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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Headling for Ashley hardtop

Chaps

Up here in the the Tundra, winter is approaching like a Spridget - quite fast, little stopping ability, and with every intention to grip body parts like no other. As such, my fibreglass hardtop is ready for an appearance, but the bare interior requires attention. Previously I glued into place 5mm foam underlay scrim and them glued over that with some perforated cream vinyl. The effect was quite pleasing save for some unsightly folds, bubbles and blebs at the edges of the hardtop, where the contours of the hardtop prooved very difficult for the vinyl to accomodate and stretch around satisfactorily. For the the vast majority of the flat-ish area it went on very well, but I have decided that the creases etc are too annoying, and I have decided to redo it. Reading around a little, I note many cars have a solid former or biscuit with which to lay on the underlay/headliner, but I have nothing, and would think it difficult to construct and affix - certainly for the rear window aperture!

So suggestions welcome how I can improve matters. Current thinking - use a thicker scrim underlay to reduce contours, heat the vinyl with a hairdryer when applying, perhaps use some sort of thin former at the innner edges of the hardtop to reduce the radius of the contours - but not sure how to affix that in place to the fibreglass roof.

Thoughts most appreciated.
Oggers

Another thought - shaped high density foam at the edges to smooth out the contours - could glue that in place, overlay with scrim and headliner?
Oggers

Oggers,
When I made some seat bases I found ordinary high density foam quite difficult to shape accurately as it deforms as you cut it. But how about spraying on expanding foam - the aerosol can insulating stuff. It will stick in place and once set is easy to shape accurately to the contours you need.

If you do use HD foam best thing for cutting is an electric carving knife, and a flap wheel on a mini grinder applied very gently is great for final shaping.
GuyW

Guy

Read it, liked it, tried it...Many thanks. I have ordered thicker underlay scrim and new headliner.

Oggers

Hope it works out then. You will of course now have a (partially) better insulated hardtop as an unintended consequence!
GuyW

Show us a photo when it's done! I'd like to add head lining to my Ashley hardtop but I'm not sure how to go about it.

Tom
Tom_R2E3

This thread was discussed between 03/12/2018 and 12/12/2018

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