FS 5th Gen. Full Length Roof Racks by drabbits
- Thread starter drabbits
- Start date
blurple
New member
Take it off and you can have tones of noise from about 35+
Mine was flapping at one point, I think with a crosswind and it sounded like it was hitting the roof so I took it off. Other than the flapping, I don't remember there being any noise. The original setting was about 1/4" above the roof. I'm planning to try and get it down on the roof after putting some clear plastic on the roof and edge guard on the fairing.
I went back and forth playing around with the deflector trying to get rid of the hum. In the end, I found that setting the deflector right on the roof is what it took. I installed some 3/16" edging to the bottom of the deflector and have a layer of 3M vinyl on the roof in front of the sunroof opening to keep it from abrading the paint.
I also have some neoprene spacers between the deflector/bracket/rack but I'm 99% sure they're doing nothing. If you clicky my sig you can see what I did. Sorry, no final install picture but I just loosened everything until the middle just kissed the roof and then tightened it down. The two outside edges were slightly gapped so I slid the rubber edging down until it rested on the roof. Noise is gone.
That is also my one major gripe with the rack. Like yours, mine started rusting noticeably at the mesh to rack welds, a couple tubing weld locations where there were void inclusions in the weld material, and at the "stainless steel" hardware. I had light surface rust before the rack even went on (kept it outside overnight) and obvious rust with drips and splatters on the roof within the first week. Definitely could have been a better powder coating job.
It hasn't gotten *much* worse and I'll probably just do some spot POR-15 touchups at some point. Wish it wasn't that way from the start, but what can you do?
hwell:
Jhalko
New member
I've had mine over a year, I have a little bit of this after one winter. I also wore through the powder coat on one bar and in another spot which seemed normal wear, I cleaned that up and repainted.
That's crazy fast to be rusting... Apparently the new powder coater is worse than the last.
Land_Shark
New member
Suggestion for the rust issues
I ordered my budbuilt sliders as bare metal. I prepped them with Acetone, primed them and painted them as meticulously as I could, but I still get rust spots from where the pebbles fling up and hit it. So, instead of touching them up every 4 weeks or so, I decided to clean them, paint them again, and to plasti-dip them - but only in the areas where they get a lot of abuse from stones flinging into them. Sure enough, the sections with plasti-dip have held up better than I could hope for. (any real trail rash will obviously require another application, but it's cheap and quick). If you can, I recommend taking the rack off, cleaning the rust and then spraying some plasti-dip on the bottom and then the top. You'll probably have to get into the nooks and crannies too, but I think it'd work well. Now, if you use and abuse your rack quite a bit, you'll have to do some touch up, but the P-dip cures pretty well and is more durable than you'd think.
I tried to order a Drabbits rack earlier in August, but phone calls and PMs went unanswered, so I just ordered a full-length bajarack with mesh. I'm going to put a little P-dip on to hopefully prevent or delay any similar rusting issues.
Hope that helps.
I ordered my budbuilt sliders as bare metal. I prepped them with Acetone, primed them and painted them as meticulously as I could, but I still get rust spots from where the pebbles fling up and hit it. So, instead of touching them up every 4 weeks or so, I decided to clean them, paint them again, and to plasti-dip them - but only in the areas where they get a lot of abuse from stones flinging into them. Sure enough, the sections with plasti-dip have held up better than I could hope for. (any real trail rash will obviously require another application, but it's cheap and quick). If you can, I recommend taking the rack off, cleaning the rust and then spraying some plasti-dip on the bottom and then the top. You'll probably have to get into the nooks and crannies too, but I think it'd work well. Now, if you use and abuse your rack quite a bit, you'll have to do some touch up, but the P-dip cures pretty well and is more durable than you'd think.
I tried to order a Drabbits rack earlier in August, but phone calls and PMs went unanswered, so I just ordered a full-length bajarack with mesh. I'm going to put a little P-dip on to hopefully prevent or delay any similar rusting issues.
Hope that helps.
Last edited:
bpwwer
New member
I took a look at mine since I got it about the same time as you and I don't see any rust anywhere. I did find some bird crap on the roof though.
bpwwer
New member
I've been playing with mine a lot too. I also added some edging and mounted it as close as I could to the roof and that got rid of most of the noise but still some buzzing depending on speed and cross wind. Mine has a wave to between the mounts and I think it's actually just a section between the mounts that vibrates against the rack.
My solution is going to be an aluminum fairing. I've started making one out of a 48" x 6" x 1/8" sheet. It's rough cut with the center mounting hole right now and I hope to spend some time this week smoothing it out and getting the other two holes drilled.
Where'd you get your aluminum and how did you cut it? I think I'm gonna try and find a machine shop that will make me a fairing out of aluminum by tracing the one supplied and adding an inch of height to it. I think I solved my wind problem (except w/ crosswind) but my fairing looks like a snake it is so bent up now.
In regards to my rust issues. Alex sent me a couple of cans of color matched spray paint for the spots that were messed up during transit. I'm going to attempt to take the rack off and rustoleum the rusted parts and then use the paint Alex sent as the top coat. If that doesn't work, it's on to Rhino guard or something else...
bpwwer
New member
Yeah, a snake is a good description of mine too
Alex did mention something to me while I was there about a re-designed fairing but I don't have any details. I picked up a piece of 12" x 48" sheet/plate from an ebay seller (ssshapirometal). The price wasn't bad but the shipping was another 50%.
I cut the sheet in half with my table saw and cut the curve with a band saw. That's once nice thing about aluminum, it can be worked with woodworking tools and I have a shop full of those. My existing fairing doesn't seem to match the curve of the roof line very well, so I just mounted up the aluminum with the center bolt and scribed a line for the curve (well, took two passes). I've left it at 48" wide so about 5" wider than the original and I think I'm almost an inch taller. I'll post up pictures when I get a few more.
That just sucks. I'm hoping I don't have to pull mine to fix rust. Maybe it's the lack of water here, I think I've only had the rack wet once or twice since it was installed.
Jhalko
New member
The more you use it the more likely you'll wear through the paint in spots, it's actually very easy to take off and put on, with a second person. The first time I did touch up on a spot near the back (I think from my GObi ladder) I just popped it off and did it in the garage.
After a winter a have a little bit of what neaxla has on the mesh and wore through where I had an old bike tray mounted on it this summer. I'll touch it up before winter...
bpwwer
New member
bpwwer
New member
After ~300 miles of mostly freeway driving over the weekend, it's holding up fine. The aluminum is way less flexible. I was thinking of 1/4" originally but decided to go with the 1/8" because the cost was quite a bit less. I also looked at some 3/16" but decided to go with the least expensive material.
I just added a picture and description to the write up. It's just a small block of wood with a hole drilled in it so that the sharpie press fits in to it. Then I just slide the block along the roof while sharpie marks the aluminum. The picture should make it pretty clear. Almost anything that you can slide over the roof without scratching it would work. I think the center is about 1/2" up from the edges.
bpwwer
New member
I think it's door edge guard stuff. I bought it at a local auto parts store for the original and stuck it on this one just in case. I think it does hit the roof in a couple of places so I'll need to check that. And I'll need to get more or something else similar as the old one doesn't cover the entire bottom of the fairing now.
uptheirons
New member
that happens to me quite a bit, I love it. does anyone else take a lap around parking lots before parking in an attempt to park next to Stock 5th Gens?
drabbits
New member
Hi everyone,
Last weeks heat wave set me back a bit, we were experiencing triple digit temperatures outside and higher temps in the shop. For the duration, I changed my work hours to graveyard hours which was a difficult adjustment and made it challenging to respond to all inquires.
Aside from the heat, I'm also moving into a larger shop.
I will be spending the weekend responding to everyone, while building and preparing roof racks for shipping.
Last weeks heat wave set me back a bit, we were experiencing triple digit temperatures outside and higher temps in the shop. For the duration, I changed my work hours to graveyard hours which was a difficult adjustment and made it challenging to respond to all inquires.
Aside from the heat, I'm also moving into a larger shop.
I will be spending the weekend responding to everyone, while building and preparing roof racks for shipping.
TRDZEB
New member
Whoa!
Just read through all 58 pages of this over the past few hours. Reads like a great little novel. There's high points (when someone gets their rack), low points (the wait for rack), anticipation (reading posts about people waiting on their rack) and all sorts of other emotions. Bottom line... These racks are bad ass, hand crafted, high quality, tough, aesthetically the best I've seen IMO and I believe I'll be ordering one for my Inferno TRD Pro soon. I think I'll forego the powder coating and get it naked as I'll just have it coated with bedliner stuff, I think that is the best option for me as I'm in Michigan and they use a TON of salt on the roads and I plan on keeping my TRD Pro 4-EVER and I don't want to deal with rust. I'll do the Gobi ladder and cross my fingers I don't break it as I'm a pretty big fella pushing 270 lbs. and they are rated for 260 lbs. I also worry about my poor liftgate handling that load. Anyone have any opinions about that gobi ladder and liftgate holding up my big a$$ besides going on a diet?
Just read through all 58 pages of this over the past few hours. Reads like a great little novel. There's high points (when someone gets their rack), low points (the wait for rack), anticipation (reading posts about people waiting on their rack) and all sorts of other emotions. Bottom line... These racks are bad ass, hand crafted, high quality, tough, aesthetically the best I've seen IMO and I believe I'll be ordering one for my Inferno TRD Pro soon. I think I'll forego the powder coating and get it naked as I'll just have it coated with bedliner stuff, I think that is the best option for me as I'm in Michigan and they use a TON of salt on the roads and I plan on keeping my TRD Pro 4-EVER and I don't want to deal with rust. I'll do the Gobi ladder and cross my fingers I don't break it as I'm a pretty big fella pushing 270 lbs. and they are rated for 260 lbs. I also worry about my poor liftgate handling that load. Anyone have any opinions about that gobi ladder and liftgate holding up my big a$$ besides going on a diet?
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