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After reading other peoples experiences I dived in and undertook a re-trim of not only the headling but also the A, B and C pillars
Finished this morning - bigger job than I first imagined but considering I have never trimmed anything in my life before I am happy with the results.
As standard it cam with a light grey headlining and covering on A, B and C pillars, always thought it looked odd as rest of the interior is tan and black - knew one day it would need to be done - it was in perfect condition but I just did not like it.
I had quotes for it be done but could not justify the £250 - 300 I was quoted so no option but to roll my sleeves up and do it myself.
Stripping everything out was relatively easy apart from the C pillars. For some unknown reason Alfa decided to secure them with two 4mm nuts, one behind the rear quarter panel trim and one in the boot that was easily accessible if you have two left hands. each with seven fingers about 14 inches long.
Once removed it was the slow, laborious job of removing the existing trim, everything was still stuck firmly down so it was just a case of pulling off the nylon lining and then scraping away the foam with a wallpaper scraper, being especially careful with the headlining as its only fibreboard so easily damaged.
Once stripped of all foam everything was sanded down to remove any small imperfections - again time consuming but I knew the key to a decent end result was a good level of prep.
Textured nylon with a foam backing together with spray adhesive was ordered from here AS Trim, Upholstery and Fabric Specialists - not the cheapest but good service and the proper materials to do the job properly.
I started with the A pillars, not having any idea of what techniques there were to get the best results I applied some common sense and logic and took things nice and steadly. I decided the best course of action was to spray the panels rather than the material, leave it for 10-15 secs and then worked from the centre out, firstly making sure that the visible parts were crease free. I knew form a little practice with small samples that once the material was on there was no chance of lifting it up and trying again - if I made a mistake that piece of material was scrap.
Once the visible parts were finished it was a case of trimming the returns and tidying, time consuming but satisfying to get it done properly
The B pillars were relatively straightforward, the C pillars more tricking because of the returns and creases etc but the part I was dreading was the headlining itself, by far and away the biggest panel.
After much pondering I decided to start with the rear section and do it in foot long sections, spraying and applying the material until the full panel was covered and then doing all the edges.
The headling shape on a GVV is quite complex with recesses for grab handles, sunvisors, interior light and a full width crease half way back - thats why I bought proper headlining material as it has a bit of "give" to allow for this kind of thing.
Halfway through this panel I stupidly sprayed some adhesive on one of the sections of material that I had applied, fortunately Auto Finesse Tar and Glue remover was to hand, a quick spray and rub with a nylon brush removed the glue with no ill effects.
Once everything was trimmed it was then simply a case of re-fitting everything. The car originally had grey sunvisors, grabhandles and locating plugs in grey, I was lucky to locate a used but mint complete set of everything bar the locating plugs for £35. The locating plugs were sourced from my local Fiat dealer, same part number as the Alfa items but cheaper
Heres the results, not 100% perfect but I'm very happy with it - all done for about 1/3 of the cost of having it done by a trimmer but immensely more satisfying than simply writing a cheque
![Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part Vehicle Vehicle door]()
![Automotive exterior Car Vehicle Auto part Family car]()
![Auto part Automotive exterior Vehicle Floor Car]()
![Armrest Seat belt Auto part Vehicle Car seat]()
![Automotive exterior Vehicle door Bumper Auto part Vehicle]()
Finished this morning - bigger job than I first imagined but considering I have never trimmed anything in my life before I am happy with the results.
As standard it cam with a light grey headlining and covering on A, B and C pillars, always thought it looked odd as rest of the interior is tan and black - knew one day it would need to be done - it was in perfect condition but I just did not like it.
I had quotes for it be done but could not justify the £250 - 300 I was quoted so no option but to roll my sleeves up and do it myself.
Stripping everything out was relatively easy apart from the C pillars. For some unknown reason Alfa decided to secure them with two 4mm nuts, one behind the rear quarter panel trim and one in the boot that was easily accessible if you have two left hands. each with seven fingers about 14 inches long.
Once removed it was the slow, laborious job of removing the existing trim, everything was still stuck firmly down so it was just a case of pulling off the nylon lining and then scraping away the foam with a wallpaper scraper, being especially careful with the headlining as its only fibreboard so easily damaged.
Once stripped of all foam everything was sanded down to remove any small imperfections - again time consuming but I knew the key to a decent end result was a good level of prep.
Textured nylon with a foam backing together with spray adhesive was ordered from here AS Trim, Upholstery and Fabric Specialists - not the cheapest but good service and the proper materials to do the job properly.
I started with the A pillars, not having any idea of what techniques there were to get the best results I applied some common sense and logic and took things nice and steadly. I decided the best course of action was to spray the panels rather than the material, leave it for 10-15 secs and then worked from the centre out, firstly making sure that the visible parts were crease free. I knew form a little practice with small samples that once the material was on there was no chance of lifting it up and trying again - if I made a mistake that piece of material was scrap.
Once the visible parts were finished it was a case of trimming the returns and tidying, time consuming but satisfying to get it done properly
The B pillars were relatively straightforward, the C pillars more tricking because of the returns and creases etc but the part I was dreading was the headlining itself, by far and away the biggest panel.
After much pondering I decided to start with the rear section and do it in foot long sections, spraying and applying the material until the full panel was covered and then doing all the edges.
The headling shape on a GVV is quite complex with recesses for grab handles, sunvisors, interior light and a full width crease half way back - thats why I bought proper headlining material as it has a bit of "give" to allow for this kind of thing.
Halfway through this panel I stupidly sprayed some adhesive on one of the sections of material that I had applied, fortunately Auto Finesse Tar and Glue remover was to hand, a quick spray and rub with a nylon brush removed the glue with no ill effects.
Once everything was trimmed it was then simply a case of re-fitting everything. The car originally had grey sunvisors, grabhandles and locating plugs in grey, I was lucky to locate a used but mint complete set of everything bar the locating plugs for £35. The locating plugs were sourced from my local Fiat dealer, same part number as the Alfa items but cheaper
Heres the results, not 100% perfect but I'm very happy with it - all done for about 1/3 of the cost of having it done by a trimmer but immensely more satisfying than simply writing a cheque
Thanks for posting!
