Headliner restoration help.
CF Veteran
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,735
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From: Long Island, New York
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 98 stroked 4.7
Its probably too late but I took my headliner fabric completely off and cleaned it down to the fiberglass base. I then gave it 3 or 4 coats of the rustoleum deck and concrete restore paint its very thick durable and has a rough texture its also fairly flexible and it comes in almost any color I will post some photos later I like it
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 940
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Its probably too late but I took my headliner fabric completely off and cleaned it down to the fiberglass base. I then gave it 3 or 4 coats of the rustoleum deck and concrete restore paint its very thick durable and has a rough texture its also fairly flexible and it comes in almost any color I will post some photos later I like it
CF Veteran
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,097
Likes: 12
From: Tarpon Springs, FL / Denver, CO
Year: '98
Engine: 4.0 I6
I just redid the headliner in my 98 this past weekend. I bought 3 yards and it was plenty enough. There is enough left over for the visors if I want to go that far. I used DAP Weldwood Landau contact cement and it worked great. I read a lot of threads and there were a lot of threads where 3M 77 was used and they did not end well and sagged very quickly. 3M 90 seems to be a better option. The Weldwood is ~$40 and is only available in a gallon can. You would also need a compressor and sprayer. I went that way because I also have a 99 that I need to do the same job.
Overall, it's not a real hard project. Make sure you scrape all the old nasty foam off of the fiberglass liner. I used one of these brushes from homedepot and it worked great: https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-4-Ro...-HDX/206509451
If your fiberglass liner has not been molested, you shouldn't really need a replacement. $40 for one isn't a bad price IMHO. Here is recent thread discussing the adhesive used: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/hea...hesive-244081/
Overall, it's not a real hard project. Make sure you scrape all the old nasty foam off of the fiberglass liner. I used one of these brushes from homedepot and it worked great: https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-4-Ro...-HDX/206509451
If your fiberglass liner has not been molested, you shouldn't really need a replacement. $40 for one isn't a bad price IMHO. Here is recent thread discussing the adhesive used: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/hea...hesive-244081/
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 793
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From: Aldie, VA
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
There are two different Weldwood contact cement products. The recommended one is the Landau top. I don't know what the difference is, but the Landau top version is much pricier and most likely won
't be found in retail stores. The funniest thing was the label on the back saying that the seller violated federal law by selling it to me since I am a non-professional glue sprayer. I play one on TV so maybe that counts.
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 7,517
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2011
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CF Veteran
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 7,517
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Do you own a '96 down? I thought all '97 and up had a speaker bar. I poured through all my photo's, have had the headliner in and out more times then you can imagine, and I don't have any shots showing it or the slots clearly.
Last edited by Ralph77; Jul 15, 2018 at 10:35 AM.
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it’s a 93. I’ll find a way to get that sucker in
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 7,517
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
My '96 had a speaker bar but on the outside of the headliner. That plastic piece is like my '00 where it goes behind. Are we even sure a '97 and up headliner with fit a '96 down? Plus the cargo bay overhead light is different so the hole in the headliner won't match up.
Last edited by Ralph77; Jul 15, 2018 at 10:43 AM.
Thread Starter
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this goes behind like the old style, I’m gonna custom cut a piece of material to get the overhead light shape right. That or just get a 97 and up light and put that in instead.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 25
Likes: 1
From: EGR, MI
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I wouldnt use the 77 spray tho. I've too many tales of it peeling loose on a hot day.
Instead, use the 3m 90. Or spray on contact adhesive.
Also, one of the secrets to using that kind of spray on glue is to spray both sides.. then let them tack up first. It'll never work if you try to press them together while the glue is still wet.
Instead, use the 3m 90. Or spray on contact adhesive.
Also, one of the secrets to using that kind of spray on glue is to spray both sides.. then let them tack up first. It'll never work if you try to press them together while the glue is still wet.
I'm going to pick the stuff up to do mine today. By spraying both sides, do you mean the fiberglass and the fabric? I was under the impression that I would have to roll the fabric on.
Thanks for any input!
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 804
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From: Homer Georgia
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0l
Want to say I did my headliner using info from this thread without a issue. I used the 3m 90 and the gray cloth I got from Joann's took about 1.5 hours and was able to easily removed the old foam/glue using a brush.
Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 146
Likes: 6
From: Bernardsville, NJ
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 liter 242 CI