Jeep XJ Cherokee Headliner Replacement

What You Will Need

• 54"x90" Headliner Upholstery Fabric
• (6) Cans - 3M Super Trim Adhesive
• Coarse Brush
• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• Torx T-25 & T-50 bits
• Ratchet
• Scissors
• X-ACTO Knife

Where to Buy

I purchased my new light gray upholstery fabric with 1/4" foam from DGECO FOAM N FABRIC who can be found on eBay. As far as the 3M Super Trim Adhesive goes, the only place I could find it locally was at an automotive paint store.

Jeep XJ Cherokee Headliner
Upholstery Fabric Replacement

I don't know what it is about older Cherokees but I swear, I have yet to see one that doesn't have a headliner that isn't ragged and drooping from the windshield to the tailgate. Need I say, my Cherokee was no exception to the laws of gravity and giving it a little nip--tuck was definitely on my interior cleaning/restoration to do list. Maybe it wasn't exactly necessary but I figured, how hard could it be?

Surprise! Although it wasn't exactly difficult to do, fixing the headliner certainly wasn't as easy as I thought it would be either. Contrary to what I thought, you can't just lift the existing upholstery fabric and spray a little 3M Super 77 on it to make it stick. No, if you want to do this right, you need to replace the whole thing with new upholstery fabric.

Fortunately, the fabric is pretty cheap and easy to find just about anywhere. I found and bought mine on eBay for about $24. However, the proper spray adhesive you really need to use for this job, 3M Super Trim Adhesive, will cost you about $20 a can and when you need 6 cans to do this job... well, you get the idea. But, after doing a little calling around, I found that it still was cheaper to do this on my own. And, in the end, it wasn't nearly as hard to do as I originally thought and I absolutely love the results!!

Instructions

	1. Using a phillips head screwdriver, remove the sun visors, retaining clips, over-head console and dome light from your Jeep Cherokee. The grab handles will require a Torx T-25 bit to remove an the rear seat belt upper mounts will require a Torx T-50 bit to remove.
	2. Again, using a phillips head screwdriver, remove the trim along the outer edges of your roof starting from the tailgate. Leave the front 2 trim pieces loose but in place to help support the headliner as you carefully pull it out through the rear of your Jeep Cherokee.
	3. Lay your headliner down on the ground with the fabric facing up. Then, carefully pull the old upholstery fabric off the being carefully not to damage the cardboard backing.
	4. The remaining headliner upholstery fabric foam left behind on the cardboard backing must be removed to insure proper adhesion of the new headliner fabric. The old foam should crumble and brush off with very little effort using a coarse brush.
	5. Lay out your new headliner upholstery fabric down on a clean work surface and with the foam side up. Then, slowly begin spraying an even coat of 3M Super Trim Adhesive over the entire headliner fabric foam in parallel overlapping strokes. Apply a second coat in the same fashion and in the same direction and then apply a 3rd coat perpendicular to the previous two.
	6. Just as you did with your headliner upholstery fabric, slowly begin spraying an even coat of 3M Super Trim Adhesive over the entire headliner card board backing in parallel overlapping strokes. Apply a second coat in the same fashion and in the same direction and then apply a 3rd coat perpendicular to the previous two.
	7. Allow a minimum of 5 minutes of drying time before proceeding and then, with the help of a friend, begin applying your new headliner upholstery fabric carefully onto the card board backing starting from the center edge of one end and working your way out and towards the other end. Then, using your hands, smooth out the headliner upholstery fabric with firm pressure to insure proper bonding to the card board backing.
	8. Trim the excess headliner upholstery fabric along the edges of the head liner card board backing and cut out all the holes for the dome light, center console and wind visors.
9. Let everything set for about an hour and then carefully reinstall your newly upholstered headliner back into your Jeep Cherokee. Replace all the trim pieces, sun visors, dome light, center console, grab handles and seat belt mounts and you should be done.
The Results As you can see in the photos below, the results are amazing. And, after a month of being installed, everything is still holding up perfectly.

Please email me with any questions you might have.