has anyone removed and replaced the factory rails? What did you seal the bolts with. I'm planning on removing mine, painting it and reinstalling.

Thanks

 

When my roof skin was replaced last fall, I had them fill the holes and prime, then paint the roof without the roof rail tracks.
They collected dirt, grime, and leaves, and made a mess.


no roof rail tracks

 

I had to reinstall my roof rails after the previous owner had removed them. I used some butyl strip caulk around all the bolts when installing.

 

Let me suggest if you want it to be "permanent" use 3M 4200. If you don't want permanent then use self leveling Dicor products used for RV's.

 

that's the marine silicone correct. I've used it before

 

I had my rails off for a while until I put the large rack up there. I just put the bolts back in and put some silicone around them.

 

thanks for the responses. I'm going to use gray RTV. Also i noticed the sealant in the roof channels was cracked and pulled away. Has anyone had this repaired what was the cost or did u do it yourself.

Thanks

 

Actually if you want "permanent", use 3M 5200. U used to build boats and using 4200 for deck hatches was great. Using 5200 was a real bear to remove...

 

thanks for the replies i ended up using permatex black rtv

 

5200 is better but it has no UV protection and is for "below" the water line, over kill. 3M 4000 has UV protection and is for wet areas above the water line. For this application 4200 is the right choice.
Gotta watch plastic.... not compatible with certain types.

 

Did you have any luck preparing the cracked sealant in the roof channels? I'm thinking about chiseling it out and resealing, but I don't know with what yet. Maybe you just took it to a body shop?

 

It looks like they just painted over the seals on your roof channels?