Headliner

Original Marina Blue headliner from a ‘67 Camaro

Originally, the goal for Turbo Camaro was to build a daily driver using as many original parts as possible. This “keep it original” mentality led to a series of repairs that eventually needed to be redone properly. One of those “fixes” was the headliner.

The headliner is a large sheet of vinyl held against the roof by metal rods (bows) that slide through cloth loops (listings) sewn to the backside of the material. Our original Marina Blue liner was saggy and had a small tear near the windshield. The initial plan: remove it, spray it black with SEM Vinyl Coat, and reinstall it.

Headliner spray dyed black with SEM Vinyl Spray

The plan failed almost immediately. Upon removal, it was clear the cotton listing loops had been disintegrating for decades. Simply touching them caused the fabric to rip. At this point, a new liner is only about $60, but we decided to see if a repair was possible.

The headliner fabric loops were toast

We hand-sewed new cloth loops to the original seams—a process that took over four hours alone. The 3” tear was patched with contact cement and a backing cloth, then pressed flat under a stack of magazines. After two cans of black SEM spray, the repair was “passable” and largely hidden by the sun visor.

Headliner removed - Note the factory roof rails

Total cost: $35 and 5 hours of labor. The real question is: Why? Unless you are obsessed with matching numbers, the effort to save an old, brittle liner isn’t worth it.

Which is exactly why Turbo Camaro has a brand-new black headliner in the box, waiting for a warm day to be installed. We’ll be documenting that full installation soon.