Bedlined headliner?
Thread Starter
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
So maby im crazy or i have a good idea. Let me know.
My headliner is falling down and i was going to just replace it with cloth. However, my aunt has the JK Rubicon and it has a hard plastic headliner in it that can be removed which got my brain turining. I was thinking i could scrape off the old foam and spray expandable foam onto it(sort of like this http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/foam/foam.html) shape it with a sander and plainer, and then spray it with either grey or black bedliner.
What do you think?
My headliner is falling down and i was going to just replace it with cloth. However, my aunt has the JK Rubicon and it has a hard plastic headliner in it that can be removed which got my brain turining. I was thinking i could scrape off the old foam and spray expandable foam onto it(sort of like this http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/foam/foam.html) shape it with a sander and plainer, and then spray it with either grey or black bedliner.
What do you think?
Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 511
Likes: 3
From: Chadbourn, NC
Year: 88, 89, 93 & 99
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I like it
The one in my '89 was trashed so I pulled it out and scrubbed it good with a brush to remove the foam and sprayed it with a coat of sound deadning undercoating and then a light coat of bedliner...

The one in my '89 was trashed so I pulled it out and scrubbed it good with a brush to remove the foam and sprayed it with a coat of sound deadning undercoating and then a light coat of bedliner... 
Last edited by HighRoller; Jun 11, 2011 at 03:15 PM.
Thread Starter
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 511
Likes: 3
From: Chadbourn, NC
Year: 88, 89, 93 & 99
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
It was gravy... Just remove the trim around the top, pop off the interior lights and release the 4 clips that hold the headliner in place. She'll then slid right out. Then I just pulled off the fabric and used a firm bristled scrub brush (like for cleaning tile or masonry) and gave it a good brushing until all the foam backing was off the headliner shell. After that I sprayed it with a coat of rubberized undercoating and allowed it to dry about an hour. Then I put a thin coat of rustoleum spray on bedliner on to even it out and put her back in. Took about 4 hrs all in all but I had to deal with the sunroof seal and I took the time to clean the drain lines while I had the headliner off. Without that you could do it in about 3 hrs. and come in under $20.
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Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 511
Likes: 3
From: Chadbourn, NC
Year: 88, 89, 93 & 99
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Not sure about the brand (I'll see if I still have the can) but I got it from the local CarQuest. I imagine any undercoating would do or even straight bedliner... Mine was really fragile from long term water damage because of a leaking sunroof while it was in a JY for the last 6 years... I thought the undercoating would help hold it all together... It's worked great but if your shell is clean and strong you could skip it and go straight to the bedliner.
Thread Starter
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Well my thought on the undercoating was to replace the foam that is up there now so i dont loose any of my sound proofing. I imagine my shell is fine since its a 97 and it hasent ever sat in a junk yard (as far as i know! 0.0). Thanks alot! This is my project for the week. Im pretty sure napa will have all the stuff i need.
I put the spray on bedliner on mine. It did not turn out very good. the bedliner soaked in to the headliner in some places, so it did not come out very even. If you do it do the undercoating first and then roll on bedliner so it goes on thicker.
Thread Starter
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Isnt the roll on stuff really gritty looking. Like sandpaper?
Thread Starter
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 726
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From: Leadville Co
Year: 2000
Model: Grand Cherokee
Engine: 4.7
Well I'm about halfway through this escapade. The headliner board is sitting on my garage floor drying right now. Actually its probly dry by now. I did a layer of rustoleum rubberized undercoating and then a layer of their spray on bedliner. I don't think the undercoating would be entirely necessary if you layer on a few layers of bedliner. Over all it doesn't look too bad yet, except for a a couple spots where the original liner took off a layer of the board. Kind of hard to explain but if you do this you'll understand.



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