My latest mitsu build-up...

off-roader

Expedition Leader
New roof rack mounted. It's my old 4'x5' Garvin Wilderness Trails Rack refinished, extended, & floor bars upgraded to 80/20 extruded aluminum t-slot tubes.


Before: BVG rack mounted to Yakima Bars. OE Rack still in place.
BVGRack & OE Rack.jpg


Rack removed, and OE mounting hole rivnuts sealed using epoxy & stainless steel 1/4-20 pan head allen bolts with stainless steel washers w/ a rubber grommet.
DSC02704(RivnutsSealed).jpg


Roof w/out the rack.
NakedRoof.jpg


All this in preparation for my upgraded Wilderness Trails Rack. I went from the original 5' length to 7' buy simply using 2 new side pieces I had a local shop weld up for me.


I then replaced the original 4' long floor (made from .75"x.75" square steel tubes) with 1"x1" extruded aluminum t-slot tubing. T-Slot tubes are available from a variety of sources. I bought mine from 80/20.
t-slot_extruded_aluminum_1_6x4.jpg


The rack pre-assembled in the living room. I've already been told that it looks like a giant coffee table.
Rack_w_t-slot_6x4.jpg

After cleaning up the rack and repainting it, here's the finished result...
7ftRackMounted_closetup.jpg
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader

wlcm

New member
OE Rack Remove and sealing

Can you provide a bit more info on how you did the OE rack removal.

OE mounting holes---did it mess-up the headliner?
Rivnuts---Where did you get these? What size did you use? Was it a Home Depot variety or did you go higher end?

I want to do this but was not sure if I would mess up the headliner.

Thanks in advance for any additional information.
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
Can you provide a bit more info on how you did the OE rack removal.

OE mounting holes---did it mess-up the headliner?
Rivnuts---Where did you get these? What size did you use? Was it a Home Depot variety or did you go higher end?

I want to do this but was not sure if I would mess up the headliner.

Thanks in advance for any additional information.

I'll try to remember to post more pics later but for now, this is what I did...
1) Remove plastic pieces on the rack feet that cover the screw holes & mounting screws.
2) Unscrew the screws (8 total/2 per foot) using a medium/large phillips screw driver.
- some screws will spin and not unscrew because the riveted nuts (rivnuts) that are riveted into the roof may have loosened with age. To address this, I pulled up slightly on the mount while slowly unscrewing it. Pulling up on it applies pressure to the nut and helps to hold it in place while you unscrew the mounting screw.
3) Carefully remove the rack.
4) I carefully applied a fast curing, weatherproof & UV resistant epoxy adhesive to the edges of the rivnuts after I got the rack feet off.
5) Once the epoxy had fully dried (24 hrs) I put on stainless steel 1/4-20 allen head nuts w/ stainless washers that had rubber on one side. Update... you need to buy both the stainless or galvanized washers and rubber washers. Found these all at either Home Depot or Orchard Hardware.

I did not have to replace my rivnuts. I was able to remove my OE rack without too much problem however the rivnuts were loose and would spin when I tried to unscrew the bolts holding the rack down hence the reason I applied epoxy to them.

Assuming the rivnuts don't spin when you pull up on the mounting foot, you probably won't need to access anything under the headliner & it can all stay in place however just on principle, I'd go ahead and epoxy them in place.

IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE RIVNUTS...

They are 1/4-20 nuts and can be purchased from a local commercial hardware store. I bought a box from a local Fastenal dealer but you can also buy them online.
You'll also need a decent quality rivet gun (I have one from HD) along with the right sized anvil for the 1/4-20 rivnut. The anvil is not easy to find and quite expensive (+$30) so I'd avoid having to replace them if I were you.
roof_rack_rivnut_sealing.JPG
 
Last edited:

wlcm

New member
Thank you for so much for the added detail and instructions!! I now owe you a :beer: I will be doing this upon my return from vacation in a couple of weeks! Thanks again!
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
No worries. You can bring me a beer if we ever get a chance to wheel together.

Also, I made a couple of minor corrections and did that above in red.
 

CGuava

New member
Ray, it's been a long time my friend! I remember on the wire, when my montero got stolen and you personally called to see if there was anything you could do. Your build looks great! Still hope to wheel with you someday.

Christian
 

Dima1127

New member
Here is are pictures on the bumpers hes posted them in a different thread for anyone who is instested, i know im about a year late haha.

I am interested if the rig is still around, and what parts of the CA are you in couldn't help but notice the plates
 

IncorpoRatedX

Explorer
This rig was driven to MOD 2017 back in July. It's still around, Ray is still around, you'll find him on the facebook page far more than here though.
 

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