Tahoe roof rack mounts snapped loose

[cheeselover]

I am installing a Garvin Wilderness rack on my '99 2 door Tahoe and during the removal of the factory roof rack, 3 of the 8 mounts that the T-25 Torx bolts screw into loosed inside the roof and now spin freely. The mounts seem to be still secure in the roof, but I am at a loss as to how I can tighten back down the Torx bolts once the Garvin rack has been bolted to the rack rails.

 

Does anyone have a suggestion or experienced something similar when removing the GM roof rack?

 

Thank you in advnce!

Mike

 

'99 2 Door Tahoe

[Bish]

I am installing a Garvin Wilderness rack on my '99 2 door Tahoe and during the removal of the factory roof rack, 3 of the 8 mounts that the T-25 Torx bolts screw into loosed inside the roof and now spin freely.  The mounts seem to be still secure in the roof, but I am at a loss as to how I can tighten back down the Torx bolts once the Garvin rack has been bolted to the rack rails. 

 

Does anyone have a suggestion or experienced something similar when removing the GM roof rack? 

 

Thank you in advnce!

Mike

 

'99 2 Door Tahoe

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

If they are not stripped but the backing plates spin, you could try this.

 

Put some upward pressure when screwing it in. You may be able to apply enough pressure to get it to stop spinning. You could also carefully place a screwriver under the rack and push up while trying to screw it in.

 

Another thought, thread the bolt a little and try to position the backing plate so you could put some epoxy around it and try to glue it in place. One it hardens, remove the bolt and try to put the rack on.

 

I have not seen how those plates are originally installed but I would guess thay are tack welded in place from below. I would think they would be difficult to install from the inside. You would most likely need to remove the headliner and even then I'm not sure you will have access. Where the roof is involved, any non stock solution may have leakage issues.

 

Good Luck.

[mmmikkke]

I've dropped the headliner on my 05 2500hd just enough to bolt a Whelen Strobe to the roof and be able to shim the back side of the roof away from the roof stiffening beam so the strobe unit wouldn't dimple the roof. I had my hands up there, probably up to my elbows. Seems like a tack-welded nut would have been no-problemo to hold on to until it was drawn up.

 

To drop the headliner, you have to remove the 3 or 4 assist grips and on my unit a few push pins, and pull the plastic shrowd back from around the extended-cab back door clasps. Then the sides of the headliner can drop down about 3", and with a little bravado (I know, it's not a bravado, it a tahoe) you can flex it open just a bit more and get your arm up there.

 

The roof inside is just the back side of the roof you can see from the outside. Then there are these stiffening beams, made of stamped steel, and distanced from the actual roof by a hodgepodge of open cell urethane foam, and some injected sealant. No rocket science here. Pretty simple, I'll bet you can see your spinning nuts once you've got one side dropped.