Rack mounting help for rookie

[DecaturFJ]

So while installing my new roof rack I turned the target a little to hard...the little yellow tabbed bolt holders on one of my Towers dropped into the abyss....any good remedies?

 

[indycole]

So while installing my new roof rack I turned the target a little to hard...the little yellow tabbed bolt holders on one of my Towers dropped into the abyss....any good remedies?

Ugh, flashbacks. Which one? You'd have to pull the headliner for the front but there's a chance that the others are accessible by pulling the interior pillar panels. The rears definitely are but I'm not sure about the others.

I lost both rears and on the passenger side took a thin piece of cardboard, wedged it behind the jack area, and then rocked the truck back and forth to see it fall and slide right out into my hands. There's no way I'd ever be able to do that again. I ended up drilling out the holes and installing mega stainless nutserts. Don't do that, though... much easier to replace.

 

[DecaturFJ]

Wow okay, the rear ones were the ones that dropped down. So how did you get it to come out of the ceiling inside the car?
What do you mean when you say Jack areas? Thank you for chiming in on this one I am baffled

 

[tbisaacs]

Oh god. I made this mistake and spent a few sleepless nights over it. I could not fish mine out (also in the back) and ended up using rivuts + new stainless hardware. Not ideal but cinched up tight and no leaks.

@Chocolate pointed me to this thread:

Removing the Roof Rails

 

[indycole]

Wow okay, the rear ones were the ones that dropped down. So how did you get it to come out of the ceiling inside the car?
What do you mean when you say Jack areas? Thank you for chiming in on this one I am baffled

Well if you didn't hear it drop then it must still be dangling up there. I'd pull down the interior panel to see if you can access it and rule that out.

 

[Volunteer]

That sucks from reading several threads here they are tough to recover. I mounted a Prisnu rack last month and the good folks here on MUD prepared me well. I read about some of the nightmares some had and for a guy thats wrenched a ton on my Toys I was a little nervous about fouling it up. I used the removal process @tbisaacs posted the thread on above and it all worked out. My only hiccup was the original 4 bolt holes they used for the OEM rack were a little rusty the new bolts would start but they would get real tight after a couple threads and I got nervous I might break a bolt and the whole project go sideways. I got the wife and daughter to help me remove the rack got my anti seize and the tap and chased all 16 bolt holes. I used similar technique as the removal using one bolt hand tight in opposite hole of the one I was tapping. When I put the rack back on I could run the bolts all the way snug by hand. In the end worked out great. Seems many that didn't recover them ended up going the rivnut route. I hope yours turn up for ya

 

[bozochu]

Remove the rear seat belt and panel bolts, pealback the weather strip on the side you are working on(weather strip has a black sticky sealant in the grooves so wear a glove and tap the headliner area so you do not get it dirty), patiently pull off panel. Also be careful of the rear side window defroster cable attached to glass. I would order the pieces needed to replace before tackling the job. If you recover the parts after pulling the panels then return it/ keep new one as spare. If it’s lost then you don’t need to take apart again. When mine fell, I found the bracket by the upper seat belt area and the c clip (holds the one piece thread bracket to a tab) above the spare jack area. Good luck.

 

[DecaturFJ]

Thanks for all the help!
So I ended up peeling back the Upholstery and was able to use new nuts.luckily it was the rear tower.I was able to screw new bolts with two new nuts.

So I got the rack on, the only issue is the when the yellow tab bolt holder dropped into the abyss it must have hit my antenna for Sirius XM. Because the antenna light keeps flashing in my nav screen and Sirius XM stopped receiving a signal. It worked the day before so somehow the antenna got messed up with the bolt holder hitting it. I was reading that the antenna is on the back window and did not touch it with any metal...

 

[linuxgod]

So I got the rack on, the only issue is the when the yellow tab bolt holder dropped into the abyss it must have hit my antenna for Sirius XM. Because the antenna light keeps flashing in my nav screen and Sirius XM stopped receiving a signal. It worked the day before so somehow the antenna got messed up with the bolt holder hitting it. I was reading that the antenna is on the back window and did not touch it with any metal...

Most likely the wire connector came loose in which case you'll need to pop the panels off and ensure the fit is snug. It's hard for me to believe the antenna wire was damaged by the falling nut assembly unless you were smashing the interior panels trying to get them apart. If it is you can just splice the wire.

 

[DecaturFJ]

I know, I agree. It's just a small bolt but it work the day before and stopped working after that was dropped into their right where the antennas at. Imma have to take it apart and do some digging I bet you're right the wire probably came loose

 

[tbisaacs]

Thanks for all the help!
So I ended up peeling back the Upholstery and was able to use new nuts.luckily it was the rear tower.I was able to screw new bolts with two new nuts.

So I got the rack on, the only issue is the when the yellow tab bolt holder dropped into the abyss it must have hit my antenna for Sirius XM. Because the antenna light keeps flashing in my nav screen and Sirius XM stopped receiving a signal. It worked the day before so somehow the antenna got messed up with the bolt holder hitting it. I was reading that the antenna is on the back window and did not touch it with any metal...

View attachment 1692757

How's the noise on that rack? I was surprised by the noise difference between the original LX rack and the longer LC rack I installed.

 

[DecaturFJ]

Surprisingly quiet, It was loud until I put the fairing on.

 

[OregonLC]

Have you guys watched the latest Overlander where they have to drill the roof of the Tundra to mount the K9 rails? That would be a royal PITA. Makes our mounts look easy.

 

[linuxgod]

Surprisingly quiet, It was loud until I put the fairing on.

I noticed that as well. At 45 it was like listening to a subwoofer mounted directly over my head. With the fairing it's just a light rush of air that I don't even notice against the noise of the AT tires

 

[DecaturFJ]

It is a great rack, it totally changes the look of the truck!