Factory Roof Rack Questions

[Ecomike]

If you put the factory rack on you will need to drill holes thru the roof, 8 maybe per side then insert an expandable nutcert in the hole, expand the nut cert, seal it then bolt the rail on. The tool is about $30 or so, the dealer charges about $1.50 per nut cert but they don't carry the bolts, you need to get them at a hardware store. You will also need to get the glue down strips that go between the rails and get stuck to the roof itself. My surco is not that noisy that I notice and costs maybe 1mpg. Been thinking about taking it off, mostly when I get gas but never seem to get round to it..
My surco is mounted to the factory rails and for the 6 years it's been on it has not been molested once even parked in NYC and Philly.

I just bought a new set of OEM "nut certs" (as you called them) but they are no longer rubber. They look more log moly bolts with the PCV plastisol coating on the the seal/exterior part of the nut cert. Wonder now If I need the $30 tool you mentioned to install them properly. They do not seem to want to expand easily or grab so that they will exapnd in the hole while turning the torqs bolt. Any ideas, suggestions....I am trying the fix, replace the bad nut certs that have pulled through the roof holes.

 

[Jim Mesthene]

I threw away the factory rack because I couldn't find anything light enough to put on it. I use a 20 year-old Thule.

 

[Matthew Currie]

I just bought a new set of OEM "nut certs" (as you called them) but they are no longer rubber. They look more log moly bolts with the PCV plastisol coating on the the seal/exterior part of the nut cert. Wonder now If I need the $30 tool you mentioned to install them properly. They do not seem to want to expand easily or grab so that they will exapnd in the hole while turning the torqs bolt. Any ideas, suggestions....I am trying the fix, replace the bad nut certs that have pulled through the roof holes.

You almost certainly will need the tool, or a tool, to expand them. It's possible that you can fake it, though. Basically what you have to do is hold nutsert itself from turning while you tighten a bolt down into it to expand it behind the metal. It might be possible to do this with a bolt and a nut. The nut in this case is threaded onto the bolt, with a washer between it and the bolt head, and that portion lubricated. The other side of the nut, which contacts the flange of the nutsert, should be dry, and if possible roughened with a file to give it some extra grip. If you then thread the nut and bolt down all the way, the hope is that the nut, when held by an open end wrench, will keep the nutsert from turning, while the bolt continues to turn against the top of the nut, and expand the nutsert. If you can get it started, it should work.

 

[Hudson Bend]

Forget drilling holes in an otherwise perfectly good, and dry, roof. Gutter mount aftermarket is the route to take. What wind noise? I can't hear anything at highway speed over the noise of the door seals leaking anyway. And I cannot see the rack doing much to mpg let along trying to measure its impact. Besides, it's the tire and accessories you put up there that cause the wind drag...the rack framework is negligible. I leave my rack on because removing it and storing it is a hassle. Bottom line, stay away from plugging your roof with holes only to regret it later. 98% forum imput against factory rack and roof mutilation is pretty clear to me.

 

[Ecomike]

Well Chrysler/Jeep has replaced the old style, lousy rubber over brass threaded insert with a PVC coated molybolt style insert. There is no way for the new moly style nut insert to pull out under excess load like the old rubber ones did. It would have to take the roof with it! These new nut inserts are quite an improvement.

Although I needed a tool to hold the nut insert while installing them I discovered that the roof rack rail or the fitting in the end of the roof rack rail worked quite nicely as a tool. I could even hold the tool (rail or end fitting ) by hand and still get the nut insert to expand with out it turning on me. Once they expanded it was obvious these new nuts were not going anywhere unless the roof went with them.

The top of the new nuts are dip coated with the Plastisol PCV dip coating we are all familar with that is used for tool handle coating. It seals the nut assembly insert to the roof. It also seals the nut insert to the roof rail. And finally it also seals the nut insert to the screw itself as the screw is pressed through the PVC coating (PVC threaded almost) to get to the threaded end of the nut insert itself. No need for extra caulking or thread sealer with these guys.

Somebody knew what they were doing when they designed these new nut inserts!!!!

I paid about $1.50 each for them at the stealership.