The one “undiscovered” issue with Superblack upon her arrival was the headliner cloth had detached and was stuck up with stickpins by the seller. Of course, no mention of that in the listing or any pic of that area (I know, I should have asked - esp. given how they ALWAYS seem to come loose in Jags given enough time and hot weather).
Anyway, as a temporary measure, I will use the usual black Dorman “screw-in” type retainers. I think one pack of 18 should be enough. Assuming that removing the headliner backing board w/o damaging it is as much a P.I.T.A. on the face-lift XJSes as it is with the XJ40s (or more so, given the cramped interior of the former) I’m going to see if I can re-adhere it in situ. My plan at this point is as follows:
1- Will use Permatex headliner adhesive spray. 3-M I know is the “standard”, but takes like 1/2 hour to set, vs. the Permatex stuff that takes less than 5 minutes.
2- I will cut a suitable size piece of cardboard to use and hold in the opposite hand during the procedure to block over spray. Both windows fully down, of course, for both ventilation and to avoid the risk of any over-spray getting onto them. Will also wear safety goggles and one of those disposable dust masks.
3- Will wait for windless day to work (I don’t have access to a garage ). Plan is to remove some of the Dorman headliner retainers in one area of the board sufficient to allow me to spray a controlled mist onto the backside of the fabric and onto the corresponding area of the backing board, using the cardboard piece to shield anything else from over-spray. Will then push that part of the fabric back into place, smoothing it over with a putty spatula to eliminate wrinkles. If it seems to hold firmly, that should do it until dry. If not, I may have to put the Dorman fasteners back in to hold that section in place until dry.
4- Move on to the next area, and keep repeating the process until all done.
Does this technique sound like a winner? Any foreseeable problems with it?
I don’t think it’s going to be a success, normally the foam backing has crumbled to dust which will not allow the fabric to adhere. Better off pulling the biscuit and doing the job properly, just my 2c
Don’t tell me … Jag was STILL using that stupid flimsy Styrofoam backboard material as of the '92 face lift MY??? Why is it the powers-that-be at Jag never seemed to learn from their mistakes as time went on (e.g. the flimsy door handle parts of the XJ40s, the quick-to-rot yellow foam Bilstein front damper insulators, etc. etc. etc.)?
Save your time and money…buy a new shell with upholstery. …the old shells crumble…I’ve had mine out for a year. …eventually I ll get a new one…you will have a mess on your hands and hard on your lungs.
It’s really not that difficult to take the liner shell out, and it is the only way to get rid of all the dust from the old foam based fabric. I would advise to not go for too thick a replacement, it is more difficult to apply around the contoured areas without introducing wrinkles.
Yes…after looking up the possibilities for fixing the headliner…a new one it seems is the way to go…about 300 dollars shipped from England…my next years project maybe…
They still have a poor shell…fiberglass just like insulation. …becomes brittle…poor choice of materials. .however after 30 years a new one should make it another 30.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
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If it was fiberglass, I think that’d be better! It’s akin to cardboard IMHO. It’s like a pressed fiber material. Comes apart if you look at it wrong. Probably chosen because it helps dampen sound and insulate against heat coming through the roof. And because it’s cheap.
Some have suggested reinforcing it with fiberglass. Basically, just slather some on the top side, away from the headliner, and let it cure. The only issue there is that you must be careful not to thicken up the edges too much where it needs to tuck behind trim.
). Plan is to remove some of the Dorman headliner retainers in one area of the board sufficient to allow me to spray a controlled mist onto the backside of the fabric and onto the corresponding area of the backing board, using the cardboard piece to shield anything else from over-spray. Will then push that part of the fabric back into place, smoothing it over with a putty spatula to eliminate wrinkles. If it seems to hold firmly, that should do it until dry. If not, I may have to put the Dorman fasteners back in to hold that section in place until dry.
