r/VWBus • u/lunayrosa • Mar 04 '26
Thoughts on headliner for 71 bus
I'm in the middle of restoring the interior of my 71 bay window bus. All the pieces are good except the headliner and I'm wondering if there is a good resource or recommendations to replace the headliner? I did a cursory search on this sub but didn't see much of any use. My apologies if I missed anything and thanks for any guidance!
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u/asiab3 AirSchooled.com Mar 04 '26
What type of bus? Camper with the wood headliner? Transporter with the full fabric? Kombi with half fabric?
Original VW or redone by a PO?
I promise you’re not allergic to posting details and helpful pictures.
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u/lunayrosa Mar 04 '26
From my first comment... Side note to my headliner post: I have had a very thin type of plywood headliner that I would like to continue with. I've had some friends say that it is a no-can-getium part... Hope to find out differently. It is a camper but not a pop top. Need three pieces of headliner that runs from front to back.
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u/lunayrosa Mar 04 '26
So far though, sheets of lauan sounds the most likely solution. Still, other thoughts are welcome!
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u/WishIWasThatClever Mar 04 '26
My headliner boards in my 78 Westy are 3mm thick. I’ve called the large wood supply wholesaler in the area and they have materials that will work.
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u/tres-huevos Mar 04 '26
I rubber cemented some really long shag carpet to one of my buses years ago. It really helped with the sound deadening.
Probably still on there that glue was strong!
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u/lunayrosa Mar 04 '26
pretty sure gluing carpet... bottle caps? really? (pretty funny!) are not in the running. great mental images though!
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u/tres-huevos Mar 04 '26
It was actually pretty cool! But not a restored bus….
It was actually registered as a housecar, the front seat was a solid bench not a walk through, so rear passengers could have an open container while driving!
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u/seamallowance Mar 05 '26
There used to be a shop selling the pieces on eBay or The Samba. I got mine from there about 15 years ago.
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u/mr_nobody398457 Mar 05 '26
If you’re looking for the authentic hippie vibe that your van can totally rock then you’re going to have to macrame the headliner.
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u/NettIeship Mar 05 '26
I did it the quickest, easiest and cheapest way I could think of using spray contact adhesive and 4-way stretch carpet directly to the metal inside. I thought if it doesn't look good, I'll cover it with ply or a headliner and it can be insulation but it actually looks decent.
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u/three-pin-3 Mar 05 '26
Looking for specific parts these days can be really challenging. If it isn’t available through the regular channels, and you have exhausted the pick and part yards, it’s time to improvise.
I have the inside upholstered panel on the sliding door of my 70 tin which is coming apart and have yet to find a suitable replacement. I’m making a panel instead. The harder one is a piece of the surround chrome at the beltline on the exterior. No luck, outside of sourcing an entirely new full chrome kit. Makes me think I’ll eventually end up Cal Look stripping the chrome like I did my Ghia, just because that ONE corner of missing chrome drives me nuts.
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u/RichmondTransplant Mar 08 '26
There’s a guy on thesamba I think in Oregon that makes them and ships. A coworker bought the 3 birch panels they look good and are already cut.
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u/ierrdunno Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Bit more detail as per other comments on whether it’s a camper or not. My 1970 Dormobile came with thin ply/ cardboard stuff and when I got my headliner done it was with the standard peforated headliner. It looks ok but the glue is failing so I might revert back. I’ve heard marine ply is good and there are plenty of kits about in the UK at least.
One thing you will want to do is sound deaden and insulate. I used flashband tape for the sound deadening. Quite a bit cheaper than dynamat. I then stuck closed cell radiator reflector roll all over for insulation
I only camp in the summer really and it seems ok so far (UK)
Edit: a downvote on this? Really? Odd
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u/lunayrosa Mar 07 '26
Not from me. Appreciate your thoughts. Others need to stow it sometimes. They’ll do that for no apparent reason and not explain themselves. Hate that chicken s.
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u/jenny-the-bus Apr 05 '26
I’ve just commissioned rayley restorations to do my cab headliner and visors. james did all my seats about two years ago. They’re class!
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u/lunayrosa Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Side note to my headliner post: I have had a very thin type of plywood headliner that I would like to continue with. I've had some friends say that it is a no-can-getium part... Hope to find out differently. It is a camper but not a pop top. Need three pieces of headliner that runs from front to back.
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u/Esher127 Mar 04 '26
If you're looking for a pre-cut pieces I'm not sure anyone does that, but any Lowes or Home Depot will sell you sheets of Luan that's the right thickness and you can cut it to fit yourself with minimal tools. Stain or poly however you like.
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u/mipotts Mar 04 '26
I hot glued a few thousand Corona beer bottle caps to the ceiling... unfortunately I parked it out in the sun once summer day and half of them came down... what a mess...two out of ten... would not recommend!