Should I Remove the OE Roof Rack

[1FZj80]

I'm getting the 80 painted and have the opportunity to remove the roof rack and have the holes welded up and painted.

Anyone remove theirs and regret it?

I don’t leave my ConFerr on all the time and occasionally use the stock rack, but I am thinking if I remove the rack I will leave the ConFerr gutter-mounts and horizontal rail on all the time for light use and only mount the full rack for trips.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Get rid of it. Before paint is the time to do it.

 

[1FZj80]

yeah, I am leaning toward removing it.

 

[Cannon88]

I second removal. I hope to do mine soon.

 

[MARLIN375]

remove it ASAP.

 

[plutonius]

x100. remove it.

 

[SFSig]

Is the main reason to remove it rust? Are there other considerations for doing so?

On my 80 the panels and paint around my rack seem to be in good shape. For the guys that have had their rack removed - did you notice rust prior to removing the rack?

 

[OffroadJohnny]

OE Roof Rack Removal

I too am looking at removing the OE roof rack, though I don't have a pending paint job. It is incredibly flimsy and I am concerned about water intrusion issues from some of the loose pieces.

Any thoughts or direction on a proper method and cost to pull it, fill the holes and touch up the paint?

 

[Jrob80]

Remove it! I did this last spring and then rhino lined the roof and I love it. I did end up buying gutter mounts and cross bars from Groucho but most of the time I leave them off, I actually kind of like the look of it with out a roof rack, which actually surprises me a little.

I found a shop to weld the holes up for $150.00 and then the rhino lining was around $500.00.

 

[azTony]

You have a 94 and I am not sure what kind of headliner you have but if it is the cloth type and not the kind where you can remove the entire headliner in one piece, you may want to reconsider. I have a 93 and those headliners do not come out in one piece. Just my .02

 

[1FZj80]

Is the main reason to remove it rust? Are there other considerations for doing so?

The stock rack can't hold much weight so it is redundant because my Conferr rack sits above it. I can lower the Conferr if the stock rack is gone. It is also a source of rust, but that is not a problem on my 80.

 

[1FZj80]

You have a 94 and I am not sure what kind of headliner you have but if it is the cloth type and not the kind where you can remove the entire headliner in one piece, you may want to reconsider. I have a 93 and those headliners do not come out in one piece. Just my .02

The body shop is doing it and it is already off. Not sure how hard the removal was, but they get to deal with it

I agree with all the comments, it is coming off.

 

[AH-1W Smitty]

I removed mine (on a 1997 without visible rust elsewhere) and was shocked at how much rust was under the feet and how easy it was to take off. A few good pulls and the nuts just popped out. Would not trust it to carry any weight reliably.

 

[1FZj80]

There are many options. Do a search using 'roof rack' and you will get plenty of hits. You need to mount to the rain guttter and use three or four mounts per side for adequate strength.

You may want to post to a new thread as this is a little off topic.

 

[MARLIN375]

.On my 80 the panels and paint around my rack seem to be in good shape..?

On mine they SEEMED to be in good shape, but once I removed the plastic feet the scars from rubbing on the paint were almost through to the metal. I caught mine just in time. I left the runners attached to center of the roof as they do not get in the way of my rack, and when I load the rack heavy it just touches the rails....fine with me.

 

[BTLSHP]

I would appreciate some thoughts. We have a mostly garage kept '94 Series 80. Our use is to get to a place deep in the mountains of WV. We never use the roof rack to carry more than a light step ladder. In the process of tracking down a leak in the Passenger "A" pillar I noticed rust around the feet of the rack.

I loosened the screws fore and aft and raised it about 1/2" to peek. The rust is pretty superficial and just at the edges of the feet. No sign of corrosion near the Rivnuts, but there was some crap on the screws that looked like dried out plumber's thread compound.

We have a couple of other projects for the truck on the horizon and I am wondering if I can simply protect the area with a layer of Clear Bra for now and move on to other projects.

The "A" Pillar leak still eludes me I ran a hose down the gutter for a few minutes without result and have check the sunroof drains. It only happens in heavy rain.

 

[ajax1]

Pull it and run some stainless screws with Orings then a little slicone, I bought it all at hardware store for like 10 bucks. If rivinuts pull out you will need a new plan

 

[Malleus]

Whether you remove the rack or not is a personal decision; I can't offer any useful opinions there. Your A pillar leak is the sunroof. The front drain hose is not draining causing the pan to fill up and run down the A pillar.

Pulling the drain plugs in the rocker panel, cleaning the drain tubing and pinch welds will not solve this problem. All that may help, but the problem is in the drain design.

The permanent solution is to run the drain hose through the floor. You can either a) use the floor hole Toyota provided under the floor mat (not my choice), or b) remove one of the body panel screws securing the rear edge of the fender to the body and drill out the weldnut in the floor of the well to allow you to run the hose through it.

You can either a) use a smaller/larger diameter hose to extend the hose, which doesn't currently reach the floor of the well the harness is tucked into, and into which the sunroof drains, or b) swap the front drain with a rear drain. Same size, extra 12" longer; it'll get through the floor of the well and extend about the same amount as the current rear drains do in the rear fenders.

 

[BILT4ME]

Pull it and run some stainless screws with Orings then a little slicone, I bought it all at hardware store for like 10 bucks. If rivinuts pull out you will need a new plan

Do NOT use silicone.

Silicone uses water from the atmosphere to cure and it then turns acidic and will CAUSE rust.

Use an EPDM or Viton rubber washer under a screw to seal it.

The following is a link to Absolute Wits End that carries these kits. Order at your own risk.

80 Series Roofrack Elimination Hardware

80 Series Roofrack Elimination Hardware (REH-1)

absolute-wits-end.com

I'm pretty sure the following is the correct part number from McMaster Carr:
95608A124 M5 x 0.8mm x 16mm long, 18-8 SS (Purchase at your own risk and tell me if it's wrong)
90130A125 EPDM Rubber Washer, 1.062" OD, 0.125" thick (Purchase at your own risk and tell me if it's wrong)

Make sure to use anti-seize on the threads before you install them.
Screw them into existing nutserts.

 

[BTLSHP]

Do NOT use silicone.

Silicone uses water from the atmosphere to cure and it then turns acidic and will CAUSE rust.

Use an EPDM or Viton rubber washer under a screw to seal it.

The following is a link to Absolute Wits End that carries these kits. Order at your own risk.

80 Series Roofrack Elimination Hardware

80 Series Roofrack Elimination Hardware (REH-1)

absolute-wits-end.com

I'm pretty sure the following is the correct part number from McMaster Carr:
95608A124 M5 x 0.8mm x 16mm long, 18-8 SS (Purchase at your own risk and tell me if it's wrong)
90130A125 EPDM Rubber Washer, 1.062" OD, 0.125" thick (Purchase at your own risk and tell me if it's wrong)

Make sure to use anti-seize on the threads before you install them.
Screw them into existing nutserts.

I have the message on silicone. I am going to try and retain the rack for now but change to SS hardware with o-rings. I am thinking of some form of Clear-Bra to protect the paint for now. I suspect it will get a different rack when it moves on to my daughter who will no doubt stack a tent on the roof.