Hey everyone! I'm currently trying to replace the headliner in my r50 Mini and have gotten a decent amount of the foam off. However, I'm having some trouble with a bit of extremely gooey foam residue. I've been using the wire brush on my drill but its kind if annoying. Is there an easier way to remove this residue, or should I just suck it up and continue with the wire wheel?
Also, the board itself isn't in the best shape. There are some divots and fiberglass strands where the resin has rubbed off. Anything I should do for these, or will I be okay gluing the new headliner fabric on? I'm planning to use the headliner fabric from Hobby Lobby, unless theres a better one I should use.
Sonic
UberDork
10/30/24 1:45 p.m.
I scraped mine clean enough with a wire brush, which I later cleaned in acetone. It was a mess but effective.
84FSP
PowerDork
10/30/24 1:52 p.m.
About to do the same thing. A nylon brush head on a drill is supposed to be a useful, if time consuming solution. I assume a solvent cleaning is to follow although I have to be careful not to disintegrate the fiber board backer.
Noddaz
PowerDork
10/30/24 2:07 p.m.
My son told me to use a flip flop on your hand.
Thanks guys, do you use a solvent to wipe it down afterwards? Also, should I repair those slightly damaged areas with anything, or would the headlining adhere and hide those enough that it would be fine?
I think a cabinet scraper would work, like this. You can do basically the same thing with a scrap of sheet metal that has a flat edge.
Clifton
New Reader
10/31/24 9:19 a.m.
Xylene is pretty good on goo residue and evaporates slower than acetone.
Trent
UltimaDork
10/31/24 9:33 a.m.
The foam backed headliner material is very forgiving to work with. A little crack or divot here and there won't show through. Laying it down without wrinkles will be the hardest part. Luckily we never just sit in a car and look up. Small imperfections won't be noticed.
Do not oversaturate the clutch with adhesive. A light pass is all you want. Once the glue soaks into the foam you run the risk of making hand prints in it
Trent said:
The foam backed headliner material is very forgiving to work with. A little crack or divot here and there won't show through. Laying it down without wrinkles will be the hardest part. Luckily we never just sit in a car and look up. Small imperfections won't be noticed.
Do not oversaturate the clutch with adhesive. A light pass is all you want. Once the glue soaks into the foam you run the risk of making hand prints in it
Thank you! That is good to know. So even with some of the fiberglass missing it should still adhere without too much issue? I don't have to resin over it or anything? Here is an updated pic after I got a lot of the adhesive off (it was VERY stubborn):
