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Reinstalling roof rack in 87

the_bandit87

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Sydney,NS
Just wondering, but has any one on here ever taken the roof rack (including rails) off of their XJ. Mine have the damn rubber grommet/nut that the bolt threads into, but over time the rubber got soft so the bolt just free wheels inside it. Most of the gromets are ruined so I don't want to reuse them, but they're somthing like $5 per at Chrysler and I need 12, so there it is. The Chrysler parts department has some good guys in it though and they gave us some pretty wierd nuts that might just work. Honest to god, they look like bullet casings with threads in them, the threads fit the stock Jeep Torx bolts, but I think the new nuts might be too tall to fit into the holes in the roof for the roof rack. Any advice here would help.
 
Go to any parts store (NAPA, Schucks, etc.) and you can get the rubber "nutserts" for a fraction of what the dealer charges. A couple of years ago, I had the same problem with my '87 - I bought all that the dealership had (fortunately, they only had 3). I went straight to NAPA and got the same thing - if I remember correctly, the dealer was something over $5 apiece and the NAPA dealer had a baggie of 4 or 5 for $6 or $7 . . . needless to say, I didn't return to the dealer for more replacements!
 
the_bandit87 said:
The Chrysler parts department has some good guys in it though and they gave us some pretty wierd nuts that might just work. Honest to god, they look like bullet casings with threads in them, the threads fit the stock Jeep Torx bolts, but I think the new nuts might be too tall to fit into the holes in the roof for the roof rack. Any advice here would help.

sounds like they gave you the nut-serts for a newer XJ.. not sure what year it changed but my 99 had the inserts directly into the steel of the roof.. my 87 had the rubber ones... IIRC the newer ones need a smaller hole in the roof. i dont think they will work for you if its what i think you have. i ended up hard-mounting the rack with fender washers on top and bottom and a 1/2 diameter washer between them in the hole in the roof to keep it centered... worked out good for me.
 
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