Headliner removal

[pyro]

Someone was getting ready to post a how to on the removal of the headliner. has it been done yet? I couldn't find it if it has. Can anyone help me on this? I want to install my 2 way radio on the rib above the drivers head.
Thx

[Sponsor]

[ZXT]

its not to bad, all you have to do is pull all the plastic trim off and pull the oh sh!t handle out and the two buttons in the rear of the car and YOUR DONE, hope this helps

[Kicknzx3]

Originally posted by ZXT
its not to bad, all you have to do is pull all the plastic trim off and pull the oh sh!t handle out and the two buttons in the rear of the car and YOUR DONE, hope this helps

visors/map lights.

should take about 15 minutes to drop it

[JensDOHC]

are you lost eddie?? LOL....you do realize what section you are in right? LMAO.....

[pyro]

What type of clips hold the plastic pieces on? Just pull on it?

[venomfocus]

how do the handles come out? they seem pretty sturdy.

[faufresh]

Taking the out handles is pretty easy, putting them back in is another story.
To take the entire Headliner out: COME TO THE REALIZATION YOUR GOING TO BREAK CLIPS
1. Clean the car, it's so much easier to do this when there is no junk in the way, beleive me.

2. To take the oh shit handles out, theres a little cover when you pull the handles down. Unflip that cover. There is a hole there about the size of a cig butt. Stick a screwdriver in there and start pulling up and down and side to side while pulling on the handle. It'll eventually unclip. While your at it unscrew the visors and visor clips. Save those screws!!!

3. Take the Seat Belt pillars out. They're held on by those lovely metal clips. Don't be afraid to yank em. Just be sure when you're yanking them, your yanking them as close to the clips as possible. Alternately you could use a rather long flathead screw driver and unclip em that way.

4. Take the trim pieces that extend from the Seat Belt pillars to the adjacent pillars. Same story, yank or flat heads if your more comfortable with that.

5. Take the two front pillars out. Some more yanking this time! Give the plastic credit but don't think they're indestructible. There's more of those little clips on the inside, most are plastic however. Pull that puppy out.

6. The two rear pillars don't have to come out, just get your fingers underneath the pillars and pull, just make sure your pulling as close to the clips as possible. Just as long as the top portion comes out, you'll be good. These back two pillars are a bitch to take off completely as that entails disassembling the portion where your seat-belts roll into and the destruction of the clip at the verra end. At least on Sedans anywayas.

7. Now you should have some more play with your headliner, tuck your fingers into the rear end and pull/push down to get those two plastic button clips out. Don't worry these little buggers are resilient and don't break easily.

8. If you haven't done so already take out the dome light assembly. There's a little notch toward the windshield. I found a small drill bit worked perfectly to get in there and pop it out. The dome light is not just going to dangle out. It's going to come out about halfway and stop. Rock that sucker sideways and it'll come out. Unclip it and place it with the rest of your goodies.

9. There are two screws that hold the bezel piece in. This is all thats holding the headliner in at this point if it isn't already sagging. Having a second hand wouldn't be such a bad idea. Unscrew them suckers. Once that comes down, there is going to be a metal frame that follows. Take note of how this attaches and save it.

10. To get the headliner out of the car, if you have a hatch you can try pulling it out that way. If not, the front passenger side will do. Move and squirm your way till the headliner is at a 45' angle. One corner should be on the floor and the other on the top of the seat. You may have to put your shifter all the way back if you have automatic for it to fit. It should be somewhat like this. [L\] L=Seat \=Headliner [ ] = door trim

11. Stare and wonder what the hell those stick on metal sticker pieces are for.

Installation is a reversal of tear down.
HOWEVER one extremely helpful hint:
Take the oh shit handle clips out of the roof, place the handle in the Headliner holes and clip them in that way. Your going to have a helluva if not impossible time getting them back in later on. Then you can put the Headliner back in reversing the instructions.

E.T.A if you've taken out pillars before and know what that entails= 10-20 mins
E.T.A if you haven't= 1-1.5 hours

A good practice for taking out those clips is to take out your door sills. Get a long flathead and start prying. It's the same stuff that the pillars are held onto. Once your confident with that and realize the plastic isn't as fragile as you think it is, move on to the pillars!

Now reupholster that sucker black velvet, paint those handles & Dome light trim, and
GET-R-DONE!!!!!!

hope this has been helpful. I'd post pics but no DIGI!!!

Oh and BTW, this was written with a SEDAN in mind but the same techniques can be applied to other models. *I think*

I'm not responsible for these kind of frustrations when things do break or do not work for whatever reason=

[lyrrad3]

Originally Posted by faufresh

8. If you haven't done so already take out the dome light assembly. There's a little notch toward the windshield. I found a small drill bit worked perfectly to get in there and pop it out. The dome light is not just going to dangle out. It's going to come out about halfway and stop. Rock that sucker sideways and it'll come out. Unclip it and place it with the rest of your goodies.

I'm working on the wrapping my headliner right now and I found this thread to be very informative!!! Thank you!

Just one tip on removing the dome light assembly though. I found it easier to pop of the dome light assembly by sticking a small flat head screwdriver in between the lens and trim. There is a clip adjacent to the notch you were speaking of (opposite end of the dome light switches). Use the screwdriver to press down on the clip and the lens should come out with relative ease. Once the lens is out you will have to unplug the two wire connecting to the switch. From there, you will be able to unscrew the trim with a phillips head screw driver.

[solsurfah]

I just got my headliner out. Would've been clueless w/o this write up. Now I gotta figure out what color goes with my grey interior. Thinking of going all black, headliner and pillars. Thanks.