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Headliner board (2001): coat in fiberglass resin first? 3M 38808

anthrax323

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Antonio, TX
Mmmkay... I'm finally putting the effing Jeep back together (2001 XJ) and am working on the overhead console and headliner right now. I peeled off the old headliner, got rid of most of the foam (haven't sanded yet), and wanted to see what you guys think.

Using 3M Headliner & Fabric Adhesive (38808), should I even consider coating the interior side of the headliner board with fiberglass resin first, or will this stuff adhere to the weird woven fiberglass-looking surface of the headliner board on its own? I picked up a quart, I just don't want to deal with it if it's of little benefit.

Anyone used 38808 directly on a 97-2001 headliner board? If so, how has it held up?
 
I have redone the headliner in my current 94 Cherokee with some mossy oak, kind of denim stuff. I also did the liner in my old 99 that got totaled out but with waterproof fabric. I used spray adhesive on both, I like the 77 better because it gives a better "fog" effect from the can. I had both start to sag in on the sides where the roof curls back down, one totaled before I could get to it and the current one I pulled the liner again and resprayed it, it seems to be a lot stiffer and stronger now. I think the temps and humidity(with the headliner down I noticed theres a couple places where water accumulates and causes rust) and stuff change the fabric causing it to pull away there, so now that it underwent that change it's all set. I did nothing except pull out the old liner which in both cases is kind of a hard fabric mat with a thin layer of cloth on top, they are very easy to bend, but not as easy as you would think. I just sprayed directly to the cloth layer. I also had/have the overhead console in both xj's, but the really hard one to cover is the visors. I liked the waterproof fabric better, the color was brighter so it looked cleaner and the cut edges were neater making for a better install, especially on the visors. Also the 99 was easier and quicker to do than the 94 even though I eliminated some of the learning curve with the first one(99). Any more questions about that? I still dont' think I can post photos, or I would. when can I do that?
 
after rereading your post and my answer, I'm lost as to what exactly you are doing. I don't remember a "board" and I didnt' peel anything. I simply removed some of the interior plastic pieces and slid the headliner out the back liftgate. In both there was only the metal roof above that, no board. I think this is what you should do if your reupholstering it. but it almost sounds like you want to paint or fiberglass your roof, but then why use spray adhesive? If you peeled the fabric part off your going to have a hard time tucking the new fabric back into all the crevices, theres a bunch of screws and clips and things that hold all that stuff in. what I did was basically a 5-7 hr job.
 
Thanks for the input man - I definitely appreciate it. Should've clarified though.

In my case, was referring to the main headliner board itself - the shaped piece that appears to be open-cell foam sandwiched by fiberglass-like material (long strands sealed in with something harder than foam, but flexible). This board is what the headliner material (the foam-backed cloth) is ultimately glued to.

A friend recommended applying fiberglass resin to the headliner board before applying glue to ensure the board didn't soak up the spray adhesive. Even though it had a nice solid surface after stripping the headliner (low-speed drill and a wire wheel combined with a fine touch made this SUPER easy - took 45 minutes start to finish), I went ahead and slapped on a layer of fiberglass resin to give it some reinforcement, and to give the glue something better to stick to.

In any case, after installing the EZ Cool a few minutes ago, I've realized the 38808 headliner adhesive is like Spiderman's spooge. This stuff is super stringy and thick, and would only be absorbed by the lowest possible density of open-cell foam.

Once the fiberglass resin fully sets I'll go ahead and hose it down and get the new headliner on. This is going way, way faster and smoother than I could've hoped.
 
Just did my headliner, over the weekend, with my brother's assistance, who had done his XJ a few weeks ago.
Bought new headliner material, with a 1/8" foam backing, at a local auto upholstery supply shop, along with two cans of 3M 38808.
After remover the trim and lights, we pulled the board down. Used a piece of cardboard to stick the trim screws in to keep them in the right order for reassembly.
A SS wire brush was used to remove the old foam from the board, hitting it twice to get is completely free of the old foam and glue.
The edges of the board had a few soft and/or damaged spots and were repaired with five-minute epoxy and drywall tape. The rest of the board was left untreated.
Did half of the headliner at a time. The 3M 333038 worked fine following the directions on the can. The temps were in the low 80s, so dry times was fairly quick. Used an organic respirator during the spray.
The 38808 work perfectly and we see no need to resin coat the entire board. It did take almost two full cans complete.

One trick is to never use your fingertips to mold the headliner, instead, use the palm of your hands or wear mittins to prevent dents from forming. The 38808 temporally softens the foam.
While it was apart, applied Cool It stick-on insulation to the inside of the roof for noise and temperature control. Also taped down the antenna and power wires that had added under the headliner in the past.
The reassembly took some time to get everything lined up and reattached. Definitely a two person job.
The result looks good and is a little quieter and cooler.
Now the sun visors look shabby, another project for the leftover headliner material.
 
I rolled on fiberglass resin on mine (92 XJ). Made the headliner board very firm which is a big thumbs up. I gave mine a whole entire 24 hours to cure. Resin with adhesive spray and three years later the headliner still looks new.
 
Right on, thanks for the input guys - I didn't even think about fingertip pressure affecting the headliner long-term. Definitely gonna be careful about it.

I did figure out the wire wheel + low speed drill trick... It only took about 45 minutes to strip the whole thing, plus another 20 minutes to throw a layer of fiberglass resin on it. I also installed EZ Cool (ordered it after seeing Muddbutt's "Tin Foil Hat" thread), which took a little shy of 30 minutes... I'm quite glad this wasn't my first spray adhesive rodeo.

Anyway, pics!

headliner_01.jpg


headliner_02.jpg


headliner_03.jpg


headliner_04.jpg


Thanks guys!
 
ok now I remember vaguely the board. the 99 had it. but I didii the liner in it about 5 yrs ago. I just did the 94 last summer and it doesn't have that, or if it did it's deteriorated to the point its closer to cardboard as far as rigidity. Which was ok since the speakers thing and the headliner console hold it up. How did you post those pics? I have an image button but don't know what a url is.
 
Since this will probably come up in a search I'll add what I've done in the past. I never felt like it needed resin over the entire thing so I added "strips" of it down the center and sides length wise, then a few more across the shorter dimension so that I ended up with a reinforced grid of resin.

To avoid "dents" in the headliner once it's applied, just make sure to let the glue tack up like the can says before applying pressure to the headliner fabric. If its not dry enough, it'll soak through the foam and stick to the fabric.
 
0tagg78 - a URL is an address to a picture. Find a place to upload photos (Photobucket for instance), upload them, and then put in their URLs when requested. I have my own personal server, so the process is a bit different.

donthelegend - good tips... I used an oven mitt after letting the glue tack up for about 8 minutes. Unfortunately, on the 2nd half, I got hasty (as I was starting to sweat buckets and dripping onto the glue) and botched the damn install. Oh well... It's a trail and hunting rig now, so as long as it's not sagging, I'm happy.

One thing, though: how long does it take for that god-awful fiberglass resin smell to go away? I put in plenty of hardener, and let it cure in the sun outside for 2 days, yet I was still greeted by a nauseating stench after leaving the windows rolled up overnight.
 
ok now I remember vaguely the board. the 99 had it. but I didii the liner in it about 5 yrs ago. I just did the 94 last summer and it doesn't have that, or if it did it's deteriorated to the point its closer to cardboard as far as rigidity..

Even when new, the backing board is very flimsy and flexible, just a piece of cardboard with a thin fiberglass layer on each side.
My 2001 XJ's board was in decent shape except where I had previously pulled one side down enough to run the antenna coax for the CB and 2M/440 ham radios and also power wires to the radio and backup lights.
The edges of the board had a small amount a damage, the areas that got the 5-minute epoxy and drywall tape reinforcement. The good thing about using epoxy is no lingering smell, after the short curing period.
 
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