DIY: Remove & Paint your Headliner

[Crush]

Really simple modification which will add great value to your interior, especially if your headliner was like mine... over 10 years old and had about 20 different shades of brown & black. It was interesting to note the original light tan color after removing some of the clips.


**Note, the vehicle this was performed on is a 1997 Outback Sport. There may be variations by vehicle type, model & year**


Tools/Products
--------------

Flathead Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
2-3 cans of Duplicolor Vinyl/Fabric spray
Patience

1 Hour to remove headliner
20 Minutes for painting
1 Hour to replace headliner

Visual Impact - Huge. Headliner looks almost brand new



1. First step is to remove all hardware, clips, screws, handles, and such holding in your headliner.

-The cover over the rearview mirror can easily be removed by pulling from the front (area closest to windshield). The mirror is held on with three phillips head screws. There is a black plastic tab under the mirror mount which can be pulled out with a little force as well

-Two screws will allow you to remove the sun visors. The clips that hold the inside parts of the visors are simple to remove. Using a flat-head screwdriver, insert it into one side and pull it downward slightly. Remove the screwdriver and repeat for the opposite side. The clip will pull right out.

-Two tabs on the driver side above the door simply pry off with a flathead screwdriver.

-The 'Oh-Shit' handle on the front passenger side requires you to slightly pry both sides with a flat-head screwdriver. They should slide over the actual handle to reveal a phillips head screw.

-The rear 'Oh-Shit' handles are slightly different from the one on the front passenger side. A little plastic cap on each side hides a phillips head screw.

-There are four (4) more plastic caps holding in the headliner on this Wagon. They are located towards the center of the roof. The easiest way to remove these is to use your fingernails. By pulling evenly around the cap, it will lightly 'pop' out. This will release the tension on the cap and you can use a little more force to remove it.

-Interior dome light (Located in between the front passenger seats on OBS model) can be easily removed by simply prying off the plastic light cover to reveal two phillips head screws. Disconnect the wiring harness plug and put the light aside with the other parts.


2. Removing the headliner (OBS Wagon directions only). This will be very different whether you have a coupe, sedan, or wagon, as you can probably already tell. I did not remove mine in the easiest of ways, but let me tell you how I would if I were to do it again.

-Begin by prying the rear upper trim panel off completely. Work your way around the interior trim panels, popping them from their locations. This will allow the entire headliner to be loose. If you remove all of the panels completely from one side of the car, you should simply be able to slide the headliner out from the opposite side, and directly out the rear hatch. The opposite of this is how I will be returning the headliner back into the car.

**Be cautious when removing the headliner to not have the center light plug become caught on anything. Also be aware of the rear wiper washer tube located in the rear pillar.**


3. Painting your headliner. I purchased 2 cans of paint. I believe 3 may be overkill, but it all depends on how much rattle can experience you have. I am happy with how it turned out with almost 2 cans. One can had a bad nozzle so it would not stop spraying.

-I won't go into how you should prep the area, seeing it's straight forward.

-I sprayed with left to right and back motions, beginning at the front of the headliner and walking my way to the rear. I've got big legs so getting on top of it was not an issue. To make sure the paint was absorbed uniformely, I alternated to walking the headliner from rear to front as well.

-Two cans later and the painting job was complete. I have set it to dry and aerate for about 24 hours and will then install it back into the car, in the reverse order from removal.


Pictures to be taken and posted later on this evening due to the late completion time last night. Any questions about the instructions, components or details feel free to ask.

[Soarer2JZ]

eh fockin pictures!

[Mikeyp5284]

it was dark, so we didn't take any.

[Crush]

Pictures to be taken and posted later on this evening due to the late completion time last night.

pictures will be up soon. This is a first in a long string of DIY's I have planned to post exclusively here so that we start getting some good hands-on content.

[jrkingz]

I kno this is an old thread but did u end up taking any pics? I'm thinking about doing my headliner black to match the rest of the interior. Someone told me it was much better to dye it tho?

[Crush]

I don't have any pictures of the process, but I do have some after shots. It's still holding up really well. I think I used 2 cans for the wagon headliner. It's really as easy as taking off all of the oh-shit handles, visors, mirror, overhead light, and then most or all of the pillar trim. Wagon was easy cause I slid it out the back. The coupe will be a bit tougher. Mikey did his old RS so he can comment on how easy it was to get out of the car.

[Mikeyp5284]

It was actually very easy. Just have to remove some trim pieces and temporarily remove the seat belt bolts on the b and c pillars. If you want a hand let me know and I'll stop by and help.

[jrkingz]

cool ill let u kno when i make it happen