So I attempted to take off my factory roof rails yesterday to paint and refresh. The passenger side all loosened and came off without issue. The passenger side had 3 nutserts that were looks. I've searched and researched ways of removing and repairing nutserts but all of those examples are with nothing covering them. Anyone have any advice on how to remove the roof rail so I can do the repair for the nutserts?

 

Welcome to the forum.
However maybe letting us know what year and everything you have would help your situation?
XJ's did not have "nutserts", they used Well Nuts. Well nuts are easy just to push through the hole. Since they are rubber with a brass nut inside, I would not care if they slide down some where in the roof.

If in fact someone put nutserts in up there, just drill the head off like any rivet.
But if they are nutserts, and the threads are good why would you do that?? Just leave them.

 

A prying motion on the rail, or head of the screw can lift the screw, and help seat the nut with upward pressure so it wont spin as you turn the screw, try that. worse case is drill the head of the screw off, then knock the offending nut be it nut cert or rubber type into the roof along with the remains of the screw you drilled the head off of. Upon reinstall, a nut cert can be used. you will want some sealant around the insert to stop leaks, and besure to paint any bare metal even if hidden by the roof rack rail

good luck!

 

Both my 95 and 93 have nutserts, or rivnuts as I call them.

They'll be spinning in their holes so the bolt won't undo. I had 2 do that but luckily I had my headliner removed so could grip them from behind.

 

I stand corrected kinda!

I was just putting in new Wellnuts on my 1993, but when I went to my 94TSM it says Rivnutz?
So IDK????

My roof:



And the 94 TSM on the Luggage Rack:

 

Maybe the wellnuts were earlier and in 93 they changed to rivnuts so earliers differed from laters.

 

So with the headliner removed I can grip them from behind? I have to re-do my headliner anyway, and was going to add some insulation, so if that's the case I can just wait until I order the materials for that and do it all at once!

 

Yes. I can't remember if they are just outside or inside of the inner roof structure but there is a gap between the roof panel and the inner structure, so a pair of long nose pliers would do the job.

 

This is called "Project Creep", an all too common occurrence.
Yet your enthusiasm remains high, must be a jeep thing.

oh yeah!

 

PS have the headliner removed when painting, as all that door area plastic upper trim will be removed, which means less masking needed inorder the paint the door upper jam and underside of rain gutter area, as door must be opened for that, so you can get more painted with less masking