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R50 Roof Rack on WD21


xterra
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I originally replied to a post in this thread on the R50 forum, but figured this was probably a more general topic.

 

I've been working on seeing if I can get a 2003-2004 R50 SE roof rack to fit on my 2-door WD21.

 

I found 2 2003 R50 SE roof racks at the local JY for $15 each, so I figured it was worth a try to see if this is doable.

From what I was able to find, the two tracks that mount to the roof are the same for all R50s. The SE models that had the side rails and wind deflector were bolted onto those tracks. R50 body stamping also recesses the tracks into the roof a bit, and uses extra mounting hardware. The mounting hardware is bolted through the roof and then the racks bolt to that hardware.

Since the WD21s don't have that recessed area, I can't use that mounting hardware. And there is about a 1/2 in gap under the tracks that I probably need to fill so that I don't bend the tracks when I bolt them down. I don't want to drop the headliner, so I'm hoping to find a way of using rivnuts and spacers.

There are also width issues. The R50 rack with stock cross-bars is equal in width to where the hump in the WD21 roof tapers down. So I either needed to find new cross-bars that are wider and mount the tracks outside of the hump, or I needed to cut down the cross bar and mount the tracks on the hump.

Since mine's a 2-door, I've also got to deal with the band that runs across the top (where the optional light bar would have mounted). I ended up trimming the cross-bars and wind deflector by about 3 inches and had to shorten the tracks and side rails by about 18 inches.

The last problem is the sizable gap in the front. On the R50s, the side trim that holds the wind deflector straddles a piece of weatherstripping that comes up form the windshield. There's no easy way to replicate that on a WD21.

I'm looking for any suggestion on:

- How I can securely mount this to the roof? Like I said, I'm thinking rivnuts with some spacers under the track. Maybe even get some nuts welded to the track for the front and rear side pieces to bolt into, so I'd bolt the track to the roof and the plastic to the tracks.

- What I can use to fill the gaps in the front? I'm thinking some kind of liquid rubber that hardens as it cures, but I've never worked with it so I don't know how it will last.

Since I've only got $30 and about 20 hours in to the project, I'm not above abandoning it before I drill holes in the roof.

I've got some new pictures I took this morning with some wider shots and more angles than I had in my original reply. (Since things aren't all screwed together, there are some things that don't look like they align, but - other than the gaps in the front bottom - everything looks like will cinch down nicely.

 

Here's what I've got so far.

 

Front 3/4 View:

PF-R50-Rack-Front34.png

 

Side View:

PF-R50-Rack-Side.png

 

Rear 3/4 View:

PF-R50-Rack-Rear34.png

 

Close-Up of the Gap:

PF-R50-Rack-Detail.png

 

Front View:

PF-R50-Rack-Front.png

 

Top View from the Rear:

PF-R50-Rack-Top.png

 

 

 

Edited by xterra
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That looks really good, if I didn't already have an xterra rack I'd probably copy this since my 87 doesn't have roof racks and has a sunroof like yours.

 

Sent from inside my potato

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