What did you do to/in your 5th Gen today?!

[the_fornicator]

Since I have the rack off waiting for the paint to cure figured I would add the delete rack kit.

What and why did you have to paint?

I recently went through hell after removing my roof rack -this was one of those weekends were if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

* Removed roof rack and noticed the mounting hardware pulled paint off the mount points
* While removing the rack, I scratched my hood -not down to bare metal, but a deep gash in the paint right on top. I washed the spot and fixed up with a paint pen. No biggie, nobody looks on the roof anyway.
* Spent about 12hrs cleaning up silicone and prepping the rack mount points for primer and paint (silicone is a *****)
* Sunday, I go to open a can of etch primer (aerosol) and when I removed the lid, the thing ****ing erupted. Primer in my face, all over my clothes, my floor, some tools, etc. Took a lot of paint thinner to clean up -still have to clean the floor.

Worst part, I got primer on my passenger front, rear, and quarter. I tried to clay bar the thing (didn't work), I read carnuba wax would get rid of it (didn't work), I tried a degreaser and that sorta worked -I had to apply a LOT of pressure for it to work so that sketched me out so I quickly washed the degreaser off the spot, and called a detailer to come over and fix everything (and clay bar + wax + polish the car while he was here).

All this just because of a roof rack. How does that happen?

 

[mynameistory]

I recently went through hell after removing my roof rack -this was one of those weekends were if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

* Removed roof rack and noticed the mounting hardware pulled paint off the mount points

* Spent about 12hrs cleaning up silicone and prepping the rack mount points for primer and paint (silicone is a *****)


All this just because of a roof rack. How does that happen?

Ugh, I'll go to my grave saying this (hell, put it on my tombstone):

DO NOT USE SILICONE TO SEAL A ROOF RACK

It's one of the worst things you can do, as you've found out. Most silicone sealants are not rated for continuous outdoor exposure. They will harden and dry out, retracting away from the joints they are supposed to be protecting (and pull paint off while doing so).

This hardening/retracting will leave your roof vulnerable to moisture buildup in the small gaps left behind due to capillary action. This will inevitably lead to rust and corrosion in the roof, if left long enough. It can cause straight up water leaking into the passenger compartment, inviting mildew into your carpeting and corrosion issues for sensitive electronics and wiring in the footwells.

It's also a complete pain to reapply or reseal if you decide to remove/reinstall your rack, because you've got to scrape it all off to get a reasonable and flat application surface.

Stay away from silicone sealants- use butyl rubber instead, as it is a dynamic seal that never cures or hardens. I encourage you to research proper sealing methods on your roof rack, or LEAVE THE STOCK RACK ON. You will save yourself headaches and heartaches in the future.

If it helps anyone, I installed my own roof rack using weatherproof rubber washers and butyl rubber. Your rack may be different but the parts list and application may be helpful in your own installation:

EcoTechne Roof Rack Installation (5th Gen)

 

[Mudhorn]

What and why did you have to paint?

I feel for you, sounds like one of those days nothing goes right. I have dropped my fair share of items from the roof rack onto the vehicle. A lot of paint pen touchups.
I had mine repainted due to rust spots popping up. A lot in the sunroof area. The rubber piece under the air deflector rotted. So there was a weird combination of the air deflector bouncing on the front of the roof and water being trapped, not draining.
I am going to put a wrap or layer of clear 3M on the roof. Sounds like people have had success with this approach.

 

[Mudhorn]

spent the day washing and waxing all of the cars
exhaustion is an understatement

Someone painted/tagged your rides? That is shitty.

 

[Brick Sprickly]

Got an order delivered yesterday with these insert-adjustable brackets for a tube style roof rack and have been playing around with where I'll mount them for Quickfists & a Bond shorty shovel. I believe I've seen these in a thread or two on here before. They're designed for a light bar apparently but work pretty well for this application.

There are three kinds of rubber inserts with varying thicknesses, though the thickest grips the bar the tightest it also prevents threading the bolts. I found it best to use one of each thickness on each bracket (one large and one medium) and supplement the remainder with a few passes of electrical tape. Grip tape would probably be even better, I'll gave to order some more.

 

[jtgrinsell]

Got rid of my factory roof rack with the LFD Off-road crossbars and installed the full-length Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform with the backbone system. Love how low-profile it is and I think it looks amazing! Next I will be trying to figure out how to attach the Front Runner quick release mounts for my roof top tent. I will post pictures of the process since I haven't found anything on this subject! View attachment 362550

Your rig looks great and is where I'd like to get mine. After the shameless brownnosing, what I'm really getting at is you may have LFD crossbars for sale now?

 

[Par02]

Got rid of my factory roof rack with the LFD Off-road crossbars and installed the full-length Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform with the backbone system. Love how low-profile it is and I think it looks amazing! Next I will be trying to figure out how to attach the Front Runner quick release mounts for my roof top tent. I will post pictures of the process since I haven't found anything on this subject! View attachment 362550

That looks awesome. How high is your lift? That's pretty much the height I want to do.

 

[the_fornicator]

Ugh, I'll go to my grave saying this (hell, put it on my tombstone):

DO NOT USE SILICONE TO SEAL A ROOF RACK

I hear ya. I saw that ecotene thread a day or so before I installed my roof rack. I installed it anyway with silicone with this nagging thought in the back of my head. So totally went against better judgement.

I think maybe 3 days later I bought some silicone washers and butyl rubber because of that thread. 3 days after that, I pulled the rack off thinking I was going to re-install with the correct stuff (silicone washers and butyl tape) because it wasn't sitting right with me. That's when the shit show began.

The second I unmounted the prinsu, I ditched it; how people don't outwardly hate that rack, I don't understand -the mounting hardware and brackets are such a terrible design. Those aluminum spacers are brutal. The design of the bracket that sit on top of the mounts are also terrible -huge gap for water to leak into, the bolts + washers are prone to leaking too.

I picked up a rack from a local manufacturer. They 3D print some form of plastic mount with rubber+neoprene gaskets. The mounts are 1 solid piece so that it can distribute the weight from fastening the bolts down and I can still use the butyl rubber as an added layer of protection. They have silicone washers between each layer of bolt + washer for more sealing. They put a lot of thought into that. I won't torque the bolts down this time and just go snug until I can see the washers start to compress -red loctite for fun.

Thanks for the tips! My wife is ****ing sick of hearing me talk about roof racks the last week lol

edit: Oh hey, that was your thread. Thanks for posting that, dude!! You saved me from potential misery and a rusted roof! If I ever bump into you, beers on me for that!

 

[mynameistory]

I picked up a rack from a local manufacturer. They 3D print some form of plastic mount with rubber+neoprene gaskets. The mounts are 1 solid piece so that it can distribute the weight from fastening the bolts down and I can still use the butyl rubber as an added layer of protection. They have silicone washers between each layer of bolt + washer for more sealing. They put a lot of thought into that. I won't torque the bolts down this time and just go snug until I can see the washers start to compress -red loctite for fun.

Care to share who the company is? Is it Sherpa?

 

[lowlinkin]

Mine arrived from Wisconsin today! Ready to start modding her!

 

[alvisjus]

That looks awesome. How high is your lift? That's pretty much the height I want to do.

It is a 3" lift!

 

[alvisjus]

Your rig looks great and is where I'd like to get mine. After the shameless brownnosing, what I'm really getting at is you may have LFD crossbars for sale now?

I do! Have someone who is supposed to pick them up on Wednesday! They are definitely something I would recommend and I love that they can be used to create a larger roof rack using the LFD side rails if you so please.

 

[Mudhorn]

Got an order delivered yesterday with these insert-adjustable brackets for a tube style roof rack

Brand and/or link?

 

[DAW89446]

Since I have photos of the Big Pine to Coyote Flat 4x4 trail on another thread, I put in the text of my old webpage on the trail. It has details about the entire trail.

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-topic/286628-big-pine-coyote-flats-4x4-trail.html#post3498459

Now I’m through hijacking this thread ...

 

[SHagood]

Received and installed the 7/8 steel rack from LFD on my fiance's 5th gen. For the money, this is the best damn rack out there.

 

[Brick Sprickly]

Brand and/or link?

Yep sorry here ya go:

Amazon.com: Off-Road ATV UTV Light Bar Mounts Mounting Bracket Bar Clamp Kits [1"/1.5"/1.75"/2" Inch] [Horizontal Bar] [Aluminium] [2 Units] Bull Bar UTV Roll Bar Clamp Tube Roll Cage Clamps Mount For ATV UTV: Automotive

 

[eschoey]

Got nice and dirty over the weekend. Cleaning was fun

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jtgrinsell]

I do! Have someone who is supposed to pick them up on Wednesday! They are definitely something I would recommend and I love that they can be used to create a larger roof rack using the LFD side rails if you so please.

It was worth a shot :gun6: They'll be my next purchase but I believe they are currently backordered. How many bars where you running?

 

[GuySmiley]

All these fun posts and all I did was see how much mulch I could fit in mine...

<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/OjACnOe"><a href="//imgur.com/a/OjACnOe">What'd you haul this weekend?</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

40 bags of mulch fit fine. I imagine 50 would completely compromise rear visibility.

Also shows that when I do the suspension HD springs out back are definitely in order.

 

[Motory]

I'm sure all my SoCal peeps know where this is