Here is a picture of my headliner in my Baywindow campervan. Ignore the grining idiot thats me



So my thinking is to remove from campervan, it's going to be quite flexible when I remove it so some sort of frame would need to be made for it to hold it rigid.  It is material surface so I need to cover it in something so the mold doesn't stick to it.  Suggestions on materials to use for this and also what to use to make the mold.

I realise that what I put on it won't give me a perfect surface but I would need to take a part from the mould early on and modify it(materials to use for modifictions?ie.Foam/GRP) as I want to put speakers in it, nothing huge just 10cm speakers as I don't like them in the doors.  Also to remove the indents for the handles, I don't use them anyway.  I have a pop top fited aswell this has a wooden frame that goes around the roof you can see it in the top right corner of my picture I would like to blend it into the headliner for better asthetics. Once I had done that and got it shiny and glossy then make another mould from my modified headliner.

This would be the mould to take my final modified headliner part from.

Is this the right way to go about it,? Did any of this make sense? It is attached through holes with plastic bungs originally ideas on hidden fixings for these as the front is held on with the sunvisors which are screwed.

Hi,

I would first add all the shapes I want using foam glued to the the headliner and then sanded to shape.

Then, I would try to build a wooden structure glued to good side to try to rigidify it. Then remove the headliner, then build a stronger structure on the backside to allow removing the first structure without losing the shape.

Then its a matter of smoothing the good side. A first try with sanding paper to check if the fluffies can go ? Then a filler (2k, not from a spray can) then smooth.

I had hard times to remember where I did see that, but here's a link that might give you some ideas, but that would be more a "build from scratch" point of view.

I dont like those bling bling guys, but hey, tips might even be where you dont think they are

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZzydukst_w&feature=related

 



 


    A $1000 electronic device will always protect a 10 cents fuse

Hi Skytiger,

You've got the plan right and I'm basically with Joe on the method. It depends how 'floppy' the headliner is in its own right as to how and when you go about the reinforcing process. I'm guessing it's a sort of felt on a high density board. My guess is that the board will have enough stiffness on its own to preserve the contours adequately even if you remove it unsupported. It will certainly go out-of-true once it's removed (i.e. sag/flop) but this should be easy enough to straighten up with some sort of framework on the other side (the side you don't need). Hopefully you'll get lucky and the felt/fabric will then be able to be scraped off the board - I've done a parcel shelf in just this way. If the felt/fabric does come away then scrape it all off and then see what you're working with, surface-wise. If it is just a high-density board of some description then wetting it with some polyester resin might be a good first step - the board will absorb some of the resin, creating a much harder (and nicer) surface to work with.

Like Joe says I think I would try to make the changes you want to make to the pattern. Making a mould of the pattern (the original) and then pulling a quick part in order to modify it and then make a mould and then make your final part is more work than neccessary and unless you're using a zero or nearly zero shrink system (i.e. not regular polyester/fibreglass) then you're just inviting the trouble as the 3-times-around part starts to pull away in shape from the original. If you sure-up the pattern you should be able to make all your modifications to that and then finish it ready to pull your final mould.

For the modifications I would go with PU or PVC foam and smooth/blend it with normal polyester bodyfiller. Don't use styrofoam or polystyrene because the polyester bodyfiller will attach and dissolve them. When you've got it pretty much there you can drop a heavy 2k PU filler/primer on there and give it a good flat. Often it's only once you get the whole thing sprayed a single colour that you can really see how good (or not good) it's looking and make reparations accordingly. You'll likely then do another hit with the PU filler/primer just so that you cover over ALL areas where you might have broken through it down into the (nasty!) polyester bodyfiller. When you pull the mould you really want that pattern to be looking as good as you want the finished part to look. Don't say to yourself that you'll fix issues 'on the mould' or worst still 'on the part' that's the wrong time to be putting any wobble/shape/polish right!

At that stage I would go with 6 applications of Easy-Lease Chemical Release Agent onto the (nice, clean, glossy) PU paint, followed by 6 coats of Number 8 Mould Release Wax. I would make the mould using either Uni-Mould (which is a tooling gel coat, coupling coat, tooling resin) or our Epoxy Tooling Gel Coat reinforced with Woven Glass and Epoxy Resin. For a mould of this shape/size there's no obvious winner out of these two. Go with the epoxy if you're fed-up of the smell of styrene by this point!

I hope this helps. I can give you advice on making the part itself but I think that might be enough for you to be getting on with for now!

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Thanks Joe and Matt,




The reason I was doing this was to keep the original headliner, but it makes more sense as you both say to use the original.

The headliner is reasonably rigid I'm sure a bit of sure-up should do the trick.

My campervan or Phileas as we like to call him because it takes 80 days to get anywhere is going in a week on Monday to get the lower half painted Viper Green the new VW Scirocco colour.  It is going to take two weeks so the plan is to take the headliner out and work on it while it's away.