Removing G4 roof rack from RRS

Author	Message
Mike_C	Mike_C posted 13 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
Group: Forum Member Posts: 46, Visits: 163	Is it an easy job? I am going to temporarily need to remove my G4 roofrack on my RRS to fit a set of roofbars to mount my rooftent on. Alternatively, can you take the upper half of the G4 rack off, leaving just the metal bars and base? As I could then bolt the roof tent to that! Thoughts, please?
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Mike_C	Mike_C posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: Forum Member Posts: 46, Visits: 163	Can anyone help please? Thanks!
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Emon	Emon posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: Committee Members Posts: 695, Visits: 2.5K	Mike, It is not an easy task and also you will need to consider where all the wiring+solenoids can be placed temporarily - in my D3 they are pretty well integrated under the roofrack. Have you considered mounting the roof tent on top of the bars? It may be worthwhile siting the tent and see what it looks like. If it is just for couple of weeks and you are not going too far, worth considering. Regards, Emon Chairman 2008 - 2016 Current G4 - D3 LHD V8 BN55WRG Previous G4 - D3 from Belgian national selections, BG08VFK Previous G4 - 110, BT52OVG
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Mike_C	Mike_C posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: Forum Member Posts: 46, Visits: 163	Unfortunately the cross bars will be too flimsy to support a rooftent with two 90kg adults in it, and as we are offroading across Morocco for 3 weeks it is going to need to come off unfortunately! Is there a fitting/removal guide anywhere? Failing that, anything specific to watch out for? Cheers!
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adesg4	a adesg4 posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
a Group: G4 Member Posts: 1.2K, Visits: 6.8K	The Monacar roofrack frame is rivetted together so taking it apart is next to impossible. Trial fit the tent on the rack to see if it is going to fit first. A set of roof bars will put the tent to almost the same height as the example below. I would remove the front cross rail as this is a clip on type. Leave the rear rail attached as this is rivetted. See images below to remove floor. At the outer edges of the floor remove the 3 eye bolts (highlighted RED) each side. These can be undone by either putting a bar through the hole or using an adjustable spanner. bolts. Mark a line across from each of these eye bolt towards the centre of the rack. Press down on the chevron end near the centre on the rack to find the paired mount screw (highlighted YELLOW). Using a sharp knife cut the chevron grip tape around the edge of the screw to reveal the countersunk socket screw. Remove the grip tape and remove the screw. You can then lift the 2 floor decks. If it is a 2005 vehicle the floors can be removed as there is not normally anything attached to the underside. If it is a 2009 vehicle the floors cannot be removed until the Hella lamp ballast packs are unscrewed. These are normally held on with self tappers. With the floors removed you should then be left with 3 aluminium cross rails that are the based of the main rack. You now have a decent start point to have brackets made to support the rooftent. You may need longer 'T' slot bolts to hold the new frame down. The tent will possibly need to access over the side due to tailgate. When the rooftent is opened remeber to take some of the tent weight on the access ladder too. Pic below is brackets I made to do similar on my SD and Breed racks for my D1 and D110's. Yes not identical but principal is the same as I did not want to cut the rack. The brackets are held on with a 'U' bolt front and rear. The brackets are made from 20x20x2.5mm box section. They were drilled to match the existing mounting holes in the tent floor. Unfortunately I do not have any pics of one fitted on the RS / D3 rack. HTH Adrian Technical Officer G4 Owners Club D110 - Mongolia 2008 - 1925YbA - Recce D2 - Australia 2003 - 1BIJ-664 - Australia/ Russia Media car. Fleet 104
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Mike_C	Mike_C posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: Forum Member Posts: 46, Visits: 163	Thanks for the detailed response Adrian! My rooftent is a Maggiolina Safari, so a clamshell style tent. I am hoping to see if it will fit between the bars this weekend, but I imagine it will be both too long and too wide for the G4 rack. Is it possible to remove the front and side moulding as well as the fllow, leaving just the metal cross bars remaining? As that would be pretty much perfect for my needs! Failing that, I might have to take it all off and use my Thule roof bars from the Classic with new feet/adaptors.
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adesg4	a adesg4 posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
a Group: G4 Member Posts: 1.2K, Visits: 6.8K	No the frame of the Roofrack is rivetted together. Adrian Technical Officer G4 Owners Club D110 - Mongolia 2008 - 1925YbA - Recce D2 - Australia 2003 - 1BIJ-664 - Australia/ Russia Media car. Fleet 104
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Mike_C	Mike_C posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: Forum Member Posts: 46, Visits: 163	In that case I don't think the Maggiolina is going to fit :-( In which case, how easy is it to remove the G4 rack? Where do the radio and spotlight wires go and can be stored when the rack is not in use? The previous owner did not have the rack fitted and at the time I could not see any evidence of wiring, so hopefully it's not too difficult!
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MikeS	MikeS posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: G4 Member Posts: 264, Visits: 1.2K	I'd guess the previous owner just cut the cables then removed the rack, it's actually quit easy. I believe I've mentioned this before to you so try the search function either here on on RRSport, but the UHF cable runs up the passenger side of the windscreen, the power cable for the lights up the drivers side. They come out through a hole cut in the roof trim where it meets the top of the windscreen. From there they run under the roofrail, emerge through holes in it and into the roofrack. I have quick release plugs on the lighting cables, just unplug and feed the cables into the endcap of the roofrail once the rack is off. To remove the rack, get a narrow deep socket, from memory it's 10mm and locate the bolted sleeves at each end of the rack where it's mounted to the rooftracks, at the front they're almost level with the end of the flooring, the rears are visible. Just look for the nyloc nuts. Undo them, remove the rack (best to use 3 people) then slide the baseplates for the bolts out from the middle of the roofrail. Don't try and remove the roofrail, it's likely bent from the weight of the rack and the gear they carried on the event, certainly mine are anyway. You're better off mounting your rooftent to the roofrail under the rack. The crossbars of the rack can just be removed. You can of course just drill out the rivets holding the top bars & trim on the roofrack, I've seen photos of one like that over here. You'll not be able to put it back together again though without a shitload of faff. Takes me less than 15 minutes to remove my rack these days. BV55 YZE, Fleet No 19 - Thailand 2006 Now registered as YZE 481 in Melbourne, Oztralia.
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Mike_C	Mike_C posted 13 Years Ago Post Details
Group: Forum Member Posts: 46, Visits: 163	Thanks for the advice as ever guys! I did remember what you said about the wiring Mike - only the lights were wired in on mine, the UHF radio cable was not connected up. I took it off this weekend (before reading the latest replies on here!) and was really straight forward, only thing I could not figure out is how they got the wires out as there's no connector near where it meets the roof? So for not I have taped them up and taped them into the roof rail with black tape, looks tidy enough until I get round to snipping the wires and fitting some quick release connectors near to the exit from the roof. One thing I will say - the car handles better without all that weight up top!! But certainly doesn't look as good, will post some pics once I've got the roofbars and rooftent fitted though :-)
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