Oldsmobile/Buick: Headliners, cardboard piece, stiff cardboard

Question
My headliner on my white car (a 1990 Olds 88) is starting to fall down and before I go pulling it down, I was wondering if whatever the headliner used to be connected to can be pulled down?  I've seen some of it and it appears to just be like a really stiff cardboard.  Other than insulation, from both weather and noise, purposes and holding up what used to be my headliner, I was wondering if that "cardboard" piece serves any purpose?  I am blindly assuming that the only thing above it is the roof, so if I pull it down, I'll just be one step closer to a sunroof....is one way to look at it.  A little off of your timeline for Olds', but I figured a headliner is a headliner.  I saw your other post about pulling down the whole headliner, but my main interest is the board above it and what function it delivers to my car.

Answer
Jared ,

Your right for the most part the "cardboard piece" does provide insulation from weather and noice . Its also aesthetically pleasing , usually above the headliner is rubber sound dampening thats held on by a tar , wiring for your dome lamp and raw metal .

The "cardboard piece" or shaped styrefoam is the "form" for your headliner is molded/shaped to contour your car and provided clean lines . Without it , trying to neatly place thin fabric is almost impossible.

The padding in between usually becomes discolored and worn causing the headliner to fall down. From there most people have to deal with those yellow pieces of padding. Hence the reason why most have them re-done or torn out. Upholstery shops normally charge a pretty penny for re-wrapping too .

Is your car already equipped with a sunroof , or are you looking to install an aftermarket unit ?

Without that piece you'd end up like me :

83 Oldsmobile - No Headliner/Styrefoam backing
1. Wires Dangling
2. Tar glued pieces of rubber constantly falling down
3. Little colder in the winter
4. You can hear wind rolling off the roof
5. No sound barrier

Jared your car may be way different since it is alot newer then most of the vehicles I work on .

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask .
Don't forget to rate my response to you .

Cheers,

Ed McKenna