Hello Forum,
I was asked to Remove / Restore / Reinstall a 2005 Land Cruiser OEM Roof Rack.
Should be the same for 2003 to 2007 Land Cruiser.
Here's documentation of the process, new hardware purchased, and I believe a few helpful hints.
Removal of the 6 Support Covers
- For the 2 Front Covers:
- Pull Cover to the Side / Away from the SUV to Loosen the 2 Outer Tabs.
- Slide a Small Plastic Trim Removal Tool Under the Outside Portion of the Cover to Release the Outer Tabs
- While Keeping the Outside Portion of the Cover Up High Enough so the Outer Tabs don't reengage, Slightly Push the Front of the Cover to the Side / Towards the Sunroof to Release the 2 Inner Tabs
- Once the 2 Inner Tabs Release, Slightly Lift the Front of the Cover and Slide the Back out of the Aluminum Rail
- For the 2 Rear Covers:
- Pull Cover to the Side / Away from the SUV to Loosen the 2 Outer Tabs.
- Slide a Small Plastic Trim Removal Tool Under the Outside Portion of the Cover to Release the 2 Outer Tabs
- While Keeping the Outside Portion of the Cover Up High Enough so the Outer Tabs don't reengage, Slightly Push the Front of the Cover to the Side / Towards the Sunroof to Release the 2 Inner Tabs
- Once the 2 Inner Tabs Release, Slightly Lift the Back of the Cover and Slide the Front out of the Aluminum Rail
- For the 2 Middle Covers
- Slide a Small Plastic Trim Removal Tool between the Metal Support Bracket and the Cover on the Front Side of the Cover and Gently Pry them apart. Once the Front Side has Separated, repeat the process of the Rear Side, If Needed.
There are 5 Bolts on Each Side (2 Front, 1 Middle, 2 Rear) to remove the Rack from the Roof.
Use a 12mm Socket to remove them.
If you have some corrosion, I suggest spraying the 10 Bolts with your Penetrating Fluid of choice and giving it some time to soak.
A 3/8" Impact Wrench w/ 12mm Socket makes very quick work of these 10 bolts.
Carefully lift the Roof Rack off the SUV (easiest with a friend...) and put it down on the ground / on the floor.
Remove the 6 Rubber Pads from the 6 Feet / Supports and set them aside.
There are 8 bolts / screws with a Phillips Head that attach the 4 End Supports to the 2 Side Rails.
Spray them with Penetrating Fluid and let them soak.
Also spray the following with Penetrating Fluid:
- 10 Plastic / Metal Thumb Screws
- 4 bolts / screws with Phillips Head that attach 2 of the Plastic Cross Bar Ends to the Aluminum Cross Bars
- 2 bolts / screws with 5mm Hex Head that attach the Middle Supports to the Side Rails
The End Supports are Aluminum and the 8 bolts / screws are coated steel.
After 20+ years, there will be some galvanic corrosion and I highly doubt you will be able to remove them with a regular screwdriver.
I suggest using a MAPP torch, heating each bolt / screw for 60+ seconds.
Quench the bolt / screw with a Penetrating Fluid, then use a use a 1/4" impact with a New #2 Phillips bit to remove them.
For me, 6 of the 8 came out successfully.
1 Phillips Head Stripped and 1 bolt / screw snapped off.
I used a Irwin Spiral Flute Extractor Side (EX-1 the Smallest One) and a Drill Bit to extract the one with the Stripped Head.
More Heat and Penetrating Fluid before using the Extractor...
For the one with the snapped off bolt / screw, the End Support slid off the Side Rail (after the 2nd bolt / screw was removed).
You could then see a small portion of the bolt / screw coming out of the bottom of the End Support.
More Heat and Penetrating Fluid, and a Small Pair of Vice-Grips removed the broken portion of the bolt / screw.
The 8 bolts / screws above are M5 x 0.8 x 18mm.
They are not available separately through Toyota.
I ordered these for replacements.
Stainless and Black Oxide Coated.
Unscrew 8 of the 10 Plastic / Metal Thumb Screws and Slide the Cross Bars out of the Side Rails.
Unscrew the other 2 Plastic / Metal Thumb Screws 2 remove 2 of the Plastic Cross Bar Ends from the Aluminum Cross Bars.
The next 2 items to separate are the other 2 Plastic Cross Bar Ends from the Aluminum Cross Bars.
They are each held on by 2 Phillips Head bolts / screws.
You cannot heat these, because the Cross Bar Ends are Plastic.
I tried a 1/4" impact with a New #2 Phillips bit to remove them and they all Stripped.
I then used a Small Pair of Vice-Grips and was able to remove all 4 successfully.
The 4 bolts / screws above are M5 x 0.8 x 12mm.
They are not available separately through Toyota.
I ordered these for replacements.
Stainless and Black Oxide Coated.
The last 2 items to separate are the Middle Supports from the Side Rails.
Each support has 1 bolt / screw with a 5mm Hex head.
These came out very easily for me.
No need to replace them.
I took the 2 aluminum side rails and 2 aluminum cross bars to my preferred body shop to be stripped and repainted black.
No need to take the supports or the plastic cross bar ends.
IMPORTANT
If your SUV is going to sit outside uncovered while you restore the rack, you need to temporarily cover / seal the 12 bolt holes.
I purchased new Stainless Bolts and Rubber Bonded Washers to do this.
IMO, if you buy the Rubber Bonded Washers, you don't need to use Silicone or similar to waterproof the bolts.
I torqued the Bolts to 40 In Lbs (NOT 40 Ft Lbs).
This is enough to partially crush the Rubber, but not Tear the Rubber.
M8 x 1.25 x 20mm Stainless Bolts
M8 Stainless EPDM Bonded Washers
Lastly, on the 2005 LC I'm working on, the 2nd Middle Bolt Hole, the one that didn't have a Bolt in it, did not line up for Bolt insertion on either side.
I had to elongate the hole in the bog-bone-shaped metal piece (coated with rubber...), being careful not to damage the threads in the bolt hole below.
I used a Norseman 17749 SC-1 1/4 Die Grinder Bit in a Cordless Drill to do this.
On one side, I also had to remove a bit of the roof channel cover with the Die Grinder Bit.
Pic of Elongated Opening Above.
Pic of Elongated Opening with Bolt and Washer Above.
I'll post a bunch of pics in the next post.
Hopefully this helps you with your project.
Tom
I was asked to Remove / Restore / Reinstall a 2005 Land Cruiser OEM Roof Rack.
Should be the same for 2003 to 2007 Land Cruiser.
Here's documentation of the process, new hardware purchased, and I believe a few helpful hints.
Removal of the 6 Support Covers
- For the 2 Front Covers:
- Pull Cover to the Side / Away from the SUV to Loosen the 2 Outer Tabs.
- Slide a Small Plastic Trim Removal Tool Under the Outside Portion of the Cover to Release the Outer Tabs
- While Keeping the Outside Portion of the Cover Up High Enough so the Outer Tabs don't reengage, Slightly Push the Front of the Cover to the Side / Towards the Sunroof to Release the 2 Inner Tabs
- Once the 2 Inner Tabs Release, Slightly Lift the Front of the Cover and Slide the Back out of the Aluminum Rail
- For the 2 Rear Covers:
- Pull Cover to the Side / Away from the SUV to Loosen the 2 Outer Tabs.
- Slide a Small Plastic Trim Removal Tool Under the Outside Portion of the Cover to Release the 2 Outer Tabs
- While Keeping the Outside Portion of the Cover Up High Enough so the Outer Tabs don't reengage, Slightly Push the Front of the Cover to the Side / Towards the Sunroof to Release the 2 Inner Tabs
- Once the 2 Inner Tabs Release, Slightly Lift the Back of the Cover and Slide the Front out of the Aluminum Rail
- For the 2 Middle Covers
- Slide a Small Plastic Trim Removal Tool between the Metal Support Bracket and the Cover on the Front Side of the Cover and Gently Pry them apart. Once the Front Side has Separated, repeat the process of the Rear Side, If Needed.
There are 5 Bolts on Each Side (2 Front, 1 Middle, 2 Rear) to remove the Rack from the Roof.
Use a 12mm Socket to remove them.
If you have some corrosion, I suggest spraying the 10 Bolts with your Penetrating Fluid of choice and giving it some time to soak.
A 3/8" Impact Wrench w/ 12mm Socket makes very quick work of these 10 bolts.
Carefully lift the Roof Rack off the SUV (easiest with a friend...) and put it down on the ground / on the floor.
Remove the 6 Rubber Pads from the 6 Feet / Supports and set them aside.
There are 8 bolts / screws with a Phillips Head that attach the 4 End Supports to the 2 Side Rails.
Spray them with Penetrating Fluid and let them soak.
Also spray the following with Penetrating Fluid:
- 10 Plastic / Metal Thumb Screws
- 4 bolts / screws with Phillips Head that attach 2 of the Plastic Cross Bar Ends to the Aluminum Cross Bars
- 2 bolts / screws with 5mm Hex Head that attach the Middle Supports to the Side Rails
The End Supports are Aluminum and the 8 bolts / screws are coated steel.
After 20+ years, there will be some galvanic corrosion and I highly doubt you will be able to remove them with a regular screwdriver.
I suggest using a MAPP torch, heating each bolt / screw for 60+ seconds.
Quench the bolt / screw with a Penetrating Fluid, then use a use a 1/4" impact with a New #2 Phillips bit to remove them.
For me, 6 of the 8 came out successfully.
1 Phillips Head Stripped and 1 bolt / screw snapped off.
I used a Irwin Spiral Flute Extractor Side (EX-1 the Smallest One) and a Drill Bit to extract the one with the Stripped Head.
More Heat and Penetrating Fluid before using the Extractor...
For the one with the snapped off bolt / screw, the End Support slid off the Side Rail (after the 2nd bolt / screw was removed).
You could then see a small portion of the bolt / screw coming out of the bottom of the End Support.
More Heat and Penetrating Fluid, and a Small Pair of Vice-Grips removed the broken portion of the bolt / screw.
The 8 bolts / screws above are M5 x 0.8 x 18mm.
They are not available separately through Toyota.
I ordered these for replacements.
Stainless and Black Oxide Coated.
Unscrew 8 of the 10 Plastic / Metal Thumb Screws and Slide the Cross Bars out of the Side Rails.
Unscrew the other 2 Plastic / Metal Thumb Screws 2 remove 2 of the Plastic Cross Bar Ends from the Aluminum Cross Bars.
The next 2 items to separate are the other 2 Plastic Cross Bar Ends from the Aluminum Cross Bars.
They are each held on by 2 Phillips Head bolts / screws.
You cannot heat these, because the Cross Bar Ends are Plastic.
I tried a 1/4" impact with a New #2 Phillips bit to remove them and they all Stripped.
I then used a Small Pair of Vice-Grips and was able to remove all 4 successfully.
The 4 bolts / screws above are M5 x 0.8 x 12mm.
They are not available separately through Toyota.
I ordered these for replacements.
Stainless and Black Oxide Coated.
The last 2 items to separate are the Middle Supports from the Side Rails.
Each support has 1 bolt / screw with a 5mm Hex head.
These came out very easily for me.
No need to replace them.
I took the 2 aluminum side rails and 2 aluminum cross bars to my preferred body shop to be stripped and repainted black.
No need to take the supports or the plastic cross bar ends.
IMPORTANT
If your SUV is going to sit outside uncovered while you restore the rack, you need to temporarily cover / seal the 12 bolt holes.
I purchased new Stainless Bolts and Rubber Bonded Washers to do this.
IMO, if you buy the Rubber Bonded Washers, you don't need to use Silicone or similar to waterproof the bolts.
I torqued the Bolts to 40 In Lbs (NOT 40 Ft Lbs).
This is enough to partially crush the Rubber, but not Tear the Rubber.
M8 x 1.25 x 20mm Stainless Bolts
M8 Stainless EPDM Bonded Washers
Lastly, on the 2005 LC I'm working on, the 2nd Middle Bolt Hole, the one that didn't have a Bolt in it, did not line up for Bolt insertion on either side.
I had to elongate the hole in the bog-bone-shaped metal piece (coated with rubber...), being careful not to damage the threads in the bolt hole below.
I used a Norseman 17749 SC-1 1/4 Die Grinder Bit in a Cordless Drill to do this.
On one side, I also had to remove a bit of the roof channel cover with the Die Grinder Bit.
Pic of Elongated Opening Above.
Pic of Elongated Opening with Bolt and Washer Above.
I'll post a bunch of pics in the next post.
Hopefully this helps you with your project.
Tom
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