New interior

I have a '86 ford ranger, and a few years back the ceiling started to sag, so my dad, who was driving it at the time, took it out. So now all i have right now is the insullation that was under the fabric.

I want to put something alittle more stylish than the original fabric on the ceiling. Somethign that would set my truck, even more apart from any of my friends cars. How would i go about in doing this? Would i need to put new insulation in? could i put a heavier fabric in, like velvet or something? I'm just trying to get this truck to look some what decent for when i take my friends places.

o yeah, I live in Arizona, where it can get kinda hot, is there anything i should do to the fabric when i install it so that it won't sag int he future? Any ideas tips or pointers would be very helpful. Thx!
-Godisoutofthebox

I'm assuming that you have a fiberglass or cardboard headliner in your Ranger? If so you are better off leaving this job to a professional. These are difficult to recover and almost always have cracks, which if not repaired properly will show through the new cover.

But, here's how to do it if you want to try it yourself.

For best results you will need foam headliner material which is basically a 1/4" foam sheet with a fabric facing. Sometimes this can be found in large fabric stores, but if not you can get it from your local upholstery/trim shop. Really, you can use anything you want, but make sure that the material you choose will be able to be molded around curves, I would also recommend using a foam backing when using your own material (but not necessary).

You will need to locate your old headliner or get one from a junk yard(since someone removed it), then clean off ALL of the old foam before you glue on the new cover, otherwise the new cover will be lumpy. You can use anything from a putty knife to a wire brush for this part, but be gentle otherwise you will destroy the headliner.

Once the old headliner is clean you will need to start gluing on the new cover (this is not as easy as it sounds). You will need to use a high strength/temp adhesive otherwise the Arizona heat will release the glue. I usually use landau top adhesive for headliners but you can also use DAP which can be found at larger hardware stores. DO NOT USE 3M 90, 77, or 74, or anything from a fabric store, these will not hold a headliner! The adhesive will come in a can and the best way to apply it is with a compressor and sprayer, although you can brush it on if a sprayer is not available. I usually work a headliner on in halves (left and right) or sometimes in quarters, simply because it is extremely difficult to handle a full headliner that is covered completely with glue.

Start in the center of the headliner and work your way out to the edge of your "half" or "quarter", gently smoothing it out and stretching it into concave corners as you go. Once you have it completely covered, cut off the excess foam and it's ready for installation! I usually wait until I get the headliner in the car before I start poking and cutting holes in it, just to be safe.

Since your insulation was removed you will need to replace it before you install the new headliner (unless you like riding in a tin can).

Anyway, I hope this helps and good luck!