Rear and Canopy Headliner
From Bondline
Replacing the Rear and Canopy Headliner in a Tiger
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to acknowledge numerous suggestions, advice and pictures from several AYA members. My procedures may have been slightly different from those suggestions in some respects, but are generally the same. I take no credit for "inventing" these procedures.
APPLICABILITY
This discussion refers to the rear (turtleback) headliner in aircraft that do NOT have rod hangers for the headliner, such as my 1977 Tiger. My headliner started to sag and even squirting spray adhesive through a hole in the fabric didn't re-glue it. Time to replace!
MATERIALS
To complete the installation, you will need:
- Self-adhesive 1/2" thick sound deadening foam (black). (Airtex or Aircraft Spruce)
- Polyurethane 1/2" thick foam (Airtex)
- Headliner fabric (Airtex or Aircraft Spruce)
- 3M Spray Adhesive (90 and/or 70 - see discussion below)
- Plastic paint remover scraper
- Quart of MEK
- Solvent based thick brushable paint remover (or citrus based)
- Various knives and scissors, small paint brush and different size Phillips screwdrivers
When I started this project, Airtex in Langhorne, PA just had a fire and their stock wasn't available. I ordered the black sound-deadening foam and "off-white" wool headliner fabric from Aircraft Spruce. Note in the picture that the fabric has a slightly speckled off-white surface and a very uniform gray surface. The gray is actually a sprayed-on coating and is the UNDERSIDE. The speckled surface actually hides dirt and defects a bit and looks very nice installed. I had a hard time locating the 1/2" polyurethane foam and finally tried Airtex, by which time they were back in business.
PREPARATION
Start by removing the rear hat shelf and rear window plastic trim. You might want to take the time to repair and re-paint the plastic, as I did. I used all-purpose plastic pipe cement and SEM "Phantom White" spray paint for as-new repairs. Also remove the two halves of the bow molding on the front edge of the turtleback. There are several fiber pieces behind the metal - keep them together.
You will now have access to the headliner fabric. Carefully peel it away from all edges and try to remove it in one piece. It will serve as a template for cutting the fabric and foam. For my Tiger, the foam glued to the aluminum had become so oxidized over time that it would turn to powder when you touched it. However the foam bonded to the fabric was in pretty good shape.
Remove all the foam glued to the aluminum skin and also be sure to remove the thin plastic film that was the foam's self-adhesive backing. You may also see that the factory sprayed contact cement on the aluminum as well as using the self adhesive foam. This belts-and-suspenders approach only makes it harder for us, as you'll note that the self-adhesive film sticks tenaciously to the aluminum. Therefore, when you fit the new sound deadening foam, I would NOT use glue in addition to the self-adhesive backing.
If you have contact cement to deal with, brush on a gel-type solvent based paint remover rather than MEK, which will dissolve your brain faster than the glue. The newer citrus paint removers will also work but they take longer and really should be washed off with water. After a half hour, scrape off the goo with a plastic scraper. It may take several applications to soften all the glue. Finish with a good wipe-down with MEK.
INSTALLING SOUND-DEADENING FOAM
Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the black sound-deading foam to fit between the aluminum stiffeners. Hint: Use "White-Out" to mark black foam for cutting. When installed, the foam will be almost flush with the top of these stiffeners. Before removing the backing paper, carefully fit the foam to be sure it is the right size. When you're ready, clear all innocents from the vicinity so they don't hear you when you get the foam stuck wrong! I tried partially peeling back the paper and sticking one area first, then peeling and pressing. But I think just lining up an edge, sticking it and working fore or aft or sideways, will work just as well. Press the foam firmly to set the adhesive. But once that sticky backing adheres to the aluminum, ain't nuttin gonna free it! That's why I recommend AGAINST using additional spray adhesive. The self-adhesive bond is much stronger than the contact cement bond. If you goof, you can always cut another piece to fit any gaps 'cause there's another layer of foam covering your sins.
INSTALLING POLYURETHANE FOAM
You could use two layers of the sound-deadening foam but that foam is heavier, more dense and more expensive. Now this was the most aggravating part of the entire process - getting the poly foam to completely stick to the black foam! Airtex recommended the 3M #90 "High Strength" spray but searching the web, I found a car headliner site said to use #70 "High Tac" because it was more heat resistant. I think I should have taken that advice. Either way, start with a full can and spray three coats of the adhesive on the black foam AND poly foam (cut at least 4" larger on all sides). You should mask off the windows and anything else that could get sprayed, as the adhesive will damage many surfaces. Be very careful of the flammable vapors. Allow it to get tacky but follow the can instructions not to wait too long. Then stick the foam up against the black foam and hope that it sticks uniformly.
I had the biggest problem at this point, as some areas stuck very well (impossible to remove) and other areas didn't stick at all. If that happens, hopefully you can start from a loose edge and spray the adhesive into the void. Or you can try fitting a tube (like from a WD40 can) to a nozzle and squirting through the poly foam into the void. Now use a sharp knife to trim the excess foam around the windows, front and rear. Don't overtrim!
INSTALLING THE HEADLINER
You are now repeating the process of spraying the poly foam and the headliner material - precut with at least 4" extra all around - but you don't need more than two coats and be sure not to saturate the headliner or the glue will soak through. When the adhesive's almost dry, work from the center to either side (or any way you feel comfortable), pressing the fabric against the foam. It should stick quite easily and completely. Try not to get wrinkles but if you do, spray wrinkles with a little water and use a hair dryer to shrink the fabric. I found that this part was the easiest. Finally trim the fabric - don't overdo it like I did in one area - and replace the plastic.
CANOPY HEADLINER
INSTALLING FOAM
The canopy only requires one layer of 1/2" thick foam. I decided to use the black sound deadening foam rather than the less-dense polyurethane foam. An advantage is that the sound deadening foam can be ordered with an adhesive back, and that makes installation easier. After removing the canopy from the plane, remove all the plastic. I repaired and painted all the original plastic. It took a good bit of effort, especally heat-softening the plastic and removing the screw dimples.
As with the rear headliner, the first task is to clean off the excess contact cement on the canopy skin. I decided to use MEK rather than paint remover because it was easier to work on and the MEK didn't remove the underlying paint. Remove enough glue so the surface is reasonably clean. Then cut the black foam to fit between the vertical aluminum ridges and the windows. Note that I used "White-Out" to mark the outline from the old headliner, then added an inch extra.
UPDATE!
After a few months, I noticed that the canopy headliner fabric has all un-bonded from the sound deadening foam! Bummer! The good thing is that even though it's unbonded, it isn't really noticable and still looks OK. I would change my recommendation to use the high-strength adhesive and coat the foam and fabric with maybe four light sprays. Then stick the fabric to the foam before the last coat fully dries. I also wonder whether double-sided carpet tape would work, especially with summer temps in the cabin.
INSTALLING HEADLINER MATERIAL
As with the rear headliner, mask off all windows and areas you don't want covered with adhesive and use one of the 3M spray adhesives. With the rear headliner, I used the high strength material, but found that it wasn't very tacky and the fabric didn't always stick completely. For the canopy, I used the 3M adhesive that actually says on the front of the can, "for headliners." It seemed to have a little more tack. First cut the headliner fabric allowing a liberal excess all around. Spray two coats on the foam and headliner fabric, but be careful not to saturate the fabric, as it will show through. Wait about 4 minutes and press the fabric on the foam. Smooth out all puckers before the fabric really sticks to the foam. Then re-install the plastic and the job is done.
DOES THE FOAM "SOUND-DEADEN?"
Yes, it does! I have noticed a remarkable decrease in noise with the new foam, and so have my regular passengers. I would estimate a 3 dB reduction. Still pretty noisy but noticeably better.
Larry Tatsch
Tiger 28350
39N, Princeton, NJ
6/21/09
Gil Alexander note - 12-6-09 -
Unlike Larry, I had good sucess with 3M #90 Contact Cement aerosol - and it has stood up to a few years of AZ heat without failing. I did apply it quite thickly, and used the same materials as Larry - Airtex foam, Airtex headliner and the Aircraft Spruce black sound deadening foam - but I used the "non-sticky back" version and stuck that on with #90 spray too.
The 3M product (same stuff #90, different label) is also sold for the automotive market for headliners and under the hood applications. I used both a can of the automotive stuff as well as a can from Home Depot, and both looked and worked the same.
Perhaps I applied it in a heavier coat, waited longer before assembly or I did it at a higher ambient temperature. Try some test pieces first.
