TLDR: I'm definitely not the pioneer of this tip....here's a thread on it. (I didn't think to post the thread until i wrote the below)
So the "nut" that falls into the roof is really a plate/bracket that has 2 nuts in it. Each rack mount point has two bolts that thread into these nut plates (plates are under roof channel and bolts are above). You need to break loose each bolt before unthreading either. 9 times out of 10, just breaking each bolt loose before you unthread will keep you from losing the bracket into the headliner. As a safety measure, you can get both bolts close to out and then once you pull the first out, thread in the above stud into the nut plate. This will give you a "handle" so you can't lose the nut plate after you remove the second bolt. Being a stud, you can then just slide over whatever you are replacing the rack with.
If you are going for a delete, something like this would be the OEM way. This is what is up there in the unused spot on your LC, you need 3 more pairs to replace the 3 mount spots for the current rails. But I suspect a nice M8 rubber washer and some M8 bolts that fits in the channel and a little flexible sealant would also do the trick. The link provided says it's for a GX, I think that all the BOF Toyota SUVs use the same part, might want to verify. I listed that one because it was the correct number of brackets needed.
Last edited:
