Hey popbumper:
Below are my tips and photos. Good luck!
77pintocw
Please note that I am not an expert or a professional headliner installer and I provide the following tips that I discovered in my experience when I installed my headliner. I hope these tips might help you, based upon my own work. Also, this was my first time installing a headliner and found it to be both interesting and rewarding.
1) Before you start doing anything read all of the following tips.
2) Also, if you are not sure about something, stop and don’t do anything. Make sure you are confident of the step before you proceed. You don’t want to ruin your new headliner.
3) Before removing the old headliner take a lot of pictures of it and how it fits at all the edges, particularly around the windshield, at the back under the plastic cover and along the edges.
4) When you start removing the old headliner be sure to mark the holes on each side where the stays are located since there are multiple holes.
5) Be sure to note where the clothes hooks are located on each side.
6) Be sure to write down the color of each stay and where they are located when you remove them from the old headliner. They are all of different lengths and different colors.
7) Once you have removed the old headliner clean all areas. Make sure you get the old glue and stuff around the edges of the windshield. This should be hospital clean so that the new glue will stick properly.
I would recommend using an air stapler for the new staples. I have attached a picture of the one I used and it worked perfectly. The air stapler will allow you to hold and pull the new headliner tight while stapling it firmly against the side edges. Also, I have a picture of the staples I used and they were the same length as the old ones. The staples I used were Spotnails 3/8" Crown, 5/32" Length.
9) Now to start, lay the new headliner face down on a clean surface with the white backing up. Place the stays in the correct positions as noted from the old headliner.
10) Note how the old stays are position in the old headliner and how they fit in the new headliner. The new headliner might be a little wide and you might have to cut some of it at the ends of the stays. Wait until you hang it back in the car before you make any cuts. You don’t want to cut it too short.
11) With the stays in the new headliner, hang it in the car starting in the middle and work towards the ends.
12) At this point I would play with the new headliner and get a feel about how it will behave when you pull on it both in the middle and on the edges. This will help you understand how it behaves and moves before you start stapling it along the edges.
13) Once you are confident then start in the middle and work towards an end. It doesn't matter which end. I started in the middle and worked toward the windshield first.
14) In the middle section, pull the headliner along the stays toward the edges to make sure it is tight. You might have to cut some of the headliner at each end to make it fit properly. Make sure the new headliner is equal distance on each side and in the middle of the roof before you cut any material. Do not cut the material above the edge where the plastic cover will be or it will show as a hole when you are done. Take your time at this step.
15) Now that the new headliner fits properly on the middle stay move to the next stay on either side and do the same thing and continue on to each stay to make sure the material fits properly before you start stapling.
16) Once all the material around each stay fits properly (i.e. not too long or too short) you can start stapling.
17) Go back to the middle stay and position it vertically and next to the roof.
18) Pull the material at one of the edges so it is tight and the way you want it and then staple it alone the edge. Then go the other side and do the same thing.
19) Move to the nest stay, position it vertically, pull the headliner so it is tight in between the stays from the previous stay and do the stay thing as in #18 and continue toward the front or back of the car.
20) You will get the hang of it as you move toward each end. You can also remove or put more staples on the edges to make it tight. Take your time and make it nice and tight.
21) Once you have reached the front of the car pull the headliner around the opening and see how it is going to fit. You will have to cut it to fit but make sure you don’t cut it too short. Take your time and be careful at this point. You can leave it a little long and once it has been glued you can then cut it a little shorter if necessary.
22) Once it has been cut properly spray the edge of the windshield opening and the underside of the headliner with the glue. Attached is a picture of the glue I used and it is superior glue. I got it at JC Whitney and it is better than the 3M glue.
23) Let the glue dry and get tacky on both surfaces. Then pull the headliner tight and press down and fit it around the edges. Check and see if it is tight and looks right.
24) Got back to the middle stay and work back toward the tailgate.
25) Once you get to the tailgate, notice the spikes alone the upper metal plate. Pull the headliner tight and then press it alone the spikes and they will catch the headliner. Be sure to do this only once since the spikes will punch holes in the headliner.
26) At this point replace all the plastic covers.
