Roof Rail Removal

[Bill Koonce]

I'm getting ready for winter, and am trying to figure out the best way to park my ST in a smallish garage space. I don't know who designed the lot, but it's cramped, with a low ceiling, uneven floors and plenty of things to bash into if I'm not really careful.



Right now my biggest problem is that my ST barely clears the cement roof, which includes plumbing of all sorts, from toilet traps to natural gas lines. Since I never use the roof rack, I was wondering how hard it would be to simply remove it.



Any advice?

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Pop off the end caps, unscrew the rails, then unscrew the bases from the roof. Remember to put the screws back into the roof with a dab of RTV to prevent leaks. Bob

 

[Bill Koonce]

It's that easy? I was afraid that I'd have to mess with interior trim or whatnot. Thanks Bob!

 

[TRACket Paul]

[Broken External Image]:

You may also need to seal/secure the filler pieces at the rear corners of the cab. Sorry, I don't have pics of that area.

 

[chargedtrac]

Process was as BC describes. Eddie 04 helped me through my attempt last year, and I ended up plugging the holes with vinyl plugs (with RTV silicone\adhesive) instead of the mounting screws, only as I'm not planning on putting the racks back on. I used black touch up paint around the mount area and sprayed the plugs before inserting them. I may have to do some touch up over time, but is a quick job. Photos below are of the front and rear of my '08 ST roof rack delete now. Fairly easy to do. :banana:



[Broken External Image]:



[Broken External Image]:

 

[Bill Koonce]

Nice! Thanks for the pix, Paul and Joe.



Looks like if I wanted to, I could fab up side to side mounts, and pop on a set of VisionX LED light bars flush to the roofline. I could use lots more lumens front and back, for off-road...and to remind the occasional 18-wheeler that tailgating has consequences. :bwahaha:

 

[EddieS'04]

[Broken External Image]:

[Broken External Image]:

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Mrlunchbox]

Eddie, how did you secure those clips? Just a little silicone? Painted them to match obviously? I like the way yours came out!!!