Install: The Cleanest Roof Rails Ever!!

[bustaphoto]

So after poking around a bit I totally fell in love with special edition roof rails. I had no idea about them and are truly unique to our w-body cars, well, some SUV have similar features but those are to make up for not having roof racks on an SUV lol!

Finding them can be quite a challenge. Finding them at a junk yard is possible but the chances are low, but I searched. I looked through every https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com near me and found a couple promising leads, but after visiting them and finding other things i needed, no roof rails.

There was a pair on eBay for a while but they looked all beat up... I thought I would never find a pair.

One day while scouring craigslist for a set of Boneville GXP wheels or any other stock Pontiac wheels that look ok and fit really (I do this search almost daily) I decided to search for the roof rails, and there they where!! Less than 10 miles from home, what are the chances. They where super clean too the cleanest I had I ever seen, one had a tiny scratch. I paid the forum price for them but what ever, I'm happy and no shipping $$!!

The guy selling them was a Monte-Carlo guy and had these parts in his garage for 3 years, he also has a sway bar and some side skirts. Which I think I have no use for right?

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Are 99'-05' Monte-Carlo front sway bars the same ad the 97'-03' GP?


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Anyways, here's a before:

and an after:

It was way easier than i thought it was gonna be, I used my bare hands. Infact one side even came out completely clean

The hardest part was cleaning out the channels to prep for adhesive

As you will learn I like to go over board so hear are cleaner pictures

Getting into the corners was a challenge as well as all the little left over piecer of old dry hard as rock double sided foam tape used to hold in the previous rails, I used this black nylon prop to gently persuade the grime and tackiness off with some ISO.

I wasn't gently enough though the paint was really soft up here There where also some painted over areas (that confirms there has been a repaint) that made me grimace

I used doubled sided foam tape, it's all I had on hand if not I would have gone with some 3M, let's just say this is an experiment to see if it holds up or not. I recovering from a broken wrist and elbow so my beautiful girlfriend go to help me cut some of the tape first in half and then pieces so it can be applied easier.

All in all I'm very happy with how it turned out, lets just see how she holds up

 

[bustaphoto]

Here is a link to the whole Imgur gallery, I personally get a kick out of all the comments I get

http://imgur.com/gallery/dLs91

 

[Slick2500]

I would not be very hopeful of that double sided foam tape, especially if it gets wet.

 

[bustaphoto]

I would not be very hopeful of that double sided foam tape, especially if it gets wet.

I know we will see, I use it on my race drones they get wet but not like highway rain wet, Thats what I'm worried about. They are in there pretty tight too, when I wiggle them the whole car wiggles too, maybe I'm being too hopeful lol:th_lipssealed1:

 

[cheatah faheatah]

I really dig all your very detailed descriptions and photos ! You better keep an ear out, and one eye in the rear view if one of those rails decides to go for a ride without you. lol. It's cool your ole lady helps out like that, Respect to you, Ma'am. Good luck to you in your search for parts and/or goodies. Really need those bottom door moldings though, huh? Enjoy sunny Fla.....me jealous..;(.....E

 

[bustaphoto]

Update: Just rained all night and day, drove 40 miles on the highway in ugly Florida rain. Driver side is on there solid, passenger side is ok but there is a section in the middle that never got a solid hold, the edges feel really firm though.

 

[bustaphoto]

Update: Have been holding up fine, I took the weaker of the two off and replaced with 3M tape but it was still wobbling like it wasn't sitting in the grove correctly, it was kinda warped. I doubled it up and it did the trick it's solid now.

So this is now a controlled experiment of wether or not Scotch double sided foam tape will hold up to the elements in the same way the tried and true 3M does.