Headliner alternatives.....

[Talyn]

I've heard of people putting fiberglass resin on it, sanding it down smooth then painting it.

 

[5-90]

A coat of resin would probably be enough to stiffen it up. You want to get that roman-arch effect, so that its stiff enough for the load to go to the sides. Too little and it will be brittle, too much and it will buckle.

Yeah. If I did do fibre, it would be just one layer of mat on the backside.

I'd probably have to steam it to get the arch to come out right - or go with 1/8" MDF and definitely a layer of loose-woven mat...

 

[sjx40250]

Replaced mine in the 92 which is now gone. It was a challenge as the board is big and it is a challenge to prevent wrinkles in the fabric. Oh yeah, did the Joanne headliner with spray adhesive. Needed 2 cans at $20/ea.!

Now I need to do the 90. My daughter put about 200 straight pins in it to hold it up.

 

[centuryhouse]

Glad to see this being discussed!

I am new here btw - just bought my first Jeep yesterday, a 2000 Cherokee Sport XJ. It was a good price (I think) at $1800, but there are a few things I'll need to work on, including the apparently common sagging headliner.

What is above the fiberglass board? I would assume painted metal. Is there any reason to keep the fiberglass / fabric headliner at all?

 

[5-90]

Glad to see this being discussed!

I am new here btw - just bought my first Jeep yesterday, a 2000 Cherokee Sport XJ. It was a good price (I think) at $1800, but there are a few things I'll need to work on, including the apparently common sagging headliner.

What is above the fiberglass board? I would assume painted metal. Is there any reason to keep the fiberglass / fabric headliner at all?

The fibreboard (that's usually what it is - lightweight fibreboard for structure, with fibreglas insulation on the backside) is there as a cosmetic panel, which hides the inside of the roof and the metal crossmembers under the roof panel.

Can you run without one? Sure - my 88 hasn't had a headliner in it for years. The cabin's a bit cooler - with the upper insulation missing - but I like cold so I don't really care. Once i get the sunroof out and patch the roof, I'll be replacing the headboard so I can have additional storage space and keep things handy.

 

[smalltownbird]

If you can reuse the factory backer all I did was take the whole thing out, scrape all three old glue off and then paint it with a dark primer in a rattle can. It looks like a real headliner until you touch it. Nice, easy, and cheap

 

[5-90]

If you can reuse the factory backer all I did was take the whole thing out, scrape all three old glue off and then paint it with a dark primer in a rattle can. It looks like a real headliner until you touch it. Nice, easy, and cheap

In my case, there is no "factory backer." It was cut when the sunroof was installed (aftermarket - PO) and the thing had started to leak. After gooping the sunroof shut, the board crubmled out in little pieces...

 

[centuryhouse]

If you can reuse the factory backer all I did was take the whole thing out, scrape all three old glue off and then paint it with a dark primer in a rattle can. It looks like a real headliner until you touch it. Nice, easy, and cheap

That is just what I was thinking of. Glad to hear it worked for you - I will probably give that a try myself.