replacing the headlining on a cabriolet

is there a guide on here? i can't seem to find one need to find out what im letting mysefl in for!

Hi Loz mk1,
You need to remove the top and interliner pad first to  do a proper job.
this will give you an opportunity to inspect the frame etc and treat any rust & a general clean up.

It is involved work and time consuming, but a shabby headliner is a let down. If it needs a clean use swarfega as it wont drip on you but if the headliner is ripped replacement is the way forward.
I have provided a link to a guide for the headliner below.
let us know how you get on.

http://www.cabby-info.com/topinstall.htm

hi thanks iv pronted it off and will let you know. doesnt look like much fun i think im gonna have to take my time over this MORE DEALYS!

Prowler does a DVD about removing and installing the hoods, head liner etc. Its really good and recommended. P.M. him.
I have a white new headliner for sale if youre interested.

your is too much money! sorry. im on a budget with this one, iv already spent more on it than i hoped to put it up for sale for, so it needs finishing as cheap as poss, got all the bits (except front seats) and its just a case of finding a spare weekend to crack on with it with some help (i now live almost 50 miles away from where the cars stored and dont finish work til gone 6 on a night a further 20 miles away!)

Yep these things do have a habit of running away money wise, It's not cheap. But do it too cheap and you wont' get your money back in this financial climate. As the Saying goes " it's like putting a silk hat on a Pig".

I don't think my headliner is that expensive.  :dontknow:  Like I said open to offers. The Headliner is brand new never fitted, not second hand out of someone else's car. Absolutley perfect. They are more than that on E bay New cheapest I could find was ?125.00. Would be interested to know what folks think is a fair price for brand new stuff.

dont get upset im just saying its too much for me to spend on a headlining.

Not upset Dude, at all. It makes me think that I have priced the stuff wrong. If it's out of your budget fair do's.

if it was for madame my tin top money is no object. im a bugger for chucking endless pots of cash at her- yet she still looks all folorn and unkempt.

I always say "do what you can, when you can and it will all come trogether", eventually.
Keep up the good work.

Sorry, reviving a very old thread here but can't find the cabriolet headliner replacement guide and the link above (to cabbyinfo) is no longer working. I have followed the roof replacement guide from this forum to remove my outer roof but it does not include the headliner replacement. I can probably remove it and take a lot of pics (and remove padding layer first) and replace in reverse, but would be good to have the guide to refer to. Thanks.

Headliner.
Installing your headliner - Topless Rabbit Forums

Padding kit
https://www.volkswagenownersclub.com/threads/cabriolet-top-pad-installation.32182/

top skin
https://www.volkswagenownersclub.com/threads/cabriolet-convertible-top-installation.32262/

Briano. Did you knock up those instructions? Bloody hell,why did someone not replace the head liner when they did the roof on my cabby. Looks like too hard work for me. Might have to let mine go to a new buyer lol.. How long does that job take.

Folks often just replace the top because it’s a long laborious job.
Not so bad if you got a garage and plenty of time.
It’s expensive to do properly and if someone isn’t keeping the car it’s a case of Chuck a top on and hope the new buyer hasn’t researched what’s involved.
I had a tough lad come over to see me after he bought a cabby off eBay.
He knew the top had a hole in it but the seller told him it’d only be a couple hundred quid.
Whilst neglecting to say that the rear window frame was rotten, the headliner was discoloured and torn and the padding was now falling apart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

supeone1973 said

Briano. Did you knock up those instructions? Bloody hell,why did someone not replace the head liner when they did the roof on my cabby. Looks like too hard work for me. Might have to let mine go to a new buyer lol.. How long does that job take.

Before I wrote those there was nothing on the interweb about replacing your pad and headliner.  

Only Forrest Kings 2 page of directions for replacing the outer skin and those had no pictures….

Something I could not find in any of the instructions is there are thin black elastic straps (fabric like the type you'll find in your underwear) on my car between the rear hoop top corner and the C pillar. They are clearly original, as there are connecting points for them on both sides but are totally stretched out and snapped. Can not really see what they are meant to do. Can be easily replaced, but just wondering what they are for to understand how tight and strong they should be.

Also, I am not quite getting the "relief cut" issue on the top. I have a new top that looks different. As per the picture it looks like the cut is already there, or am I missing something? The cable "channel" of the top ends in line with the cable tray end and can't really see it working any other way, unless some tops are just manufactured differently?

Okay, the "elastic straps"  never seen those and I have done a few tops so they could of been a substitution by a previous installer.





These are the only straps that I know of to attach the sides of the headliner to the frame.  They don't go tot he "c" pillar at all.

One Vinyl strap is inserted in to the headliner, and affixed to the rubber band that attaches to the frame, the other end of the strap is attached to the rear window frame bow.  

What happens is that when the pivots on the rear window frame and bow are all oiled and free to move.

Opening the top the Rubber Band at the front is under tension with the top closed so that when you open it acts as a spring and pulls the rear window bow up at the top and in to position as the vinyl strap is basically snapped in to place.  When you close it the vinyl strap relaxes and the window is allowed to fall under its own weight first to rest on the parcel shelf. The weight of the rear window frame places tension on the Rubber to stretch and pre-load the frame.

Now on to the relief cut.

Caveats, if you have trimmed all the extra material from the construction of the top, then chances are that you don't need to make it.

If you didn't trim all the extra stuff, then the relief cut or hole allows the rear cable to enter from the outside to the inside of the cabin or from the cable tray to the interior of the car with out bunching up the extra material.







For example, the Cable has to leave the outside of the top and enter the cabin, if you don't have a relief cut, or didn't trim the material then you have the cable folding over the material and bunching it up.

These are examples on scrap material not a real top.



If you make the relied cut then the cable cleanly enters the cabin and doesn't fold over the material preventing a bunch up.



Hope this helps…. to see what the difference is in the way it looks and appears.

Trimming all the excess material off the top getting it as close to the stitching as you can without cutting the stitching.


Showing the relief cut after trimming the excess at the point of the cable entering the interior from the exterior.

Those elastics are factory installed.
They go from the corner eye to a strap riveted the the frame.
On early models they go from one of the plastic nut covers to the rear corner eye.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

chortle said

Those elastics are factory installed.
They go from the corner eye to a strap riveted the the frame.
On early models they go from one of the plastic nut covers to the rear corner eye.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Never seen them over here on this side of the pond… would love to see a picture of it…and is it to keep the headliner side taught?