If the headliner is original or old, chances are it will be very thin and brittle and easy to tear.
Whatever you choose to do, be careful of poking at the hole as it could tear very easily. Old headliners, due to age, heat and changing temps/humidity, are like paper
Yes, headliners are cheap, but shops tend to charge allot to install them.
Replacing it is a job you can do yourself, but it is not as easy as you might think. Getting all the wrinkles out isnt as easy as some posts might seem.
Using hairdryers, heat guns, etc, will get some out if they are mine, but they aren't miracle workers
I did my own vynil top, and to me at least, that was WAY easier than the headliner
Ok, that being said: Headliners, being fairly cheap, give it a try. It doesnt take special tools, and contact cement is very cheap
Hints:
-Contact cement. Try a little on spare cloth first to see how it handles. Its easy to work with, but can get really messy, and if you get it on the headliner where you don't want it, its VERY hard to remove and looks like hell.
Follow the cement manufactorers instructions on how to apply it!
-Remove the front and rear seats, center console before you start. It gives you room to move around and makes the job way easier, and you wont accidentally damage those items by moving around. It also allows room for another person to help you: Removing the old headliner and insulation is pretty messy, but straight forward
BE CAREFUL you don't damage the headliner bows. Also, NUMBER them as you remove them. They go back in a certain order
-Your best friends are the various rows of small "saw teeth" you will see mounted in various areas on the inside of the sides of the roof, especially in the rear area. They will allow you to pull and tighten the headliner, and then you will hook the material there to hold it in place: Critical in removing wrinkles. Be careful when pulling on the old headliner trying to remove it in these areas: You dont want to tear off these sawteeth
Bottom line: Removing the old, you should take your slow time in doing it, just as you would in installing the new one
-Also take allot of pics, or at least number the backs of each headliner and window trim piece. Some of these parts tend to look the same, and will simplify reinstallation
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-Dont trim the new headliner too small. Its very easy to do. Save and excess for patch jobs in the future if needed
-When you remove the old headliner, reinstall all overhead seat belt bolts, seat belt hangar bolts, suit hanger hooks,overhead light, etc BEFORE you install the new one. Just the bolts, not the actual hangars or light assembly. Stretch the new headliner tight and completely install it.
This will then allow you to see and feel where these items need to have a hole in the new headliner. Then you just cut a very small "x" over the bolt, just enough to barely expose the bolt head/mount location. Believe it or not, it works, and just trying to feel thru the new material for the old bolt hole locations doesn't work. SAVE THE OVERHEAD LIGHT FOR LAST. Tugging left/right, front/ rear, tightening, will really move this location. I save this item location as the very last thing I do, even after installing all the trim pieces
This is also a great time to clean up, repaint all the trim pieces. Dont force removal/installation: A lot of these pieces arent available repro. You will need a small, stubby, philips head screw driver for access to some of the trim screws. Some will be hard to remove
Be mentally prepared to see rust around the inside rear window If you do, and its just surface in nature, apply a good rust preventative now
DO REPLACE THE ROOF INSULATION. Dont reinstall a new headline w/o one. You will really roast in the summer and it will wear out a headliner
Using a hair dryer or heat gun for the final touch. They arent miracle workers and typically only work on small wrinkles. Be careful here: Its very easy to heat damage the material, and once you do, its pretty much ruined
