Trying to save an elephant hide headliner !

[JBQuick]

Seeking expert opinion on how to save my rare Elephant hide headliner on my 68 911L. The headliner looks solid with no signs of sagging, no rips or tears anywhere but cosmetically challenged. It has water stain marks on both sides that had turned yellow. Do you know any cleaning product that can get rid of the stains ? OR can a pro respray the entire headliner to give it a more uniform look? I appreciate any & all recommendations.

[moito]

Seeking expert opinion on how to save my rare Elephant hide headliner on my 68 911L. The headliner looks solid with no signs of sagging, no rips or tears anywhere but cosmetically challenged. It has water stain marks on both sides that had turned yellow. Do you know any cleaning product that can get rid of the stains ? OR can a pro respray the entire headliner to give it a more uniform look? I appreciate any & all recommendations.

i wonder why it has a 67 mirror mounted

[LiveFromNY]

I had a similar challenge several years ago on another car. If I was you, I'd have the headliner professionally removed and then have it re-dyed and reinstalled. I've had very good experiences with my local Fibrenew guy but there are several franchised companies offering similar services.

[JBQuick]

Thanks John ! Anyone know if it can be re sprayed or dyed without removing the headliner ?

[steve shea]

Yes. But you need a one inch square for swatch for a color match. The company is Color Plus in PA. Highly recommended by the Patereks in the past. I have done your exact project by just dyeing the discolored areas. Also carpet binding and many other small interior projects. I have also used their leather products and brought steering wheels back successfully.
I would clean the headliner first with their cleaners then see if you can get a flap out from the area below/ behind the rear 1/4 window for a sample for them to match. It should be close. The match may not be perfect but their vinyl dye is very easy to tint and thin. The only caveat is the headliner holes can film over if you go too fast or too thick. Have a push pin ready to pop the film. I experimented with the thinning and used a cheap natural bristle brush and found the right speed so that I could get it on without filming. You will only do small ares of discoloration so if it does film use the pin. I did on original Glaspar hardtop for my speedster. The headliner looks perfect, totally hid the discolored area.Your headliner looks in really good condition. Color Plus would be perfect for those small areas. I would do it in situ. It would be nuts to remove for those spots.

[Gumby]

Have a expert spray it!
I have a friend in the English car restoration business and he had a 72E in for a complete redo I talked him into spraying the headline instead of remove / replace ..it turned out great both the customer and him were very pleased with the results.

[JBQuick]

Thanks for the comments guys ! Appreciate it alot !

[LiveFromNY]

The dyes used by Fibrenew are vastly superior than the Color Plus dyes. I have extensive expoerience with both.

[422flat6]

But that's irreplaceable patina!

[beetle08]

Mr. Clean Bar. I've cleaned several headliners with these. You would not believe the results.