vent, defog wires, and rear set rests.

This will come in handy later. Corex Cardscan 60 Driver Windows 7 32bit. Prepare The Headliner Take the headliner out of it’s box and unfurl it on a clean flat surface. You might want to leave it out like this overnight until all of the pieces have flatted. The Door Pillar pieces are particularly difficult because of the way they were packaged – the hard rubber part never straightens out.

We will take care of that in the channel with the sharp teeth later. Once flat, fit the pieces into the cabin where they will go. Familiarize yourself with particular interest to the rear headliner wings that come down between the side and rear windows. Take note of how the Door Pillar pieces will fit at the bottom between the side panels and door pillar.

Good, moving on 3. Install The Headliner Padding I splurged for the headliner padding kit from JBugs, and was disappointed in it’s quality. On future installs, I will make my own from carpet padding bought at a local hardware store. You will need thinner material for the rear wings and window, using thicker material for the ceiling and the half moon under the rear window.

I used 3M 80 Spray Glue to glue in the padding pieces. I also remember holding the ceiling piece in for a while until it set.

VW Enthusiast Registered: Posts: 18 Posted If you have the original headliner as opposed to the conversion type (I think 4 pieces) the J Bugs video will only provide some of the detail. I have a 72 Super and got the original version (7 pieces) of the headliner, had no instructions, purchased the video from J Bugs and found that the parts I needed to know how to do the most were not covered in the video.

It’s the rear window pieces that are tricky and not covered. I could not find anything to show this including some articles in back issued magazines that I purchased. I finally got it in by going to the local “Pick your Parts” and taking apart a stock headliner to figure out how it was installed.

If you have problems let me know and I can try to help you. By the way, the J Bugs video did do show two things that I think were good to know. 1) the trick with the cardboard over the door openings and 2) the use of a paint brush and contact cement. The spry stuff did not cut it for me. __________________ Mike 61 Ghia, 67 Deluxe, 72 Super.

VW Guru Registered: Posts: 1,907 Posted I have seen two good photo step by step headliner installation but they were NOT like My 'One headliner fits all' kit. No instructions. Mine has been clipped in place for about 3 months. Was too cold.

Plus I really didn't want to do it. I thought My Son was going to do it. I might have to work on him some more.

I don't want a rushed job, I want a good job. He has done a few before. What is the secret cardboard over the door trick??? Any info will be appreciated. My kit is the original type of Vinyl with holes in it. I've had it for 8 years.

It is 5 pieces. All the photos I've seen where they were installed by the owner aren't usually too good. Especially as You only do One in Your Lifetime.[if You are Lucky] --photo of My headliner around My glass sunroof-- Lee Noonan -- 68AutoBug -- Australia -- __________________ 68AutoBug - helping keep air cooled Volkswagens alive in Australia & around the World. VW Lover Registered: Posts: 143 Posted I got one of those head liners and the sewing unraveled. It would be best to eather glue the seams with Elmers, or have it backstitched before you install it. Once you start to trim it, the ends unravel but I got that under control only to have a place in the middle bust open.

The sewer must have ran out of thread mid sew, and forgot to tie off the ends. Where they stopped and started I will have redo mine again. Download Socks Escort. I decided also to convert the rear side windows to pop outs the next time around. But I need a pair with all the hardware.

Originally Posted by AircooledDad If you have problems let me know and I can try to help you. By the way, the J Bugs video did do show two things that I think were good to know. 1) the trick with the cardboard over the door openings and 2) the use of a paint brush and contact cement. The spry stuff did not cut it for me. Hi Mike, Can You tell Me about the cardboard trick over the doors.

I am having problems getting the headliner to stay under the steel clips even after hitting with a rubber mallet. I didn't glue it in either. HELP Lee Noonan 68AutoBug __________________ 68AutoBug - helping keep air cooled Volkswagens alive in Australia & around the World.