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how hard is it to install a factory roof rack?

90Pioneer

NAXJA Forum User
Location
USA
Looking at a jeep that didn't come with a roof rack. How hard is it to pull one from the junk yard and mount it up? Does it require drilling through the roof or removing the headliner?
 
OEM? Yes, drilling holes.

You could go aftermarket with gutter mounts.
 
I've been working on the roof-rack stuff quite a bit lately. There are at least 3 different styles of roof-rack from the factory. The side rails that hold the cross bars are put in with some rubber encased nuts that are set into holes drilled in the roof.

The earliest version (as we have on our 84) had the skid strips that screw into the roof with some (impossible to find) plastic runners under them. These are stainless steel with rubber strips in them. The next style they ran had the stick down skid strips that I think were still stainless. Then they went to a black stick-on style and eventually changed the side rails to the black as well with a push-button instead of the screw down mechanism they had early on for the cross-bars.

I think teamcherokee has a complete roof-rack available NOS if you were really interested, but I would seriously consider the aftermarket styles that will fit your needs. The look of the Jeep without the roof rack will grow on you if that's what you're concerned about :)
 
I've been working on the roof-rack stuff quite a bit lately. There are at least 3 different styles of roof-rack from the factory. The side rails that hold the cross bars are put in with some rubber encased nuts that are set into holes drilled in the roof.

The earliest version (as we have on our 84) had the skid strips that screw into the roof with some (impossible to find) plastic runners under them. These are stainless steel with rubber strips in them. The next style they ran had the stick down skid strips that I think were still stainless. Then they went to a black stick-on style and eventually changed the side rails to the black as well with a push-button instead of the screw down mechanism they had early on for the cross-bars.

I think teamcherokee has a complete roof-rack available NOS if you were really interested, but I would seriously consider the aftermarket styles that will fit your needs. The look of the Jeep without the roof rack will grow on you if that's what you're concerned about :)

Thanks for the team cherokee advice but they are only selling roof racks for 91-96 XJs and I need one for a 99.

I need a basic rack because sometimes I carry an 8' ladder up there or a few 2x4s, etc.
 
As stated, there are much better options using the gutter mounts.
You definetely do not want to drill holes in your roof if you don't have to.
No headliner removal as they use nutserts.
Every factory rack I've seen has rust near the drilled holes.
 
As stated, there are much better options using the gutter mounts.
You definetely do not want to drill holes in your roof if you don't have to.
No headliner removal as they use nutserts.
Every factory rack I've seen has rust near the drilled holes.

Any suggestions on the better options?
 
anybody know if those factory roof rack holes are drained and/or water tight?

i just removed my factory roof rack (1988) and it had the rubber nutsert type things. now i just have some holes, i dont think i need to cover/seal these up, they dont go straight thru (from what i can tell). i should be able ot just leave the holes there, right?

i was thinking about pouring a cup of water down the holes just to see if they are internally drained somewhere or if its just gonna soak my headliner... lol
 
You definitely want to fill the holes. Water will absolutely get into the vehicle otherwise. You won't see water hit the headliner due to their placement, but I can confirm they are not drained.

Here's a pic of the reinforcement straps I made as part of my roof rack build (bolted through the roof):

rack_03.jpg


I re-used the factory holes after cutting out the rivnuts (then drilled a few more since I had the OEM short rack).
 
I would definitely do an aftermarket rack; raingutters are the most simple, prevalent and probably most cost effective. XJs seem to leak enough on their own. I wouldn't do much drilling if you have alternatives....

Yakima and Thule are the main brands; they have TONS of accessories for outdoor sports- canoes, kayaks, bikes, recumbents, skis and plenty of utility options too for ladders, baskets, lights, spare tire and jack mounts. Main difference between the two is Yakima uses round bars and Thule uses square bars. The rest is just marketing. The accessories are interchangeable among bars as well.

As far as the leaking, has anyone had any success using butyl tape/rope to seal the holes?
 
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