Ideas for missing headliner

[mibars]

Hi,
In the Suburban I bought there is no headliner, not even the moldings, I have just bare metal roof. I know that $529.95 can get me a headliner from LMC, however shipping is an issue as I'm in Poland.

I've searched the forums and I coudn't find if anyone has ever made a headliner from scratch, but maybe?

I was thinking about putting some bitumen accoustic mats on the roof sheet metal, then some sort of insulation to keep the heat down and then I have no idea: Some plastic sheet bolted to roof reinforcements? Or some thin wood fibre board? At the end I'd cover it with some sort of material, I was even considering a carpet similar to what is on door panels.

Any ideas what can be done?

 

[BadBowtie]

I like your ideal!!!

 

[Originalthor]

I'm in the same boat as you. Mine got destroyed by roof rack leaks. I will say though you will thank yourself the sooner you get insulation up there.
I got some fancy half inch foil backed insulation and sprayed glued it up there and tin taped the seams.
I'm probably going to take it down and put up killmat then the foil insulation back up. Its still a little tinny sound when knocking it.

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[Ricko1966]

Considering you are in poland,I don't know what materials are available etc. To complicate this I've never seen this done in a burb,but saw it in an acquaintances car forever ago he made a cardboard headliner and painted it,it actually didn't look bad. Idk if you could make one out of Luan and spray glue fabric too it or paint it.IDK if that picture will tell anything but that is bathroom wallboard from Menards its thin Masonite with a textured vinyl covering,that might be an idea too. Paint it whatever color matches your upholstery with vinyl dye.

 

[mibars]

Availability of building materials is also slightly different than in US, like I've never seen plastic wallboards in bathrooms, however there are some PVC boards available at our DIY/construction shops. Luan board seems also like a good choice, thanks for ideas!

 

[Royal Sierra 454]

My 77 had a headliner. All of the trim molding was there. I used textured Durabak 18. It is said to be good for sound deadening. Can always install a headliner later. I am happy with the result. Can take more pictures if wanted.

 

[Jeff Lewis]

Truck bed liner

 

[Bennyt]

Have you looked to see if the old style headliners that were used before boards is available for Suburbans? The kind with bows? For crewcabs, they do not make the reproduction boards so the aftermarket sells the bow style. That would be considerably less expensive to ship.

 

[mibars]

The kind with bows?

Not sure what kind of headliner it is...

Truck bed liner

Interesting idea, would probably work like a butyl sound deadening mat. However I can't imagine how to apply ot on a roof w/o removing whole interior to get it do.e

 

[FireTruck1984]

Hi,
In the Suburban I bought there is no headliner, not even the moldings, I have just bare metal roof. I know that $529.95 can get me a headliner from LMC, however shipping is an issue as I'm in Poland.

I've searched the forums and I coudn't find if anyone has ever made a headliner from scratch, but maybe?

I was thinking about putting some bitumen accoustic mats on the roof sheet metal, then some sort of insulation to keep the heat down and then I have no idea: Some plastic sheet bolted to roof reinforcements? Or some thin wood fibre board? At the end I'd cover it with some sort of material, I was even considering a carpet similar to what is on door panels.

Any ideas what can be done?

How’s your woodworking skills ?
Here’s an idea

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[dvdswan]

LKQ junkyards will ship. I'm not sure about overseas, but it would be worth a try. You can get all the moldings, hardware, and the headliner from them. Moldings can be cleaned and repainted if the wrong color, and the headliner material can easily be replaced from a fabric store.

 

[Bennyt]

Not sure what kind of headliner it is...

Ecklers.com sells the bow style so I'm sure others do as well. Instead of a board, there are rods that go across. The shippi g box would be long (width of roof) but probably only 6x6" in other dimensions. Easily shippable

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[WP29P4A]

If you have fabric stores there they usually have a huge variety of materials that you can glue to some type of backing to attach to the ceiling. If you like flags, most are big enough to use as a headliner. Could be a Country flag or maybe a sports flag? Whatever you're into. I thought about using leather or suede also.

 

[mibars]

Instead of a board, there are rods that go across.

That's an interesting option, thank you for the idea, I've searched how does it look and it's not bad! Once the fabric is tensioned it is hard to tell that it is not glued to something rigid. And the shipping would be way easier than a giant flat box.

How’s your woodworking skills ?

that's way over my woodworking skill level It's an interesting option, possibly gives a nice sound deadening and insulates a bit. I wonder if it squeacks or cracks when driving.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

We did the headliner in two square body Burbs with some automotive carpet from Walmart. The stuff is about 2' or 2 1/2' wide, so we got extra top bows from the wrecking yards and repainted them to match the truck. I think we ended up with 3 bars instead of the one that's there normally. Looked good and made the trucks a little quieter and cooler. Used 3M spray trim adhesive to stick the carpet to the cardboard that was there once the fabric (or what was left of it) was removed. You have to have that cardboard part VERY clean or the glue won't stick.