Is there a high-quality headliner for 911s?

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 12-23-2006, 01:50 PM

Has anybody created a high-quality headliner for 911s--something other than that horrible perforated-vinyl beige thing that is on-so-period-correct but in fact is oh-so-WalMart?

I'm about to remove my glass to put in Lexan, and it suddenly occurred to me that though I did the headliner 12,000 miles ago, I've hated it ever since. Now's the time to do it right...

k9handler · 12-23-2006, 01:53 PM

what does a 911 look like without it? I would think all cleaned up it would look ok, anyone have pics of this type of setup?

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 12-23-2006, 01:56 PM

Well, what it looks like without the headliner is the inside of a steel bucket with--in my case--all the sunroof mechanicals bare-ass naked and a bunch of spotwelding and stuff that whoever did it knew the world would never need to see.

Not a pretty sight.

I'm lookin' for Ultrasuede, not iron.

Gearbox · 12-23-2006, 02:02 PM

Not sure what you are going for, but I'm sure for enough money, Tony at Autobahn could make you a headliner out of amy material you want, velour, velvet, cordaroy, leather, or what ever floats your boat.

dtw · 12-23-2006, 02:02 PM

Steve,
I'm sure if you picked out a material, Tony Garcia @ Autobahn Interiors would happily stitch up a headliner for you at a fair price. He might even be able to source something for you. The only problem I see is being able to buy one headliner worth of material without being compelled to buy a whole bolt...

randywebb · 12-23-2006, 02:27 PM

you might try Alcantera! I'd still use the holes as that helps reduce air pressure differentials on either side

EarlyPorsche · 12-23-2006, 02:41 PM

Gator skin.

356racing · 12-23-2006, 02:49 PM

You can also order the headliner in black from Autos. Still vinyl but it does't jump out like the off white ones do.

Eric-325I · 12-23-2006, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Formerly Steve Wilkinson

I did the headliner 12,000 miles ago, I've hated it ever since. Now's the time to do it right...

Did you find replacing the headliner to be the nightmare people speak of?

Eric

pwd72s · 12-23-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by randywebb
you might try Alcantera! I'd still use the holes as that helps reduce air pressure differentials on either side

Good advice. The holes breathe the air that flows out through the roof vent that is just above the rear window...

afterburn 549 · 12-23-2006, 04:10 PM

I used a black one from our host, I think with any you need to warm them up , iron them out b4 starting..I know black is incorrect for my year.....but it is mine.
start @ the front, leave plenty of green, work your way back. Order new clips- save your old ones and have some clothes pins too...you will need the extra clips while you are snorting tugging....dont get in a rush

Shaun @ Tru6 · 12-23-2006, 04:13 PM

Stephan, when I refinished the interior of my Targa (RIP, delivered her today), I bought 6 yards ($65/yard!) of black ultrasuede for anything below the beltline; above got new vinyl. BUT, I found that it fades in direct sun and after a year my door panels and bottom half of rear deck were a dull brown. I've still got the interior and plan on using an SEM vinyl dye (lightly sprayed) or may go with a leather dye (roller) even though it's synthetic.

Besides UV, something else to think about is that ultrasuede/alcantera also may be too heavy to be a headliner.

So whatever you get, make sure it's UV secure. Perhaps a marine variant that's designed to be out in the sun as much as my open top interior was? If you know of a UV protectant that you can spray on, send me an email and I can get some of mine to you.

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 12-23-2006, 04:30 PM

As for the pressure differential, I'm eliminating the rear-of-roof air vents anyway, with a faired-in rear window (Lexan) that eliminates that aerodynamically dirty step. But thank you all for the leads.

And as for Eric's question about replacing the headliner, no, it's not a nightmare at all, assuming you have all the glass out. Pretty straightforward.

randywebb · 12-23-2006, 05:51 PM

just a few days ago I saw a pic of a 911 (was it an R?) that had red crushed felt sprayed on the interior roof instead of a headliner - tried to find it an post but failed. idea might be worth it for some folks

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Couldn't you just carefully take down your current headliner, buy whatever fabric pleases you and take it to a decent upholstery shop and have them use the old one as a pattern for the new one you want? Seems like it would work to me as long as you don't tear up the old one.

Oh...and the old vinyl one? It would stretch intentionally to aid in a tight installation. I'd try to get that same ability in whatever new stuff you pick. Good luck. Let's see pix of whatever you go with.

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Formerly Steve Wilkinson
Well, what it looks like without the headliner is the inside of a steel bucket with--in my case--all the sunroof mechanicals bare-ass naked and a bunch of spotwelding and stuff that whoever did it knew the world would never need to see.

Not a pretty sight.

I'm lookin' for Ultrasuede, not iron.

That sounds like my car... no headliner - looks like arse.

I got a set of seats recovered in black Ultrsuede and they look awesome. I think I'm going to go to the same upholsterer and have the headlined done in ultrasuede too. I bet it will cost under $200.

goldgunner · 12-24-2006, 07:48 AM

Steven - the headliner I purchased from this company in Stuttgart can only be described as of amazing quality:
http://www.cabrio.de/

Jim

Milu · 12-24-2006, 07:59 AM

How about white wool by West of England. Used to be used on a lot of luxury cars.

randywebb · 12-24-2006, 10:07 AM

glued on red headliner as seen on 911R #11; photo from Ernie Wilberg's site, http://www.pbase.com/911r/image/23364447/original

911pcars · 12-24-2006, 11:07 AM

My previous DIY HL kit barely provided any extra material to overlap all around - maybe not typical now as that was a few years ago.

I'm with Dan in Pas. That's what I did. Find a good upholstery shop and have them do it. The cost might even be a wash, but a pro install should be better than a first timer's attempt. The shop owner created the bow seams from scratch, matching the previous one and had plenty of extra material to glue to the periphery to make it evenly tight. I found out later he also did the upholstery for Otis Chandler's Monterey cars, but most shops can handle this (alas, he retired). BTW, front/rear glass and rear side windows should come off to do this properly.

Sherwood