When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Here’s what I ended up doing with the factory racks. I know many folks justifiably remove them altogether, but my roof is in not-so-great shape anyway, so I decided to keep them on despite some minor rubbing.
I bought a cheap roof box off Craigslist. It already had some factory holes drilled into it for the factory hardware. I then simply removed the skinny cross bars and kept the bigger ones on, and used the skinny bars’ hand bolts to bolt the roof box to the strut nuts that are in the bigger cross bars’ channel.
I added a metal ‘washer’ plate for extra support but I’m not sure it’s necessary. 350 miles later I’ve experienced no problems. Pics:
alot of folks get those rubber door mats that from Lowes that are 1/2" thick. They cut them into squares. Then insert that between the body and the main roof rails. Gives a minor lift and prevents all of that rubbing that the cross bars cause.
Personally I recommend you address the rubbing issues you have right now. Otherwise you'll get to try something similar to what I did below. The prior owner ignored the issue and rust set in. Luckily I caught it before became more than just superficial. But others haven't been so lucky.
I can see the paint cracks in your drip channels. It doesn't take long
Personally I recommend you address the rubbing issues you have right now. Otherwise you'll get to try something similar to what I did below. The prior owner ignored the issue and rust set in. Luckily I caught it before became more than just superficial. But others haven't been so lucky.
Makes sense and does not look too difficult to implement. I like the solution I have versus the Lowe's rubber mat approach simply because of the more streamlined look. But I wouldn't mind spraying the roof with liner as I'm already getting residue streaking on the sides whenever the roof gets wet...
Is it a pain to remove and reinstall the rails? Can I just re-use the rail bolts?
rail bolts are torx. T15 I believe. very easy to remove, just a bunch of them. 16?
they aren't long enough to re-use with a spacer. you can get longer stainless bolts at Lowes/Home Depot for <$10. length depends on spacer thickness. a sheet of 1/4" rubber mat would probably be sufficient.
With the extra weight it will rub through the paint faster. A very easy solution would be to put down some clear protective decal along where the bars run. It’s sold in strips at most automotive parts stores.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
