Roof Headliner Plastic Installation - SOLVED!

[StudioWizard]

Hey all

I recently replaced the big plastic piece that connects to the fabric headliner. It's so much better, however there are a few tabs that don't seem to be locking into place on the driver side. They snapped right in on the passenger side (US / right side). The whole roof is overall really solid now, but the passenger side is a little more tight than the driver side.

Also, I noticed that besides the tab clips, there are also some square/rectangular clips (?) with a small hole in each. It almost seems like they are supposed to attach to something, although I don't know how in the world that could be done.

The pic shows inside the plastic piece. The right side of the picture is where the windshield is and the left side is where the headliner attaches.

Does anyone have any experience installing these and/or have any documentation/instructions?

Thanks!

[BumpyZ4]

Sorry I've only installed mine once and it was several years ago, so I don't remember. I'm sure one of the guys that parts these cars out will be along shortly to help.

[StudioWizard]

Thanks, BumpyZ4!

[StudioWizard]

I took the headliner plastic piece down again and after about an hour of careful examination, I figured out that the braided cable that runs from the locking motor down the side of the roof was moving and blocking the tabs when I tried to snap it in. When I'd pop it back off, the cable was in the correct position. I had to massage it a bit to get it to stay when moving the plastic piece in place. FYI: the other side doesn't have the cable and it snaps in easily every time.

It's so satisfying to hear the plastic piece click into place on both sides.

[ryushe]

How difficult did you find it to remove and reinstall the plastic headliner piece? Mine is sagging on the drivers side and I suspect the clips are not in their correct place :/

[StudioWizard]

Well, it was VERY difficult for me because I had no idea what I was doing. haha! But now that I know, I could fix a sagging headliner in about an hour depending on how damaged it is.

There aren't any "clips" holding the headliner up. There's a plastic rail sewn into the headliner that has several spaced holes in it for the screws that attach it to the aluminum dome bar. The bar has a little opening running its length, so you can attach screws anywhere along. What some folks are doing is just drilling new holes in the plastic and fixing the old holes with tape and/or superglue. I chose to keep the same holes, but reinforce them with staple gun staples. I created a thread with a few pix here: viewtopic.php?t=141149

In hindsight, it's probably better to fix the holes and drill new ones. One thing to consider is that any type of fix that rests higher than the bar at all will protrude through the fabric and will be visible outside.

Anyway, take a look at the above thread and let me know if you have questions.