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Hey all. I am in Puerto Rico and just picked up a 96. Love her but am sorting through a few interesting DIY mods. Roof rack is mounted in a way I have never seen. It only has 4 small mounting points. It feels solid but looks like a real bad idea to me. Anyone know if this is ok? It feels rock solid but looks to me that it needs more support to spread the load. I can rock whole rig pushing it so I’m confused by how solid it feels. Will I do damage to the roof by loading it up? Extend and add more contact area? Add rails? Thoughts?
Last edited by PR1996XJ; Aug 16, 2021 at 08:13 PM.
Reason: Forgot info
The mounting points appear to be thru the roof skin only. Not good. The raised seam is the better mount area.
. It might be angle of pictures but it appears to be mounted where the old factory rail was. It is on one of the raised ribs and there are like 6 mounting points there. But ir is only using 2.
Bad mounting. much force on that rack will dent the roof. Also once dented, any seal present may then leak water into the cabin, ruin the headliner, get your head wet.
Id remove the rack as mounted, it is bad, then Id assure each of all them screws along the roof have a seal, a gasket to keep them water tight.
If you want that rack, get a Yakima type bar set up, that clamps to the rain gutters, then attach the rack to that., or a stock xj mounting rail that uses all the bolts. again assure the bolt holes are sealed with rubber gaskets or caulking. The factory service manual specifies for sealant be used on the roof top screw holes!
Even if you still had the factory roof mounting rails, they are not rated for much weight.
Your rack mount is bad, and if it lacks sealer, it is very bad. and if sealed, do to the poor mount, may flex enough to fail the seal.
That is a nice rack you got there, but its attachment is horrible.
Last edited by robsjeep; Aug 17, 2021 at 10:39 AM.
Bad mounting. much force on that rack will dent the roof. Also once dented, any seal present may then leak water into the cabin, ruin the headliner, get your head wet.
Id remove the rack as mounted, it is bad, then Id assure each of all them screws along the roof have a seal, a gasket to keep them water tight.
If you want that rack, get a Yakima type bar set up, that clamps to the rain gutters, then attach the rack to that., or a stock xj mounting rail that uses all the bolts. again assure the bolt holes are sealed with rubber gaskets or caulking. The factory service manual specifies for sealant be used on the roof top screw holes!
Even if you still had the factory roof mounting rails, they are not rated for much weight.
Your rack mount is bad, and if it lacks sealer, it is very bad. and if sealed, do to the poor mount, may flex enough to fail the seal.
That is a nice rack you got there, but its attachment is horrible.
thanks so much!!! Makes sense. I think I will have more brackets added with much bigger contact points to spread out the load and add seals. This rack is misleading as it feels so solid and I know they used it with a super heavy load during Hurricane Maria. Water, Generators, food, tools, tire all stored up top with no dents. But man the mounts looked wrong. Odd because I believe the son made it and work is clean so I’m surprised he would not mount better.
Roof rack
