INSTALLING THE LABRAK EXPEDITION ROOF RACK SYSTEM
PART 1: UNINSTALLING THE FACTORY ROOF RACK
If you don't have a factory roof rack skip to Part 2.
If you already have a LabRak skip to accessory installation in Part 3.
STEP 1: COVERS
At each corner of the rack there is a plastic piece that covers 2 bolts. These are 8 of the 12 bolts that hold the rack to the roof.
Use a flat pry bar or a flat head screwdriver to pry up these covers. Each cover is only held in with friction. The best way to pop these off is to stick the pry bar into this seam.
Once you can get the drive in at this angle, the cover can be pulled straight up and off.
Back:
Front:
Go ahead and remove the other 3 covers. It doesn't matter which one you start or end on.
STEP 2: BOLTS
This is how dirty the inside will be after 12 years. These 6-point Torx bolts are kind of unusual.
I didn't have a Torx driver large enough to fit so I just used a flat head screwdriver. None were in tight enough for this to cause a problem.
Remove the 2 bolts from each of the four corner mounts.
STEP 3: THE MIDDLES
At this point the corners should all pull up. If your truck only has 4 mounts, then go ahead and lift the entire rack off the roof of the truck. It's very light and fairly rigid.
If your truck has 3 mounts per side, the middle mounts will prevent you from removing the rack. But not for long.
This is how the middle mounts attach to the T-Slotted roof rack rail (Ignore that rust soup for now).
Slide the entire rack an inch forward. Then, lift up. The whole rack should come free. Lift the rack off the truck.
The middle mounts attach to the roof with the same bolts as the 4 corner mounts. But if one of your mounts was lucky enough to trap water for 12 years, you'll have the pleasure of extracting silly putty of a bolt.
My passenger side middle mount rear bolt head was so rusty, the torx wrench and screwdriver immediately stripped it out.
If you have this unfortunate situation, try what I did:
PART 4: WEATHER STRIPS
The gutters of your roof are probably covered with a thin sheet of aluminum and rubber like this:
These 2 strips are held in with a series of little plastic clips like this:
Start at the front of the truck. Slide the rubber/aluminum strip backward until you see the clip directly behind the front mount.
This is not the front clip. But stick the flat head screw driver between the outer lip of the gutter and this little plastic tab. Bend it inward to free it's grip on the lip of the rubber strip. Pull up on the rubber strip to free it. This should give you enough wiggle room to free the strip from the inside tab as well.
Move to the rear of the same side. Slide the strip backward to reveal the clips behind the rear mount. You may need to bend the strip slightly to get it up and over the edge of the lift gate. Unclip the strip in the same way as the front clips.
Move back to the front clip. Lift up on the strip and slide it forward toward the windshield. You want the end of the rubber strip to come up and over the windshield rain gutter like this:
Move back to the rear of the truck. Slide the whole strip forward. Unclip each set of clips you see through the rear mount opening in the rubber strip.
Repeat Step 4 on the other side of the truck.
STEP 5: MOUNT WASHERS
Once those strips are off, you can keep and cut them to reuse or discard them.
Now you'll be left with a bunch of these little buggers: washers with a formerly rubber and adhesive backing.
They look immovable. But they'll pop off with some good fingernailing.
If you push forward on them, the metal washeer portion and the adhesive backing tend to separate.
Once you remove all the washer, you'll be left with this beautiful adhesive strip. Use your fingernail to get the edge of it and peel it off. When you get the entire residue off, there should be nothing left in the gutter but paint, years of dirt and 6 unused bolts.
I took this opportunity to remove these unused bolts, chase the threads with a tap, apply some dielectric grease to the bolts and reinstall them. This isn't necessary though.
STEP 6: WASH, RINSE & REPEAT
The last time your rain gutters saw light was probably the day they rolled off the factory floor. Take this opportunity to give them a proper washing and waxing.
First, screw the 12 torx bolts you removed back in to keep water out of your mounting holes.
Get out the old car wash gear and give the entire roof a good scrubbing with plenty of soap. Most of the residue of the rack feet should come off.
Follow up the soap with some Simple Green or Super Clean and a soft brush. Once the gutters are spotless, follow up with a good waxing. I prefer to use Nu-Finish because 2 coats last an entire year and it's zinc based. So it won't degrade in the sun.
Once everything's shiny and pristine, remove the 12 bolts again.
I decided to chase the 12 mounting holes with a tap to get them extra clean for the new rack. Or should I say Rak.
Congratulations. You just uninstalled the factory roof rack.
PART 1: UNINSTALLING THE FACTORY ROOF RACK
If you don't have a factory roof rack skip to Part 2.
If you already have a LabRak skip to accessory installation in Part 3.
STEP 1: COVERS
At each corner of the rack there is a plastic piece that covers 2 bolts. These are 8 of the 12 bolts that hold the rack to the roof.
Use a flat pry bar or a flat head screwdriver to pry up these covers. Each cover is only held in with friction. The best way to pop these off is to stick the pry bar into this seam.
Once you can get the drive in at this angle, the cover can be pulled straight up and off.
Back:
Front:
Go ahead and remove the other 3 covers. It doesn't matter which one you start or end on.
STEP 2: BOLTS
This is how dirty the inside will be after 12 years. These 6-point Torx bolts are kind of unusual.
I didn't have a Torx driver large enough to fit so I just used a flat head screwdriver. None were in tight enough for this to cause a problem.
Remove the 2 bolts from each of the four corner mounts.
STEP 3: THE MIDDLES
At this point the corners should all pull up. If your truck only has 4 mounts, then go ahead and lift the entire rack off the roof of the truck. It's very light and fairly rigid.
If your truck has 3 mounts per side, the middle mounts will prevent you from removing the rack. But not for long.
This is how the middle mounts attach to the T-Slotted roof rack rail (Ignore that rust soup for now).
Slide the entire rack an inch forward. Then, lift up. The whole rack should come free. Lift the rack off the truck.
The middle mounts attach to the roof with the same bolts as the 4 corner mounts. But if one of your mounts was lucky enough to trap water for 12 years, you'll have the pleasure of extracting silly putty of a bolt.
My passenger side middle mount rear bolt head was so rusty, the torx wrench and screwdriver immediately stripped it out.
If you have this unfortunate situation, try what I did:
- Remove the other bolts.
- Then tape off the roof area around the mount with painters tape.
- Put a layer of duct tape over the painters tape to protect the roof.
- Then, get a propane torch.
- I'd sprayed PB Blaster inside the mount, which I don't recommend. Heat up the stuck bolt and the immediate plastic around it with the torch.
- When you think it's hot enough, hold onto the other side of the mount and pry it upward.
- If the plastic is hot enough, it'll easily bend and allow the mount to slip over the stuck bolt.
- If you did put PB blaster or another similarly flammable liquid inside the mount, take cover when it finally pops free or you'll end up with a fateful of flaming PB Blaster.
- Use a vise grip wrench to turn and remove the rusty bolt.
- Remove the tape.
PART 4: WEATHER STRIPS
The gutters of your roof are probably covered with a thin sheet of aluminum and rubber like this:
These 2 strips are held in with a series of little plastic clips like this:
Start at the front of the truck. Slide the rubber/aluminum strip backward until you see the clip directly behind the front mount.
This is not the front clip. But stick the flat head screw driver between the outer lip of the gutter and this little plastic tab. Bend it inward to free it's grip on the lip of the rubber strip. Pull up on the rubber strip to free it. This should give you enough wiggle room to free the strip from the inside tab as well.
Move to the rear of the same side. Slide the strip backward to reveal the clips behind the rear mount. You may need to bend the strip slightly to get it up and over the edge of the lift gate. Unclip the strip in the same way as the front clips.
Move back to the front clip. Lift up on the strip and slide it forward toward the windshield. You want the end of the rubber strip to come up and over the windshield rain gutter like this:
Move back to the rear of the truck. Slide the whole strip forward. Unclip each set of clips you see through the rear mount opening in the rubber strip.
Repeat Step 4 on the other side of the truck.
STEP 5: MOUNT WASHERS
Once those strips are off, you can keep and cut them to reuse or discard them.
Now you'll be left with a bunch of these little buggers: washers with a formerly rubber and adhesive backing.
They look immovable. But they'll pop off with some good fingernailing.
If you push forward on them, the metal washeer portion and the adhesive backing tend to separate.
Once you remove all the washer, you'll be left with this beautiful adhesive strip. Use your fingernail to get the edge of it and peel it off. When you get the entire residue off, there should be nothing left in the gutter but paint, years of dirt and 6 unused bolts.
I took this opportunity to remove these unused bolts, chase the threads with a tap, apply some dielectric grease to the bolts and reinstall them. This isn't necessary though.
STEP 6: WASH, RINSE & REPEAT
The last time your rain gutters saw light was probably the day they rolled off the factory floor. Take this opportunity to give them a proper washing and waxing.
First, screw the 12 torx bolts you removed back in to keep water out of your mounting holes.
Get out the old car wash gear and give the entire roof a good scrubbing with plenty of soap. Most of the residue of the rack feet should come off.
Follow up the soap with some Simple Green or Super Clean and a soft brush. Once the gutters are spotless, follow up with a good waxing. I prefer to use Nu-Finish because 2 coats last an entire year and it's zinc based. So it won't degrade in the sun.
Once everything's shiny and pristine, remove the 12 bolts again.
I decided to chase the 12 mounting holes with a tap to get them extra clean for the new rack. Or should I say Rak.
Congratulations. You just uninstalled the factory roof rack.
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