Help! Factory rack mounts dropped into headliner...

[Sonnystile]

So, I decided to install my new roof rack on the hottest day ever (not really, but feels like it). Upon cleaning up after removing the factory rack, I realized that every single mount had dropped into the headliner with no way to pull up and secure through the mounting process.

Anyone have any tips or tricks? Easiest ways to access those locations?

I'm searching like crazy right now, but I'm not finding anything...

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Boort]

I realized that every single mount had dropped into the headliner with no way to pull up and secure through the mounting process.

Anyone have any tips or tricks? Easiest ways to access those locations?

I tried to point you to the "4th gen Rocky Mountain Racks Group Buy-Ends 2/18/19" thread from this spring but it has disappeared!

I lost one of mine while installing my RMR/Sherpa Rack. Luckily it did not fall too far inside the headliner. I was able to CAREFULLY fish it out with some stiff wire, a flashlight and about an hour. Once the plate was fished up and oriented correctly, I held it up using the wire with a hook bent on the end, threaded one bolt into the other hole to hold it in place, then threaded another bolt into the one that was missing the plastic including the foot, took out the holding bolt, then pivoted the foot into place and threaded in the 2nd bolt. this worked for the new mounting system of the Sherpa rack but would not work on the factory rack because the mounts would give enough clearence to swing the mount around to line up the 2nd bolt without using at least 1 much longer bolt in the first hole.

[MENTION=285468]BendRunner[/MENTION] had his drop in too and had to pull the headliner. I think he was the one who was able to pop the sides / corners of the headliner out without removing the whole interior. Said it was a 2 man job but faster than pulling the whole interior to get the headliner out the official FSM way.


Others have reported switching to Nutserts. Though I would still get the old nuts out to avoid them rattling around and becoming shrapnel if the airbags ever went off.

Boort

 

[November Sun]

Good luck, had the same happen to me, I had to drop the headliner. I ain’t gonna lie, it sucked bigly!

 

[AuSeeker]

So, I decided to install my new roof rack on the hottest day ever (not really, but feels like it). Upon cleaning up after removing the factory rack, I realized that every single mount had dropped into the headliner with no way to pull up and secure through the mounting process.

Anyone have any tips or tricks? Easiest ways to access those locations?

I'm searching like crazy right now, but I'm not finding anything...

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

At auto parts stores, Harbor Freight and hardware/tool stores they sell a skinny magnet retrieval tool and if you had one or even better 2 of those you maybe able to fish the brackets back up and into the holes.

Here's an example of the one I would get but they sell different types.

https://www.amazon.com/Ullman-No-Telescopic-Magnetic-Capacity/dp/B0015YPK3M

 

[Sonnystile]

Well.

I happened to have a set of dental style picks and was able to pull three of them back. Took about three hours all told, and I did have to remove the rear passenger side window trim. (It went back together short a mystery bolt.)



I went and bought two pieces of 6” all-thread, some big washers and wing nuts.

Basically, after using a dental pick in each hole and lifting it close, I would run a piece of all-thread into one side, use that to pull the other side up, then run. All-thread into that side.

This way, it couldn’t drop all the way back out, and I was able to slide all the new gaskets and brackets over top, before swapping the all thread for the rack bolts.

I pray it doesn’t leak.


Ridiculous pictures for proof of effort:

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