StubbornPatriot wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2026 7:27 am
Has anyone replaced the scrim foam in their headlining but retained the original grey material? If so, what adhesive was used to stick the original grey material to the new scrim foam? Looking at samples of various replacement headlining material, none of them seem to have the same texture as the original. Mine's an early GSi and seems to have a woollen texture rather than nylon. I'd like to re-use it, if possible. Thanks, Duncan.
You won't be able to use glue, as it'll soak right through the material. I used to use 3M "9088-200" double sided tape but they've stopped making that now. The nearest replacement is GPT-020F.
It's a thin, double-sided tape which will stick thin fabric to a new sheet of scrim foam, but you'll use lots of it and it'll be really expensive to do. Plus, there's no guarantee you'll get the material flat or straight - most notably if you pull it to get it flat you'll distort the straightness of the thread pattern which can be seen on the headlining if you look closely enough.
The best solution is replacement headlining. I wrote an article for The Viking a few years ago during the restoration of my GSi that showed about 7 or 8 different materials from different suppliers, but it doesn't look like those shades are available now. Maybe it's because more modern cars always have a darker headlining? You're looking for brushed nylon with a smooth "fluffy" appearance rather than textured, with a scrim foam backing 2mm or 3mm thick.
Basically, you can request samples from suppliers to do a match. Martrim and Woolies don't seem to have anything light enough. The colour is Rover Cool Grey which is just slightly "off white" and is a neutral (pure grey) tint, but you'd get away with a very slight warm tint such as a very light cream or cold tints such as fabrics with a very very slightly bluish or greenish hue. Pure white will look too bright. It's also not necessary to find an exact match as the roof is always in shadow, and the headlining fabric isn't "next" to anything it needs to be a 100% match with. And although you could argue on a GSI the sun visors are trimmed on the reverse with headlining material, firstly a very slight mismatch doesn't show and secondly, you'll find the scrim foam and adhesive has failed on the visors too, so you'll probably be shopping for pure vinyl visors since repairing the sag on the GSI ones is impossible. I've tried dozens of methods to replace the fabric on a GSi visor and none of them were successful. The fabric was bonded to the vinyl during the heat press which sealed the whole unit, and there's no way of separating them cleanly. If you cut the fabric out, you can't get a good shape on the remaining vinyl with a hole in it, and there's no way of attaching the fabric so it marries up with the hole and looks original or even basically neat, rather than a complete botch.
Edited: Having had a look around online, I think I can see your problem and why you asked about possibly reusing the original fabric and adding back new scrim foam. I.e., there doesn't seem to be much light-coloured headlining fabric around. You could therefore go to some big trimming companies to see what they can source. Aldridge Autotrimmers in Wolverhampton can get hold of most fabric from most suppliers, even ones you haven't heard of. Then there's Tappers in Cotteridge, Birmingham. Unlike Woolies and Martrim, they don't advertise what materials they have in stock or can get, so this is just another avenue that needs exploring along with any other large trimming companies that don't show what they've got on their websites.
This looks like a light grey:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Partuto-Headli ... 0D821D3V1/
It's a suede though, so it'll have a brush-able nap that will change shade depending on which direction you rub it in. Provided you keep it all rubbed in one direction (unless you want grass-pitch roller stripes common in some Autotrader photos!), it may look rather nice.
No samples available, so you may have to buy it and send it back, but it's Amazon so it'll be okay to do. Check your sizes as several different ones are on offer.
Cheaper here, possibly the same product?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AUTOHAUX-Suede ... B0BTHWMK8P
Alternatively, how about using felt (definitely available in white) or going further a field and considering any fabric that has the right shade and pile you want. E.g. :
https://ukfabricsonline.com/plush-velve ... ain-fabric (the white option looks like a very light grey).
or even:
https://fabworks.co.uk/products/100-wool-melton-silver
Worth requesting samples for where you can and doing some research as a side-project.
EDIT: If you find a simple fabric the right colour and texture but it doesn't come with a scrim foam backing, you can use that double-sided tape I mentioned (3M GPT-020F) in strips all over the headlining shell to secure it. I did this with my GSi headlining. But bear in mind that the shell will have loads of failed scrim foam dust on it, which will cause the tape adhesive to fail. I sealed my entire headlining shell with Araldite standard cure (I purchased two large tube), letting it dry for 2 days or more before attaching the 3M tape. It is important to know that a scrim foam backing on a headliner is primarily there to stop glue soaking through it during attachment rather than to had "plushness" as is the case for seat trimming. If your bonding layer is smooth, you don't need scrim foam provided you can ensure whatever you're bonding the material with doesn't soak through.