Headliner Question...

bimmerboy73

bimmerboy73

Well-Known Member
Messages
495
Reaction score
22
Location
C0ckeysville, md
Since the windshield and back window are out of my car, i figured i might go ahead and replace the headliner as well. Is it necessary for the rear wondows to be down to do this? I know, sounds like a dumb question. The problem is that my windows are somehow permanently fixed in the up position. The motors operate perfectly but the gear that mates up to the regulator to raise and lower the windows has been removed for some reason (i got the car this way and the P-PO who purchase the car back in 94 said it was this way when he boght it). So i'm wondering if i'm going to need to figure out how to lower the glass to do this - which would then also mean purchasing new motors. Not a big deal. I'm just trying to stay to a set schedule to have the car painted and put together by the end of next month and so, would like to acquire whatever parts i need as soon as possible.
 
manually lowering windows....

If you have the original type regulators..... just turn the shaft. Slow and rather tedious but gets the job done.

Are the rubber couplers still on the shaft?
 
Thanks for the reply! I've tried turning the shaft / large gear in the past and it seems no amount of force can get the thing to budge. i figured one of the PO had the regulator held open by a fastener of some sort but have yet to find anything. I'll give it another go tonight and see if i can get it to work or find whatever it is thats holding it in place. Any idea if the window needs to be down to do the headliner?

BTW - i have a set of the later window motors that i'd planned on swapping in for the rears i have now but wasnt keen on drilling/cutting the regulator to get it to mount. so, if anyone is interested in upgrading, i'm willing to do a swap for a working pair of rear motors....
 
The rear windows have to be "down" in the frame order to be installed so they had to get them up somehow.
 
Stevehose said:
The rear windows have to be "down" in the frame order to be installed so they had to get them up somehow.
Click to expand...

i'm pretty sure whoever removed the gears from the motors wound the windows up and somehow fixed them in place first. dont know why he went through the trouble of removing the gears when unplugging the switches would have just as easily solved the issue of preventing the windows from being lowered. Unless... maybe he took the gears out because they were damaged and intended to replace them?? dont know. Was thinking they have to be fixed now since my guess is that over the years they would have come down on their own after x thousand miles of driving over bumps and imperfections in the road.
 
also could be that the PO took the gears out because the windows were stuck in the up position and he was trying to get them down. - Still would have been easier to pull the motors... just speculating.

Anyway, back to the original question. Do they have to be down to do the headliner?
 
Maybe just stuck in the rubber which is pretty common on the rears. Manual operation is very slow.. but it works.

Cordless drill, flex shank, and a small coupling with setscrews. Counterclockwise down; IIRC.
 
ok. rear window problem solved. I wd40'd the large toothed gear and used the green handled screwdriver from my e28 to slowly turn the gear a few degrees at a time. I think the problem before was that i was using the RED handled screwdriver... dont know how i missed that.

Question 2 - So, now the windows are down and the door trim and seals are removed. I've peeled away the old liner all the way up to the seatbelt holder-flap thing installed on the upper door frame just behind the molded piece containing the visors. How do you go about removing the liner without yanking it out? Looks like its riveted in place and will have to be drilled out and then re-riveted??

Question 3 - How do you go about removing the molded piece at the front of the roof? i can see that its held in place along the leading edge with a long, metal clip that is riveted in place. I unscrewed the visor clips thinking they might provide some support but it seems as though its still held in place pretty firmly. Is it just adhesive or is there a fastener i need to remove?

Question 4 - Is it possible to install the headliner without removing the molded piece (assuming i can get the old liner out from behind it - it overlaps by about 4 inches)?

Question 5 - When purchasing WorldUpholstery kits, do they provide material to re-skin the molded piece or no?

Thanks in advance
 
#2 Yes, you need to remove the flap on each side. It is held in place with two rivets.

#3 My molded piece had two rivets along each side about 2 and 3 cm in from the rear edge. Plus the mirror mounting, the two visor swivel mounts and the leading edge metal strips. Some of the material is also glued along the edges. If you have the three aluminum trim pieces off the roof (above the door) then those rivets should be visible. I am getting close to putting it all back together and it looks like a bit of a pain.

#4 Probably not, unless they can push the new material in from the rear. Perhaps the front of the molded piece could stay fixed, remove the side rivets and let the piece swing down - just enough to allow installation of the liner, then lift back into place.

#5 Their kits do include material to recover the molded piece. I think recovering this piece is difficult to do. WU also recently changed the liner material. I had a correct sample swatch from them last year but the liner I received 2 months ago was very different (much closer hole spacing and different texture/punctures). I returned it and bought one from La Jolla. It is not a perfect match to the original liner but the closest you are likely to find. My molded piece is in perfect condition and I am reusing it, so the spacing of the pattern holes was important.

Anyone know what kind of rivets to use to refasten all of the above? It needs to be flush on both sides. I found some tubular rivets that could possibly work but they don't seem to come in small enough sizes.
 
Sven,

Thanks for the detailed reply. i really appreciate it! Exactly the info i was looking for. I went ahead and ordered the new headliner from WU. I know its not an exact match but as far from factory as my car already is, it doesn't bother me too much. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the finished product!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top