DIY - Microsuede Headliner Recover - (e36 vert hardtop)

[palomino]

I just picked up a hardtop for my convertible and really wanted the headliner recovered in microsuede. Its SO HOT! I decided to make a write-up for this, since I couldnt seem to find a write-up with pics of the process. I hate write-ups that leave you stranded when you dont understand what the writer is talking about, so Ill make it pretty detailed. Dont get bored. ;)

I had another member here, Extemporia, help me with the install since she's done it a few times before and the install on her car is still holding up - even after a hot L.A. summer.

1 - We went to Joann's (a fabric store) and picked up 2 and 1/4 yards of Microsuede fabric and some Headliner Glue. You want to be sure that the fabric you buy has some stretch to it for laying it nicely on any curves in the headliner. You also want to be sure the material isnt too heavy. I bought 2 cans of aerosol glue made specifically for automotive headliners. It has a stringy look when you spray it, reminded me of Silly String. This was enough for me to do the cieling and C-pillars on the hardtop for my car. You may want to pick up a little more for use on your coupe or sedan. I spent about $20 on fabric and each can of glue was $20 as well.

Here is a pic of the glue I bought.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0041.jpg

2 - Obviously, you'll need to get the headliner out of the car. Start by removing the Oh-Shit handles and lights. On my hardtop, there are little covers that cover the screws that hold the handles in place. Perhaps they are used on coupe/sedan handles as well? I dont know, but these covers can be removed if you tug GENTLY on them straight out at a 90 degree angle. They have thin little guide pins that can break off if you pull in any other direction. The C-pillar lights have a little groove on the edge where you can ply them off with a flat head screwdriver. Then gently tug on the panels. They are held in by little plastic tabs that stick into the metal of the car at 90 degree angles. As for getting the headliner of the car, I cant help you with that one, as I did this with my hardtop off the car and on its stand. :stickoutt The best advice I can give is get creative and be gentle with it.

In the pic, I circled in yellow the slits there the plastic tabs hold into. In circled in purple where an Oh-Shit handle attaches.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0030-A.jpg

3 - We layed the liner on 2 padded bar stools that were sitting in the garage. The original liner on my car was still in perfect shape, so we decided to lay the microsuede over it. Extemporia says that if the liner is sagging, you need to scrub it and the foam middle part off of the fiberglass mold. Use soap, water, and a stuff brush. Be careful not to get any fiberglass splinters. They are no fun because they are invisible.

4 - Extemporia advises that it is better to glue the microsuede down little by little instead of all at once. We layed the fabric out over the mold then folded the fabric over in half to expose the backside of the microsuede and the headliner that the fabric would be glued to. Just like when you see a made bed with the corner of the comforter pulled back to expose the sheets. She sprayed the glue lightly in the side-to-side center of the top, over the fold in the fabric. She sprayed an area about one squared foot with half of it on the backside of the fabric and half on the liner. I suppose this would be directly to the rear of the sunroof, if you have one.When you spray the glue, be sure to keep your arm moving to prevent getting too much glue in one place. you DO NOT want the glue to soak through the fabric!!! After letting it dry a little (about 30-45 seconds), she folded the fabric back into place and gently pet over the glued areas to help them stick together. Let this bond for a few minutes, then tug gently up on the fabric. It should peel off a little bit, then be able carry the whole headliner with it. If it starts to peel off but shows no signs of having a stronger bond in the center of the sprayed area, you'll want to redo this and maybe use a touch more glue or not let it dry as long before setting the fabric in place.

here is a pic of what the glue should look like when applied.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0039.jpg

And petting the fabric down...
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0040.jpg

5 - Extemporia insists that it is best to start in the center, then work towards the rear, then work from the center out to the edges, then from the center to the front. She knows quite a bit about arts & crafts type stuff, plus her headliner still looks good, so I take her word for it. Be sure you test the bond of each section before moving on to the next by lifting the fabric and making sure it carries the weight of the headliner. You dont want any sags that scream out 'I did this myself!' Also, you'll want to lay out newspapers over the fabric while spraying the glue. Its messy, and you definitely dont want any glue getting on the side of the fabric that will be seen.

Heres a funky diagram I made of the order in which we glued the fabric down. The green box is the area we started with. Dont laugh.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0035aaA.jpg

6 - When its ALL glued down, flip the headliner over. Use a hot glue gun to glue the fabric down around the edge.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0042.jpg

Then trim it with a box cutter, scissors, or an exacto knife.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0043.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0044.jpg

7 - For the rectangular holes where the Oh-Shit handles (and other things) attatch, we cut an X in the fabric, and folded the corners through the hole, then glued the triangles onto the backside of the fiberglass.

Thats about it. Installing the headliner back into the car should be the reverse of removal.

Some pics of the finished product...

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0035aa.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/palomino328/BMW%20328/Microsuede%20Install/IMG_0031aa.jpg

[LuvMy328is]

Subscribed for reference purposes :thumbup:
~Phil

[Rack325i]

In sedans, to get the headliner out, slide the seats all the way foward, then tilt them all the way back. it should come out the driver side door with ease.

Ive seen people do it in the rear driver door, but i dont know about that.

[m54sam]

DAMN!!! I'll make you a deal, I'll buy you dinner and a bottle of your choice of poison if you help me with mine. Name the time and i'll make the drive to so-cal. THAT looks damn HOT, what a kickass job!!!!!

[vr4boy]

excellent job and nice write up:clap
where may i ask did you purchase the headliner glue/spray?-i'm actually doing this project on my e30 hardtop this weekend-i purchased some headliner material(black) from joann's fabric....just need some heavy duty headliner glue,thanks

[palomino]

I bought the glue at Joann's as well.

[Yuen]

Thanks for the write-up! Yours looks great. Mine turned out similar, I also used black microsuede and it looks exactly like yours. On the sedans we have this hook rail right before the rear windshield, that the headliner needs to hook onto. You did not mention it, so I'm guessing you don't have it?

I glued my edges onto the back of the headliner just like you, but forgot the hook. So I glued over the rear curve of the headliner and mine doesn't hook into the rail now. Now I've got to redo it!

[Jetblack95]

good job! my interrior job starts after christmas, i'll keep you guys up to date, and this is an awesome reference for the headliner!

thanks!

[palomino]

On the sedans we have this hook rail right before the rear windshield, that the headliner needs to hook onto. You did not mention it, so I'm guessing you don't have it?

I do have that on the hardtop, but my fiberglass is a little warped and can no longer hook into it, so I didnt think to mention it. Good point though.

I have to figure out another way to secure mine up before the issue gets worse. The curvature of the rear edge of the fiberglass flattened itself out. Im thinking, hit it with a heat gun and find a way to hold it in place as it cools? :(

[roberttran]

you are my hero :D

Did the microsuede you get have any stretch to it? or is not not stretchable at all?

edit: nvm, reread your post

[palomino]

you are my hero :D

Did the microsuede you get have any stretch to it? or is not not stretchable at all?

edit: nvm, reread your post

what a noob. ;)

its totally easy to awesome results if you take your time with it.

do it on Teh Gwen while the car is all apart anyways. :stickoutt

[roberttran]

what a noob. ;)

its totally easy to awesome results if you take your time with it.

do it on Teh Gwen while the car is all apart anyways. :stickoutt


teh Gwen is on jack stand now and the project has started. I've already started on some interior bits and the exhaust. I might take the headliner out and have Brittie re-cover it while I'm working on other parts. We'll see :D

btw, shoot me an email when you're about to do the M3 master brake cylinder swap. I'll try to get that done by mid December so I'll have a DIY for ya.

[palomino]

teh Gwen is on jack stand now and the project has started. I've already started on some interior bits and the exhaust. I might take the headliner out and have Brittie re-cover it while I'm working on other parts. We'll see :D

btw, shoot me an email when you're about to do the M3 master brake cylinder swap. I'll try to get that done by mid December so I'll have a DIY for ya.

sweet.

although, i must confess that the cylinder swap is low on my list, considering that i am pretty much brokexorz. :az

[roberttran]

sweet.

although, i must confess that the cylinder swap is low on my list, considering that i am pretty much brokexorz. :az

robert brokexorz > palomino brokexorz :P

you dont even want to know how much ive already spent since september and will spend on teh gwen

[palomino]

i bet. :eyecrazy

hope you spent some money on space heaters for the garage!

[roberttran]

i bet. :eyecrazy

hope you spent some money on space heaters for the garage!

Thanks for rubbing it in, Damn you and your warm winters :P

And I do have a space heater, and my halogen work lamps will produce enough heat to keep me warm

[bigbilly]

Okay, I'm finally getting around to replacing my saggy-ass headliner. And don't ask me why I still have my hard top on in the summer (long story, just take my advice and don't move your ragtop up and down quickly - I got stuck).

So how is your jo-ann's microsuede holding up after all this time? Did you do the 303 Fabric Guard trick to minimize fading?

I'm also wondering - my interior is sand but my hardtop has the standard deep gray/black (anthrazit?) color. Any thoughts on how this would look with some color-matched tan/beige? Granted the a-pillar is black and all the trim is black...

Finally - if you agree, can one of the mods move this to the 'vert forum?

[palomino]

still looking good. no sags, no problems what-so-ever with it. i think tan would show glue bleed-through more than black would. i only had 2 spots where the glue bled through on mine. its really important to wait a while after spraying the glue, but before laying down the fabric.

i was never able to re-attach the handle though. i cant seem to get the pin to slide through all the way to keep the handle in place. no biggie though, i just hold the handle up to the top as if it was fixed in place to lock & unlock the latches.

[bigbilly]

i think tan would show glue bleed-through more than black would. i only had 2 spots where the glue bled through on mine. its really important to wait a while after spraying the glue, but before laying down the fabric.

Thanks for the tip. I may try tan on the side pillars to see how it goes. Worst case I just rip it off and start all over anyway. If I do go black microsuede, I'm half considering redoing the whole interior black anyway. As they say, once you go black... Ok, enough bad jokes.

Any thoughts on whether there would be enough room to put dynamat or some other sound-deadening material between the fiberglass and the aluminum top? or is it an uber-tight fit (as I'd imagine)?


i was never able to re-attach the handle though. i cant seem to get the pin to slide through all the way to keep the handle in place. no biggie though, i just hold the handle up to the top as if it was fixed in place to lock & unlock the latches.

Do you mean the center lock handle or the oh-shit handles? I can take "before" pics if you want. Lemme know.

It's funny - the reason I've been putting this off is because I didn't know how to take off the center lock handle. It's amazing what you discover with a flashlight - a simple hex socket!

Anyway, thanks for the tips. I'll post my results here if I they don't look too much like my summer camp projects of 25 years ago. :eek:

BB

[mitch smith]

Great write up!!!:buttrock

[MParallel]

Don't recall this old post. That headliner looks great. Almost Alcantara like.

[NiTrOuSoXiDe]

Ugh, if there was a microsuede headliner for the soft top, I'd be reaching for my wallet right now. I bet that stuff sucks up road noise real nice...

[bigbilly]

Don't recall this old post. That headliner looks great. Almost Alcantara like.

You're not losing your mind. I stumbled across the post in the non-vert section of e36 and suggested it be moved here (the post predates this forum).

As a note for those who may try this:

Being a guy and totally out of my element at Jo Ann's fabrics, I'll share some hard earned knowledge. DON'T go to the "clothing fabric" section of the store, but rather to the "home fabric" section. The "home fabrics" come on a 53" wide roll.

I bought 3.5 yards of the black microsuede and two cans of the glue and a table lamp (long story) for $100, but I got lucky as the fabric was on sale ($10.50/yd rather than $21)

I plan on wrapping the headliner, the c-pillars, and the handle covers ("flap rear left" 54218153225 and "flap rear right" 54218153226)

Will post pics when done...

[bigbilly]

Ugh, if there was a microsuede headliner for the soft top, I'd be reaching for my wallet right now. I bet that stuff sucks up road noise real nice...

That's a great idea. If my hardtop effort doesn't end in disaster, I may just try re-covering my softtop headliner too. Considering most of the stitching is out and it needs to be replaced anyway, what could it hurt? (famous last words)

[NiTrOuSoXiDe]

I'm simply interested in the extra insulation it would provide between my passengers and the outside noise. In my old Pontiac Sunfire vert there was thick felt on the headliner and that car was VERY quiet on the road. I just don't understand why so much noise passes through the so-called quality BMW canvas top... :dunno

That, and it looks very nice!!

[palomino]

Any thoughts on whether there would be enough room to put dynamat or some other sound-deadening material between the fiberglass and the aluminum top? or is it an uber-tight fit (as I'd imagine)?
there is definitely room for something like that, i also thought about putting in some kind of sound deadener. i think dynamat is really heavy though, and i didn't know how well it would hold up being completely upside down. i didnt want it to fall and be resting on the headliner. my headliner already sags a little bit in the very back, near the window.



Do you mean the center lock handle or the oh-shit handles? I can take "before" pics if you want. Lemme know.

It's funny - the reason I've been putting this off is because I didn't know how to take off the center lock handle. It's amazing what you discover with a flashlight - a simple hex socket!

Anyway, thanks for the tips. I'll post my results here if I they don't look too much like my summer camp projects of 25 years ago. :eek:

BBthe center handle for controlling the latches. i absolutely can not get that POS back on. every once in a while, i give it a try, but its so frustrating.

it felt like a total arts & crafts summer camp thing for me too. luckily, it turned out better than any of my hand-painted t-shirts or macrame friendship bracelets ever did. :rofl

my macaroni necklaces always seemed to disappear the same day that i proudly presented them to my parents also, i guess ive never been the artsy type!

Don't recall this old post. That headliner looks great. Almost Alcantara like.
thanks. as far as i know, Alcantara is just the "designer" version of microsuede? i had a few really expensive handbags that were lined with Alcantara and i didnt think it was anything special.

Ugh, if there was a microsuede headliner for the soft top, I'd be reaching for my wallet right now. I bet that stuff sucks up road noise real nice...i dont think it would be all that great. its not as thick as real suede.




Being a guy and totally out of my element at Jo Ann's fabrics, I'll share some hard earned knowledge. DON'T go to the "clothing fabric" section of the store, but rather to the "home fabric" section. The "home fabrics" come on a 53" wide roll.

I plan on wrapping the headliner, the c-pillars, and the handle covers ("flap rear left" 54218153225 and "flap rear right" 54218153226)

Will post pics when done...even i felt out of place in that store, i cant imagine seeing a grown man browsing through the fabrics. :rofl

i didn't cover the handle covers and i still have a tough time getting them to lock upright. i haven't decided what to do about that.


That's a great idea. If my hardtop effort doesn't end in disaster, I may just try re-covering my softtop headliner too. Considering most of the stitching is out and it needs to be replaced anyway, what could it hurt? (famous last words)if youre planning on actually replacing it anyways, might as well do a test run on the outgoing part!

[bigbilly]

the center handle for controlling the latches. i absolutely can not get that POS back on. every once in a while, i give it a try, but its so frustrating.

Ok, I'll take some pics before and after around this. What's happening for you? Does the hex-screw not line up properly? Although I guess if you knew the problem you'd fix it... :stickoutt


even i felt out of place in that store, i cant imagine seeing a grown man browsing through the fabrics. :rofl

I swear I was the only guy in the store. Going in there in my slacks and dress shirt, I had quite a few of the employees give me a questioning stare. Especially when I was flipping through the bolts of fabric (before I realized I was in the wrong section). It must have been funny as I tested the weight of the fabrics and compared colors. If I sashayed down the aisle I'm sure one of them would have dropped dead!


i didn't cover the handle covers and i still have a tough time getting them to lock upright. i haven't decided what to do about that.

Blink. Blink. Huh? Not sure what you mean by this. :confused

[palomino]

Ok, I'll take some pics before and after around this. What's happening for you? Does the hex-screw not line up properly? Although I guess if you knew the problem you'd fix it... :stickoutt

the pin gets stuck on something about halfway through.

ive tried wiggling it around, wiggling the handle around, using a paperclip as a lead-in....

at one point i had the handle attached to the top with a reshaped paperclip, but it just looked horrible and didnt function all that greatly, so i just took it out.



I swear I was the only guy in the store. Going in there in my slacks and dress shirt, I had quite a few of the employees give me a questioning stare. Especially when I was flipping through the bolts of fabric (before I realized I was in the wrong section). It must have been funny as I tested the weight of the fabrics and compared colors. If I sashayed down the aisle I'm sure one of them would have dropped dead!
it would have been great if you had grabbed a shopping cart and pushed it around with you. honestly, i always hope no one i know will see me coming out of that store. luckily, i haven't had to go there in a really long time.



Blink. Blink. Huh? Not sure what you mean by this. :confused

umm... the two detachable covers that hide the red handles... i did not recover them in microsuede because i did not own them at the time of the recovering. so they are still in their natural form.

it is difficult for me to get them to snap into place and stay shut due to the added bulk of the recovered headliner. i dont know if i'd even be able to shut them if they were recovered. and this disappoints me so much, because the covers dont match the headliner and that bothers me.

[fallenwout]

Oh-Shit handles!!!!!
:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

Never heard of that name. Finding out that people name it like that nearly killed from laughing.:rofl:
I always saw them as the I-Don't-Trust-The-driver handles

[bigbilly]

the pin gets stuck on something about halfway through.

Hmm. That's a bit disconcerting. Not to ask the obvious, but is there a chance that the fiberglass isn't up close enough to the metal, causing the handle to be too low/short on the post? And so the sockets of the post and the handle are not lined up? Or is that why you used the paper clip... Although if the handle wasn't far enough up, I doubt a thin paper clip would make that obvious.


the two detachable covers that hide the red handles... it is difficult for me to get them to snap into place and stay shut due to the added bulk of the recovered headliner. i dont know if i'd even be able to shut them if they were recovered.

Hmm, also troubling but good to know up front. I'll try getting the original fabric off with goof-off and see how it goes from there. If my suede is thicker than original (probably) I'll try sanding down the tight spots before re-covering. Wish me luck!

BB

[palomino]

Hmm. That's a bit disconcerting. Not to ask the obvious, but is there a chance that the fiberglass isn't up close enough to the metal, causing the handle to be too low/short on the post? And so the sockets of the post and the handle are not lined up? Or is that why you used the paper clip... Although if the handle wasn't far enough up, I doubt a thin paper clip would make that obvious.



Hmm, also troubling but good to know up front. I'll try getting the original fabric off with goof-off and see how it goes from there. If my suede is thicker than original (probably) I'll try sanding down the tight spots before re-covering. Wish me luck!

BB
i have tried pushing on the headliner, and it didn't work for me. i wasn't lying when i said that i've tried everything! :banghead:

that is a good idea for the covers. i bet if you were able to scrape the two covers down to bare plastic, then recover them with the microsuede, they'd fit perfectly.

[bigbilly]

Did it this weekend, and it turned out pretty well considering my arts-and-craftiness. I managed to talk my mom into helping (and considering I'm 36 and she's in her 60's, it was a chance for a bonding experience that we hadn't had in years :rofl)

I did go the dynamat route. While it is pretty heavy, the whole thing is uber-sticky. I figure if it can hang from a trunklid, it can hang from the hardtop. It has helped a bit with heat and noise, and fits perfect. One of the 12 sqft (four sheet) boxes was enough, with about 2 sqft left over.

One thought on applying the headliner glue - spray heavy on the fiberglass and light on the fabric. Wait until the glue changes from clear to milky white color. I had a few (3-4) spots leak through where I sprayed too much on the fabric. Of course it was only in the front 12 inches, right above my head so I can obsess over it.

The two trim pieces came out fine (covers for the access area to the red handles on the c-piller). I pulled the existing fabric off and recoated with the microsuede. I didn't do the side panels yet (not enough time). So now I have a four-tone interior: the tan/beige sand interior combined with black/grey hardtop trim. I'm ghettolicious.

Two thoughts on the center locking handle:
1) I spent FOREVER trying to disconnect it. It's helpful to know that the screw threads are only about 3/16 inches wide, so after the hex screw stops backing out, I took a small allen key and pushed through from the other side.

2) Reinstalling is indeed a bitch. I couldn't get it to work either. It should fit easy, and I used an allen key to line up the holes, but couldn't get it to work. Here is one clever suggestion though - I ended up using the allen key to hold the handle on - the same allen key that fits the screw. The idea hit me when I found I could use the handle with the allen key in it. It works quite well, actually, and if you position it right you configure the allen key so it's hidden by the handle. And I figure it's easy enough to remove should you need to get the handle off for some reason.

One final thought - it is MUCH easier to install/line up the headliner with the oh sh!t handles before securing the edges of the headliner under the rubber trim. And it's even possible to wrestle the trailing edge by the rear window over the back metal lip once the headliner is secure. I found it handy to use a small screwdriver to pull the rubber trim over the headliner edges.

[BMW323iDude]

those toenails are teh hots!

[palomino]

2) Reinstalling is indeed a bitch. I couldn't get it to work either.

interesting news. thanks for the updates, glad it worked out for you.

i cant believe you couldn't get the handle back on either. im glad its not just me though!

those toenails are teh hots!:rofl i'll be sure to tell siobhan that you say so. i only make an appearance to hold the glue gun in those pics. the glue gun is the best part anyways.

[bigbilly]

One thought regarding getting the fabric in place - I used a few tools, specifically a nice horsehair brush I had lying around (usually use it with my dustpan) as well as a few wooden spoons. The brush helped to ensure everything was flat and smooth. The spoons were great to work the fabric into the contours of the fiberglass backing.

Oh, and the hardest part in getting the fabric to set right was in the area of the lock-down handle. I didn't get the fabric to lay flat against the fiberglass, but the handle is keeping the fabric in place. This may lead to trouble a few years down the road, but everything is fine now. I'm not sure how to approach this otherwise - maybe it makes sense to start the whole process there, so that the fabric can move. I have a heat gun and tried that, but didn't want to melt the microfiber (which is basically polyester aka plastic anyway).

[bigbilly]

I finally got my center handle properly screwed back in place this Saturday.

Here's the cliffs notes - sorry I was all alone so no pictures:

1) take hardtop off car and mount on stand
2) turn center handle so that it is vertical (pointing straight up and down) with the open hole at bottom (6-o'clock) and screw threads at top (12-o'clock)
3) position screw in bottom hole with allen wrench and push up until you meet resistance
4) with handle in place and lined up, push handle in to the hard top ("forward" from where you're standing) and simultaneously push up on the allen wrench.
5) with some determination, a little wiggling, and some mild cursing you should get the screw in place.

I think the problem is that while it is possible to get a coat hanger, wire, or even an allen wrench through the handle to ensure everything is lined up, somehow the handle is still too far out to allow the screw to pass through the holes on the metal posts of the mechanism. Pushing in while trying to seat the screw gets the holes appropriately aligned.

Hopefully this is clear. Good luck!!

Will

[droptop318i]

i just recovered my headliner in alcantera (i own my own trim business), a little advice for anyone doing this...

use 3M 74 Glue instead...that jo anns stuff is junk
also if you run into any wrinkles you can steam them out.
Another tip. hot glue is very bad to use in upholstery work it eventually cracks off and kicks the material loose.

[palomino]

One thought regarding getting the fabric in place - I used a few tools, specifically a nice horsehair brush I had lying around (usually use it with my dustpan) as well as a few wooden spoons.

that's a good idea.

as for getting the handle back on, im sure ive tried doing it that way. i will give it another go... sometime.

[bigbilly]

also if you run into any wrinkles you can steam them out.

How?


Another tip. hot glue is very bad to use in upholstery work it eventually cracks off and kicks the material loose.

So any suggestions on what we should use instead?

Thanks.

[droptop318i]

i just use the 3m 74 where it wraps over and it grabs good. 74 turns into almost a foam when it dries and bites into materials very well. the trick is to let it tack up first before you wrap something if you try to get it to stick to the wet glue it wont stick the material will slip.

As for steaming the wrinkles out: I use an upholstery steamer or like a suit steamer will work. you just get the steam near the wrinkle until it softens it and you can work the wrinkle out easier. But be careful..too much steam can loosen the glue.

[M3Alpine99]

Gonna work with shop coming up and do this :)

[bigbilly]

I'm seriously considering re-doing this with the carbon fiber fabric available from EuroDyne in the vendor specials area (link (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14892888)).

Any thoughts?

I still need to cover the c pillars anyway (ran out of steam - and since the top is in my garage for the summer months it would be easy to pick back up).

[palomino]

Definitely use (or be sure your shop uses) the highest quality of adhesive that you can possibly find.

dont get the cheap & easy to find stuff. same goes for fabric too.

im going to be redoing mine soon because i am less happy with it. cheap fabric holds up okay, and the glue has failed in a few places. im the only one that notices it for now, so i need to redo it (or have it redone) before it gets worse.

[blumpie]

I would like to do microsuede as well, however, I have to scrape all the crap off my current headliner.

Do i just put the microsuede on over the fiberglass? Or can I find some 1/8" thick foam somewhere?

[palomino]

id put it right to the clean fiberglass, thinking that its fewer places to have problems down the road.

definitely use good glue though, dont go cheap and dont settle for whatever is readily available.

[Blackedout325i]

good write up thank you, Im gonna do this asap my Hardtop is clean on the outside, embarassing on the inside.

[palomino]

good luck with that, and seriously, dont go cheap on materials. you'll regret it.

i definitely wish i had looked harder for better stuff.

[smaugthewyrm]

my hardtop has all the aliments, so its extreme makeover time.

windshield hook sqeak
a pillar leak
headliner delamination (hanging cloth ceiling)
poor sound proofing

now that i've finally found a thread that shows how to refurbish it, i can finally take care of some.

i've already ordered some CLD Tiles from sound deadener showdown
http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/products/cld

i used all 3 of his products to deaden my doors. excellent stuff.

for the hardtop i've purchased 12 cld tiles, but i really should also add some MLV (mass loaded vinyl) as a sound barrier.

i'll try the suede using the 3M super 77 spray. BTW what is the diff? 3m 77 vs 3m 74?

i wish i could tighten down the front hooks more...

wish me luck!

[fusionr300zx]

Looks amazing.