Roof rack bolts are spinning - please help

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navi243

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I tried removing my roof rack tonight, and some of the bolts started spinning right away and the heads arent even exposed so I cant simply cut the bolt heads off and slide the rack off that way.

Please help me with some tips on getting these things to at least come out far enough for me to cut the bolt heads of and then cut the bolt down enough to be flush with the roof rack anchors.
 

SunlitComet

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I believe the anchors grip around the roof sheet metal thru holes so you have no choice but to ground the heads off our remove headliner to access back end. IIRC.
 

T-Bagg

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If the bolts are spinning and not coming out there's two possibilities. Either the bolts are stripped or the receptacle in the roof has broken free in the roof allowing it to spin in it's hole.
If the bolt is stripped then it will be about an even pressure to turn it the whole way around. You can try putting an upward pressure on the bolt by wedging something under the racks foot and prying it up a bit while you try to back the bolt out.
If it's the receptacle, as you spin the bolt you'll feel it catch slightly. This is the flats on the receptacle catching the flat sides of it's hole It'll snag six time in one rotation; six flats on the receptacle. How to get the bolt out: You can either put something under the rack foot and pry it up popping the receptacle out. It won't take much force. It will leave ugly hole in your roof.
226557_10150598270030523_662580522_18838070_2595563_n.jpg

Or a longer but cleaner process. Drill the head of the bolts away, leaving just the shafts in the rack feet. Lift the rack up and off your roof exposing now eight bolt shafts poking out of their receptacles. Cut the bolt shafts off and grind away the tops of the receptacles. The problem with this is the bottom portions of the receptacles are going to fall down into the roof of the truck. And they'll stay there unless you pull your headliner down to get them.
I recently(today) just repaired my roof rack after it tore off my roof.
The thread is here,
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26768
I'm going to update it tomorrow with some pictures as to how I fixed it.
 

chauncey0337

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If the bolts are spinning and not coming out there's two possibilities. Either the bolts are stripped or the receptacle in the roof has broken free in the roof allowing it to spin in it's hole.
If the bolt is stripped then it will be about an even pressure to turn it the whole way around. You can try putting an upward pressure on the bolt by wedging something under the racks foot and prying it up a bit while you try to back the bolt out.
If it's the receptacle, as you spin the bolt you'll feel it catch slightly. This is the flats on the receptacle catching the flat sides of it's hole It'll snag six time in one rotation; six flats on the receptacle. How to get the bolt out: You can either put something under the rack foot and pry it up popping the receptacle out. It won't take much force. It will leave ugly hole in your roof.
226557_10150598270030523_662580522_18838070_2595563_n.jpg

Or a longer but cleaner process. Drill the head of the bolts away, leaving just the shafts in the rack feet. Lift the rack up and off your roof exposing now eight bolt shafts poking out of their receptacles. Cut the bolt shafts off and grind away the tops of the receptacles. The problem with this is the bottom portions of the receptacles are going to fall down into the roof of the truck. And they'll stay there unless you pull your headliner down to get them.
I recently(today) just repaired my roof rack after it tore off my roof.
The thread is here,
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26768
I'm going to update it tomorrow with some pictures as to how I fixed it.

^X2. Screws are rusted and/or stripped. Seen this more than once
 
OP
OP
N

navi243

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Issue has been resolved

Took a cutoff wheel to the roof rack and just cut through it and the bolts
 

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