Most folks seem to want to remove their 240 wagons' roof racks 'cuz they're not very aerodynamic, can be rust entry-points, are kinda suburban looking, aren't held in all that securely and won't actually hold much in the way of weight. IPD even sells little hole plugger kits.

I, on the other hand, being a contrarian, want to INSTALL a roof rack, purely for aesthetic reasons - the roof looks too naked to my eye w/out one, and yes, I know they can whistle at speed and probably impair mileage slightly. And no, they're not stylish in the conventional sense. (But then again, I have Corona rims, not Virgos, and big hub covers not the little cheel caps. So now you get my drift.)

Have you ever installed a roof rack on a non roof rack equipped model? Or heard tell of such a job? I'd like your thoughts, based on the following info.

I bought used rack and mounting hardware (screws, rubber bushings, etc.) a while back, all in reasonably good shape. I have not made any move yet to install this item for a variety of reasons - fear of making a mistake being chief among them.

I was told that there are NO factory-defined mounting points or anchor points inside the roof (such as on cross beams) and that these roof racks simply anchor into the sheet metal. I have reason to believe this is true as I also have been perusing the roof of EVERY 240 I've seen for the past couple of years - often to the bemusement of various owners if they sneak up behind me and catch me at it - and here is what I've learned:

There are four types of roof racks:

1) Euro-rails, longitudinal only, with 3 vertical supports/mounting points per side - no cross bars and no strips lay on (or to tape) to the roof. I've only ever seen one (1) example of these on a North American 240. More on these later.

2) The classic 1960s "chrome-dream" spear tipped roof racks. Yuck. 1973 Olds Cutlass Custom Cruiser material! These have 3 mounting points/vertical supports, cross braces fore and aft, strips to lay on the roof.

3) The more modern version of # 2, no spear tips, available originally in chrome or a matte (powder paint finish?) black. This is what I have, in slightly battered chrome and pseudo-chrome.

4) Very late model racks, originally intended for the 700/900/V90 series. Only 2 vertical support points per side, with cross strips but on the whole somewhat shorter than the originals (2 & 3).

Also, despite variations in how far fore or aft these racks are installed, they always seem to be aligned with the tailgate hinges from a left/right perspective. Usually, though not always, the rear most part of the rear-mounts is about 1 to 1.5 inches forward of the tailgates hinges.

I have a source from Sweden with access to a good-condition used Euro-rail kit (#1 above) plus all mounting hardware - but I am told that these have different, and quite specific mounting points - cannot find info so far on what those points might be however(!)

My mechanic doesn't want to touch this project with a ten-foot pole - but my favourite body shop seems willing to do it. I am just not sure that they would pay the same level of attention to detail WRT to priming and painting newly-drilled holes to prevent/forestall that I would give.

Comments anyone? All viewpoints welcome. TIA.

BTW, who is your mechanic? Sounds like the kind of shop I'd take my 245T to.

My suggestion:

1. save yourself the work and money
2. maintain the integrity of the roof surface and headliner
3. get the cool look of sport racks that actually function by carrying a multitude of objects...

...by getting a THULE rack system. $150 gets you going with towers and bars. Then you can add on cool stuff like surfboard carriers, bicycle carriers, a cargo box, a cargo cage, etc, etc, etc. They are Swedish and can come off easily when you're tired of them. They lock right onto the rain gutters perfectly. These were the racks you could add on as a dealer option when the car was new. I love mine - I've got them on all the time. They certainly looks sporty and are completely functional.

Just my opinion...don't work for Thule or anything.

-pu
--
((1992 244, 100K)) ((1987 245, 270K)) San Diego

Thanks Pancho but my post was referring to factory stock OEM >permanent< roof racks only (hence the exhaustive detail). I am quite familiar with the Thule products and they are indeed great but it's not the look I am going for. ;-)

Do yourself a big favour and use double-sided tape only for mounting. This way you can take it off without much damage when the novelty wears off ;-)

Seriously, though, give the ribs on the roof a miss. They are the worst rust triggers, since their screws move if you place enough load on to flex them. I have just spent 500 Aussie $ to have six coin-sized holes filled on the roof and it's nailbiting time for a couple of years to see if there is a recurrence. The mounting holes of the rack were clean, though, and the rack stayed as I am actually using it.

George

"Seriously, though, give the ribs on the roof a miss. They are the worst rust triggers, since their screws move if you place enough load on to flex them. I have just spent 500 Aussie $ to have six coin-sized holes filled on the roof..."

Interesting - my ribs/strips don't have any screw holes at all. And I've never seen any with them. Only strips that appear to be held down w/ double sided mounting tape or just laying loosely on the roof, ready to flop around.

But thanks for the info.

Hey - AUS$500-... that's worth like about USD$20 these days ain't it? ;-) ;-)
;-P

My stock answer to anybody that worrys whether a shop's quality (and attention to detail) will be up to their standards is to find another shop or do it yourself!

I haven't "racked" a Brick but I did install a recycled factory rack on a 1986 Dodge caravan I had years ago. The hardest part was dropping the headliner. I just laid it out where everything seemed to fit together the best, drilled holes, and bolted it down. I used stainless hardware with large fender washers on the inside. I put a dab of paint arounf the edge of the body holes and a light coat of clear silicone on the mating surfaces. Never had any leaks.

Justin B.
83 Turbo

Thanks! This is very useful advice! :-)

Sorry - mean Wheelcaps, not "Cheelcaps" (wut are dey?) ;-)

I recently REMOVED my OE rack from my 84 (want a shaved appearance) and the only mounting points were 12 small holes about 1/4-3/8" in size drilled straight into the sheetmetal where the vertical supports were.
Then the screws were held in these holes by things called "wellnuts." They're basically nuts with a thick rubber surround so as to keep it held in place in the sheetmetal.
The removal of the headliner is really easy once you know that the fabric/rubber just pulls off.
That gives you access to the underside of the roof.
Hope that makes sence...
Good Luck
Oliver

Find the thread called "Cursed Headliner" if you want some really good pics of removal:)
--
1984 245 coming back to life as a sport wagon ; )