fiberglass headliner

[bake315]

So I was in the process of gutting my '73, and was able to get the headliner backing out in once piece (though not undamaged).  I got to wondering if I could coat the thing with resin to strengthen it, then use it to make a mold for a fiberglass headliner?  I know fiberglass is a nasty thing to mess with, but it might look cooler than a fabric one.

Thoughts?  Rememberances?  Anecdotes? 

[Avidyn]

I coated mine with resin and it seemed to add a bit of strength. Be prepared to use a lot if you want to fully saturate it. The material is pretty porous. I added a layer of fleece over the top of mine to add speakers and a stereo pod. Not finished but it's pretty dang strong now.

[Captkaos]

You can definitely do that.

[bake315]

Well, after getting the old headliner foam and adhesive off, I've decided to use resin and some fiberglass cloth to make repairs to the fiber board, then coat the entire outer side with resin, and then re-cover it with the perforated vinyl that it had originally.  Even though it will make it considerably more rigid (and more brittle) I won't be attempting re-installation until after I've removed the windshield.

[SUX2BU99]

If you do decide to coat it with resin for strength, I wouldn't saturate it in one session. And I would make the resin a little "cooler" to cure (not so much MEKP). The point being you don't want it to warp while it's curing, which can happen with fiberglass and/or resin if it's a "hot" mix.

[Skunksmash]

Guess I'm not understanding exactly what you're up to here. Do you mean to sand the finished fiberglass headliner, and paint it? So you have some kind of slick glossy looking headliner?

[bake315]

Guess I'm not understanding exactly what you're up to here. Do you mean to sand the finished fiberglass headliner, and paint it? So you have some kind of slick glossy looking headliner?

That was the original thought, yes.  Decided now that I'm just going to repair what I have, and re-cover it with headliner material.

[Skunksmash]

I'm with you on that one. I'm not sure the other thing would have looked right even if you did it perfect.