r129 hardtop headliner
 

I've had two slk headliners go bad after about 12 yrs. Now after 27 yrs the 129's liner goes yucky. I was getting ready to put on my hardtop for the winter and saw the headliner was sagging. sure enough it all of a sudden completely failed. The vinyl Is much heavier than on the slk, it's also messier. it comes off like blubber. be careful of the liner board, unlike the pressed paper type of board on the slk, these are a pressed fiber-glass of some mix. I had watched a you-tube video that made it look easier than it really was. I messed up a couple spots on the board because I didn't pop the top side window frames before pulling the top linerboard out. just pry the top of the window frame with a tool that won't scratch. the liner board has clips just under the front edge. on mine there is a push clip in the middle and one on each side. the proper tools will help, these would be hard to find if broke. work the top window seals under the liner. the handles have to come off too. pry up the end of handle frame, lift the flexible end and there is a 8mm on each end of the handle. pull the top forward gently. there are supposed to be a couple of hooks on the top of the liner board that catch into the hardtop, mine were broke off. where I had damaged the old fiber-glass, I purchased some fiber-glass resin and some fiber-glass matting. The resin by itself worked really good in beefing up the edge, which is really brittle because of the age. I used almost a pint of contact cement on the board and it really soaked it up. I then used a good 3m spray adhesive for the new liner and board. 3m has a stage 2 automotive that is unforgiving, it's really sticky. once contact is made it's hard to separate. 3m 77 is good enough, just follow directions. use lacquer cleaner for clean up, easy does it