DIY: Headliner removal

[Jumbo Jet]

I promised a few guys in the audio section I would post a DIY for the removal of the headliner.... so here goes. I checked the DIY sticky and didnt see a headliner thread..... so my apologies if someone has already posted this.

I'm taking my headliner down to apply sound deadener and insulation to the roof. I decided I wasnt in the mood to remove the seats and center console again, so I just tipped my front seats back and left the headliner in the vehicle. It made for a challenging install, but all the work was well worth it.

The removal of the headliner is actually quite easy.... its just time consuming. I start at the A-pillars and work my way back.

To remove the A-pillar you'll need to reveal the 2 hidden 10mm screws hiding behind the plastic covers. I used a very small flat head screw driver and covered the head with electrical tape to prevent scratching and over prying.




Once they are out the A-pillar simply lifts out.



Working my way back to the B-pillar, you'll again need to reveal 2 hidden 10mm screws hiding behind the plastic tabs on the handle.




Down by the seat tracks you'll see the seat belt bolt, its a 14mm bolt that is hidden by the little plastic cover that easily pops right off.



The rest of the lower B-pillar is only held in by the little white clips, just carefully pry it off. Once you remove the lower B-pillar cover, you'll see another hidden 10mm screw.



Once you remove the screw the upper B-pillar cover easily pops out, only being held in by one small clip close to the screw, and a tab at the top.


Moving back to the C-pillar, I only remove the top screw as the entire cover doesnt need to be completely removed, only loosened enough to allow the liner to slide out.

Another hidden 10mm screw hides behind this little air bag warning.




As you can see, just removing the screw gives me enough room to drop the liner on the rear.



Next comes the overhead passenger handle, the hanger hooks in the rear, and that little cover by the drivers head that everyone wonders what it is. All of them are only little metal clips used to hold the liner in place on the outer edges. With a small flat head screw driver (covered in tape to prevent damage to the plastic) I pried the covers off of the tabs to expose the clips.




I found it easiest to just pop out the metal clips as well. Removing the metal clips makes it super easy to snap them back in on reassembly.



Next are the sun visors, they are held in by 3 torx screws on the main assembly and one loner holding up the sun visor clip. Remove the round plastic cover to reveal the 3 torx screws.




Once unscrewed, the visors will need to be disconnected from the wiring harness if you have vanity lights.


Next is the overhead console. There are 6 torx screws holding the console up. The 2 in the rear are hidden underneath the rear light assembly. The dome cover pops off easily with the flat head screw driver. Remove the metal plate and you'll see the 2 screws in the corners.




Next there are 2 more screws hiding in the business card compartment.



Last there are 2 screws tucked away behind the back up camera housing, the housing easily pops out with a firm tug.



Unplug the 2 (or 1) wiring harnesses.




The rest of the liner is now being held up by the door trim moulding and 4 small white clips in the rear.



I started out by popping out the rear white clips, then carefully (with help from the wife) we slowly released the headliner from the door moulding and lowered it gently onto the seats. Now you have access to the roof



Again, I prefer doing this with the seats and center console out of the truck, but it works pretty good if you decide to leave them in, like I did today. Just tilt the seats back and away you go.

For reassembly... just read this in reverse.

Hope that helps,

Mark

[Jumbo Jet]

Part 2:

This was the reason for my headliner removal today.




A nice layer of Damplifier Pro to the roof.



After the Damp Pro, I added a layer of Second Skin Heat Wave Pro. This is an insulation/sound barrier. Once I applied it, the acoustics in the truck changed dramatically (for the better).



Tapping on the roof from the outside now feels like the hull of a battle ship. I'd swear that my roof is 6 inch solid steel. I cant believe I waited so long from my initial deadening install to do the roof, it made a HUGE difference.

Mark

[Ricky Bobby]

Awesome write up Jet!

[jeepnuts311]

I have Airbags in the A pillar, how would this affect the removal? Would I even be able to try?

-Tim

[Jumbo Jet]

I have Airbags in the A pillar, how would this affect the removal? Would I even be able to try?

-Tim

I have them too Tim, as you can see in the third picture. We all have them, it doesnt affect the removal in any way. You also have airbags all along the sides by your head (check the last picture). Just be careful working around them, they arent in the way at all when youre taking the liner down.

[tsolomon]

All I can say is excellent and thanks for going through the effort to help others!

[Marky_Mark]

Thanks for this write up bro!

[Jumbo Jet]

No problem guys..... glad to do it.

[tsolomon]

It's a bird? No, it's a plane? No: It's JUMBO JET! To the rescue!

[Mammalian04]

Sweet! I already ordered my damp pro and heatwave from Anthony. Just gotta find time to put it in!

Thanks for the write-up Mark! How long did the install take you?

[Jumbo Jet]

I think it took me most of the morning and into early afternoon to do it. We did my buddies a lot faster, but I was flying solo on this project so it took me longer. With help and the headliner out of the truck, two guys can knock it out in a few hours. Doing it by yourself and leaving the liner in the truck....... dont make any plans for the rest of the morning.

Wait till you feel and hear the difference that Damp Pro makes on the roof. Its like 6" of solid steel up there now.

[fireball05]

Great writeup - thanks! Quick question - how did you select the heat wave pro for the ceiling? Is that a better choice than the luxury liner or luxury liner pro would've been?

[Jumbo Jet]

After talking with Ant from Second Skin, we decided on Heat Wave Pro over Luxury Liner Pro on the roof for two reasons. One being I live in Florida..... the summers here are brutal and I need all the insulation help I can get. And two, Heat Wave Pro is insulation, so it carries sound absorbing properties as well.... so I have the best of both worlds.

The weather has been pretty nice the last few weeks here, its still in the low 80's, so I'm not noticing any heat reduction as of now. That will most likely come in the summer. But the noise difference on the roof from the Damp Pro is amazing. It rained hard on me Monday night and I could barely hear the rain hitting the roof of the truck, where as before it sounded like I was in a hail storm trapped in a tin can. It was so quiet, I couldnt believe the difference.

I think I'm gonna order a few sheets of Luxury Liner Pro to try out on the floor of the truck. I've heard nothing but good reports on Mass Loaded Vinyl and its ability to block noise.

[wassup8687]

Nice write up. I can see where that would take some time though.

[fireball05]

After talking with Ant from Second Skin, we decided on Heat Wave Pro over Luxury Liner Pro on the roof for two reasons. One being I live in Florida..... the summers here are brutal and I need all the insulation help I can get. And two, Heat Wave Pro is insulation, so it carries sound absorbing properties as well.... so I have the best of both worlds.

The weather has been pretty nice the last few weeks here, its still in the low 80's, so I'm not noticing any heat reduction as of now. That will most likely come in the summer. But the noise difference on the roof from the Damp Pro is amazing. It rained hard on me Monday night and I could barely hear the rain hitting the roof of the truck, where as before it sounded like I was in a hail storm trapped in a tin can. It was so quiet, I couldnt believe the difference.

I think I'm gonna order a few sheets of Luxury Liner Pro to try out on the floor of the truck. I've heard nothing but good reports on Mass Loaded Vinyl and its ability to block noise.

That makes sense. I have a big box of LLP that I got to do the floor of my 4runner. I hadn't planned on doing the headliner/roof at this time, but Ant sold me on the LLP being the best 2nd layer possible for going over the damplifier which is why I wondered about the Heat Wave pro.