[buzbox]

buzbox wrote:

Once your happy with the measurements and have marked out where your going to drill, grab the drill and load it with a 5mm drill bit. So you don't drill through the roof lining, get some electrical tape and wrap it around the bit. Before you drill through the roof, re-check your measurements.

The pop rivets I used were stainless steel, but fark me they were hard to put in with a hand rivet gun.

I put 3 in each side, my hand was about to drop off so I used alloy rivets for the rest.

[atari4x4]

buzbox wrote:

buzbox wrote:

Once your happy with the measurements and have marked out where your going to drill, grab the drill and load it with a 5mm drill bit. So you don't drill through the roof lining, get some electrical tape and wrap it around the bit. Before you drill through the roof, re-check your measurements.

The pop rivets I used were stainless steel, but fark me they were hard to put in with a hand rivet gun.

I put 3 in each side, my hand was about to drop off so I used alloy rivets for the rest.

3 on each side

mine have 3 on each end & 3 along the length & the pop rivet gun was the size of a pair of decent bolt cutters.

[atari4x4]

FullyZooked wrote:

I got my rola racks today from the wreckers for $55. Also picked up a Vortex basket from Repco. They ran out of stock on the first sale day so they got one couriered to me from Melbourne!

I think I was luck to get one, they sure are popular!

i just came back from a self serve wrecking yard in Adelaide with all of this... for $33



could have had more but someone left one of his Rola security keys at home, i only needed the little plastic end bits.

[FullyZooked]

Good buy on the racks.

Im hearing you on the stainless rivets! Fark me, I got the 5.5mm 304 rivets.

I'm still leaning towards the nut and bolt idea.

Has anyone ever removed a roof lining before?

[atari4x4]

nego on the roof lining, mines a velour lined molded cardboard jobby? the soft ones are easy...

[eXc450]

Hi All, I managed to get some rolla's off a vitara.

Perhaps a stupid question, but is there any issue with leaving the end caps off the rear end?

Just thining, if I dedice I want an extra mount or something, the end cap is rivveted in, I can't add it.

I was thinking I'll just try to find a few spare of the rola tie down points and just put them on the rails just in case, then I could put the caps on

[buzbox]

Yes you can. There is a tapered endcap that will allow you to slide more stuff on, I placed these at either end on both sides. Or you could just leave them off. It's purely a cosmetic thing.

[Chop]

Most of the roof rail kits that are riveted on a have the sloped end caps front and rear, the difference being the front ones are a full height of the roof rail for aerodynamics. But the rear end caps are sloped but not full height of the rails so you can slide out the racks.

On my LWB, whoever put it on fucked up and had 3 of the full caps on.
So when i wanted to change racks i had to drill out one of the rivets at the rear

[eXc450]

ok thanks Guys, I will look closer at it this afternoon

[atari4x4]

fit the open ended end caps to the rear of your vehicle if it has no boot. as it's a bit of a bitch having to lean/reach over the bonnet if you fit them to the front.

[eXc450]

Hi All,

I am doing mine over Christmas break. Just after advice, should I use 4.8mm alloy rivets, or smaller (3mm?) Stainless? I know my little pop rivet gun won't handle 4.8 stainless.

Cheers
Chris

[eXc450]

anyone know the above?

[buzbox]

Better off with stainless, mainly because over time the alloy ones may break, especially over corrugations.

[eXc450]

ok, I'll try the 4.8mm ss and see what happens. Heopfully doing it on Saturday.

Now to work out which sikaflex to use and to decide if I want to glue the whole lot, or just use it as a seal with rivets

[eXc450]

looks like Alluminium is the go. I have asked around, no-one around Newacstle stocks the stainless ones. Will cost me $254 to get in the box of 500...

[eXc450]

got mine on. Don't mind the roof clear coat.

Hoping I did it right and sealed it well enough.

[starky]

hey dose anyone use a roof top camper???

[buzbox]

On a trailer, yes. On the car No.

The roof itself can't hold too much, the weight of the tent + yourself, a girl or boyfriend (which ever way you swing) + some bouncing, would probably be double the roof weight carrying limit.
Besides, the weight of the tent alone would make for some interesting cornering.

[DarkHorse]

Mate of mine has one on his GV, used it a few times without drama. He's a big boy too.

Not sure I'd trust my roof though.

[spuey]

Hi there, has anyone put roof racks onto a removable hard top? ive got a flexiglass canopy front and rear but need a basket for the camping trips, i was thinking of just cutting down a standard roof rack set into 2 sections?

[oohsam]

Hey guys
Bought some Rola racks yesterday second hand.
Came with the mounting pads. Was wondering, should I buy tracks, and install it with tracks, or use the pads. What is the advantage of using the tracks vs the pads, just that you can adjust the distance between them?
Does it give extra strength/weight capabilities.
Thanks for the writeup, very helpful.


Cheers

[Oldmate28]

I would have thought installing the tracks would be fairly important. Looking at how the pads attach to the tracks all of the weight and pressure would be distributed into the tracks and along the length of the roofline, plus it allows you to move the racks if needed.
I don't know how you could secure the pads to the roof without the tracks, a few bolts throught the roof? surely not as clean looking as riveting a track down.

[oohsam]

This is what I bought.
I thought you pop rivett the pads to the roof. I may be mistaken.

[Oldmate28]

My pads are different than those, mine are just a rubber gasket that sits between the roof tracks and the base of the moulded plastic ends on the rack. The hole in the ends of the rack use a bolt which screws into a hexagon flat nut which sits in the channel in the roof tracks. This pulls the nut upwards in the track down squeezing them together. Hope this makes sense?

[bigrig91]

The plan is to pop rivet the long tracks to the roof so u can set them up to the width of your car. They seem to look alot neater as well i think. Are those pads the ones that clip onto the top of the door frame?

[oohsam]

Hey guys, Me again.
I got some tracks from the wreckers the other day. I've found when they are mounted to the roof racks (off the car), they sit on an angle. Will this pose a problem when I pop rivet them into the roof (which is fairly flat) and then mount the racks to them?? Cheers.
Am going to install them tonight.

[DarkHorse]

The roof isn't as flat as it looks - or at least mine wasn't. By the time you get out as far as the tracks sit the roof is starting to curve down towards the edge.

[oohsam]

Yeah ur right. Got it allow sorted. Racks and rails are on as is my new rolla vortex basket.

[oohsam]

Did these last night.
The rails are off a ford AU station wagon. I like them. The front is fixed, and the rear slide about half wau up the roof. I had a spare rack on my car (yes just 1) so I just chucked it up there too...

NOt sure if its clear from the pics. I want to also modify my basket brackets as it sits way too high.

Thanks heaps for the step by steps. Really helped alot.


Very happy with the outcome.

Cheers

[DarkHorse]

Nice job.

I've been meaning to make some new mounts for mine to lower it as well, just haven't gotten around to it.