Fml - Dropped roof rack nuts - help

[Ape Cruiser]

I’ve installed a few racks on 5th Gen 4runner and forgot that you have to remove the factory bolts by hand. So on my new to me LC, I didn’t. I used a power tool and paid the price. I have 2 nut brackets in the headliner.

Tips on removing headliner?

so bummed.

 

[bloc]

I’ve installed a few racks on 5th Gen 4runner and forgot that you have to remove the factory bolts by hand. So on my new to me LC, I didn’t. I used a power tool and paid the price. I have 2 nut brackets in the headliner.

Tips on removing headliner?

so bummed.

There was a thread on this specifically a year or two ago. I think they were able to pull the grab bar, door molding trim and b pillar trim and lower that part of the liner enough to fish out the nuts with a telescoping magnet.. though this would depend on which ones dropped. Be careful pulling on any one part of the liner if the rest stays up or you’ll crease it.

Might be worth digging up that thread.. I think there were pictures?

 

[lx200inAR]

There was a thread on this specifically a year or two ago. I think they were able to pull the grab bar, door molding trim and b pillar trim and lower that part of the liner enough to fish out the nuts with a telescoping magnet.. though this would depend on which ones dropped. Be careful pulling on any one part of the liner if the rest stays up or you’ll crease it.

Might be worth digging up that thread.. I think there were pictures?

If you lost one of the front 2 you can probably do as Bloc said and remove the B pillar trims and the grab handles from first and second row and fish out the nut brackets. I was able to get my hand in there and used a pick through the roof hole from the top to line it up with the roof hole and get a bolt back into it. It took me about 45 min to remove all the handles and trim and get it all buttoned back up. I only lost one and it was the 2nd from the front.

Don’t try to remove the roof vents, they are attached to the headliner and only come out once the headliner is down.

If you lost one of the back two, you are probably in for a bigger job. There are a thread or.2 about dropping the headliner completely, which I suspect is what you will have to do.

 

[lx200inAR]

Not much additional info, but here’s my post from when I screwed it up. I didn’t use power tools, but one still fell through on me after I removed the rack.


Post in thread 'What have you done to your 200 Series this week?'
What have you done to your 200 Series this week? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/what-have-you-done-to-your-200-series-this-week.818471/post-13807417

 

[Ape Cruiser]

Thanks all! Lesson learned and wished I had remembered. One of the front corners and one of the rears.

 

[82SC]

I lost a couple clips in the rear hatch doing some work. I was so pissed. But I found a rubber grommet covering a small hole and with a well directed blast with my compressor I was able to blow the clips toward a bigger hole and able to fish them out.
Not sure if this would work for you but just a thought.

 

[RET2]

Having absolutely no experience with this is it possible to use a powerful magnet on the interior of the head liner to help slide the lost nut plate back closer where it can be accessed from the top?

 

[NYC570]

In the future, this is what I did when replacing mine to make sure they didn't drop down.

Roof rack removal tip

I'm installing an LC roof rack on my LX and was really worried about messing up the brackets. So I bought fully threaded rods to to install while I placed the rails on just in case one of them went in.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[ATwoZ]

I made the same mistake, currently they're in unused positions and sealed with silicone etc for the time being. Curious to see whether I'm going to be fishing or putting in a nutsert

 

[nakman]

I made the same mistake, currently they're in unused positions and sealed with silicone etc for the time being. Curious to see whether I'm going to be fishing or putting in a nutsert

Rivnuts seem to be working pretty well... have done more than a few and have never had anyone report back an issue. If you want to run up here sometime we can pop some in for you, lmk.

And for whatver reason, the rear towers seem to be the most prone to falling in, at least for me lately. but if I alternate on the bolts, backing each one up nice and gently, I can usually get those factory nuts to stay put long enough to put the new tower on. But when I remove one bolt completely, then start in on the second bolt, almost without fail that factory carrier will start to spin, especially in back. Also the 200's are much more delicate than a GX460 or 4Runner, can get away with being a little more aggressive on those. No idea why, as it all looks like the same set of parts.

 

[Ape Cruiser]

Rivnuts seem to be working pretty well... have done more than a few and have never had anyone report back an issue. If you want to run up here sometime we can pop some in for you, lmk.

And for whatver reason, the rear towers seem to be the most prone to falling in, at least for me lately. but if I alternate on the bolts, backing each one up nice and gently, I can usually get those factory nuts to stay put long enough to put the new tower on. But when I remove one bolt completely, then start in on the second bolt, almost without fail that factory carrier will start to spin, especially in back. Also the 200's are much more delicate than a GX460 or 4Runner, can get away with being a little more aggressive on those. No idea why, as it all looks like the same set of parts.

I was able to fish out the pieces and get the job done! Wasn’t too much of a pain but I felt like a dummy nonetheless.

 

[RET2]

I was able to fish out the pieces and get the job done! Wasn’t too much of a pain but I felt like a dummy nonetheless.

View attachment 2774144

Ok did you learn any new cuss words?

 

[Ape Cruiser]

Ok did you learn any new cuss words?

No it actually wasn’t too bad!

 

[TXLX100]

I’ve installed many racks and it’s mostly avoidable, sometimes not. The method I use is to alternate backing out the 2 bolts slowly, and do not push down on the bolts while doing so. If the captive nut falls in, I wouldn’t even bother trying to pull headliner unless you have time and really care… it could be hours messing with it. Rivnuts are the way to go.

 

[lx200inAR]

I’ve installed many racks and it’s mostly avoidable, sometimes not. The method I use is to alternate backing out the 2 bolts slowly, and do not push down on the bolts while doing so. If the captive nut falls in, I wouldn’t even bother trying to pull headliner unless you have time and really care… it could be hours messing with it. Rivnuts are the way to go.

I doubt this is an issue in the way back, buy my biggest concern with leaving it up there was there being a metal projectile if my curtain airbags ever went off. This concern may be unwarranted though.

 

[bloc]

I doubt this is an issue in the way back, buy my biggest concern with leaving it up there was there being a metal projectile if my curtain airbags ever went off. This concern may be unwarranted though.

Watch a curtain airbag go off in person and you’ll probably consider it warranted.

 

[Ape Cruiser]

I’ve installed many racks and it’s mostly avoidable, sometimes not. The method I use is to alternate backing out the 2 bolts slowly, and do not push down on the bolts while doing so. If the captive nut falls in, I wouldn’t even bother trying to pull headliner unless you have time and really care… it could be hours messing with it. Rivnuts are the way to go.

Took about 30 minutes each to get the front (easier) and rear (requires luck)

 

[Forerunner]

Can confirm we had to drop the headliner on my Lx. Such a PITA. Humpty-Dumpty got put back together. Super happy with my rack and light setup.

 

[RyanR]

In the future, this is what I did when replacing mine to make sure they didn't drop down.

Roof rack removal tip

I'm installing an LC roof rack on my LX and was really worried about messing up the brackets. So I bought fully threaded rods to to install while I placed the rails on just in case one of them went in.

forum.ih8mud.com

I’ve done a few LC/LXs now and do this each time. Makes it impossible to spin/lose the brackets and welllllll worth the few bucks invested

 

[RyanR]

Rivnuts seem to be working pretty well... have done more than a few and have never had anyone report back an issue. If you want to run up here sometime we can pop some in for you, lmk.

And for whatver reason, the rear towers seem to be the most prone to falling in, at least for me lately. but if I alternate on the bolts, backing each one up nice and gently, I can usually get those factory nuts to stay put long enough to put the new tower on. But when I remove one bolt completely, then start in on the second bolt, almost without fail that factory carrier will start to spin, especially in back. Also the 200's are much more delicate than a GX460 or 4Runner, can get away with being a little more aggressive on those. No idea why, as it all looks like the same set of parts.

If you are doing racks regularly it’s worth grabbing a few threaded studs that you can thread back in after you remove each bolt. It makes it impossible to spin or lose a bracket. Without a head on the rod you can drop the foot kit for the new rack right over the studs, then replace them one at a time with the bolts.

I found some 4” threaded studs that match the roof rack bolts thread pitch for less than a dollar each at Lowes and they’ve saved me a lot of headache over the years.

Also saves a ton of time as you don’t have to gingerly remove the bolts alternating sides. I just zap one out with the small impact gun, thread the stud back in, zap the other side out, thread stud back in. Place foot over studs and do process in reverse. I like to thread them back in by hand and tighten the bolts by hand but I’ve never stripped anything out removing them with the impact driver.