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Roof rack rain gutter mount install

30K views 39 replies 14 participants last post by  abbyconley2003 
#1 · (Edited)
Decided to mount my rack system using Yakima landing pads 11 instead of using clips on the roof rails door jams. IMO its a cleaner look and avoids dents in the roof rail door jams. Good buddy of mine who owns a body shop in the Santa Cruz area performed the work. He also owns a RS @jmf831rs2 . If anybody in the area want this done.. give the shop a call and ask for John.
Very happy with the install. I just ordered 50" Yakima jetstream bars and Skyline towers. The rack system in the picture are about 8 years old and time to get some new gear!

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#2 ·
This looks good. I had fixed points on my MS3 and wanted the same when I got my RS and was a bit disappointed that it didn't have it. How much is your buddy doing this mod for? I'd be very interested in having it done on my RS and Santa Cruz isn't too far from San Jose anyways.


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#4 ·
Really cool. I like this a lot. I assume it requires dropping the headliner to get the backing plate/nuts on. Are there any other pieces required to do the job - does the weatherstrip survive being removed and reinstalled? It looks like you have some little rubber plugs that can go in place if you remove the towers?
 
#6 · (Edited)
@skimz Give him a call or PM jmf831rs2 I got the idea from my MS3. The Yakima was from my MS3. I can't wait for my Yakima jetstream bars.

@GoodbyeGolfR look at the last picture -- see the circular plugs... They cover the 8mm/5/16" holes.

@desertrs the headliner doesn't have to be removed. There are some pieces you do have to remove -- pillar plastic pieces. You do have to stick a magnet sheet to capture the metal from the drill. The black weather strip is a bit tricky. There is a reason why there is a big strip of painters tape. The black strip holder are reusable as long as you use a small screw driver to push on both sides to release it. the plugs are hard plastic plugs. They snap in place. The holes are 8mm - 5/16".

@JWA Thanks!
 
#7 · (Edited)
I really like this install! It's so clean and I really didn't like the look of the door frame attachments of the other kits. What is the part number for the gutter tabs???
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the info. So the fact that you used the same mounts from you MS3 means I can use the same for mine? The only difference is that I was using Thule. I gave your buddy John a call but he was out. Left a message with his coworker he'll be calling me tomorrow. Looking forward on having this done [emoji1362]


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#9 ·
The Yakima landing pads 11 bolted directly to my MS3 and now bolts directly to my RS. So I would say yes for your Thule.
He should call you tomorrow.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Got the Yakima Jetstream bars and skyline towers. I also got a windshield but debating if I should install it or not.
@BE3RS are you refering the mounts in picture #1?

View attachment 144385 View attachment 144393 View attachment 144401
Those jetstream bars looks good. I have the Aeroblades from Thule, do you think they fit the same? I think I might want to go with the Yakima landing pads like you but maybe keep my Aeroblades since I've already bought them. What Yakima parts would I need if I did try to go like your setup with jetstream and skyline towers?


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#11 ·
I was wondering about the actual mounting brackets that you had to drill to install. Pic #1 in your first post.
 
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#27 ·
Can someone give me measurements for where they placed the rear brackets? I've got the crossbar positioned as far back as possible for the cargo box I'm using to fit without hitting the hatch. Only problem is this places my rack bracket in line with the bracket that mounts the side curtain air bag inflator. I'm pretty sure that I won't have a problem with the rear stud of the rack bracket, but the front stud lines up with the bolt holding the inflator bracket up. Currently the rear mounting hole drilled in the roof is 18.5" from the gap between the roof and the hatch. Going by jl449's pictures it looks like my bracket is a couple inches forward of where his are installed. I believe I can shift my bracket back to use the forward mounting hole without shifting where my crossbar is located, but I will still be forward of where jl449's brackets are. I am also concerned because there are gaps between the sheet metal layers in this area. I don't know if the studs on the rack brackets are long enough to get a nut on, or if tightening the bracket down will crush anything.

As an aside to clearance issues for drilling. The airbag is outboard of where the holes are drilled, but you will put a hole in the headliner without a drill stop, or masking tape to stop the drill. I set mine about 1/2" from the tip of the drill bit. There is wiring in the area where the rear bracket mounts.

You also will need to remove all the trim that touches the headliner, the sun visors, the passenger grab handle, the clothes hanger hooks, and the door weatherstripping to be able to fit your hands under the headliner to tighten the nuts. The B and C pillars have a T25 Torx screws holding them up behind little access panels. You will likely damage the access panels removing them. The rest of the headliner stuff uses T20 Torx screws.
 
#29 ·
I'm doing it right now myself. Your local roof rack parts dealer can probably do it too. You are going to have to show them exactly what to do though. They are trained to use other kits that are meant to be bolted to the flat roof, not the gutter where these brackets are going. I will also say that you should stick with Yakima parts. I am using Thule racks and hardware because Yakima is back ordered. Unfortunately Thule fit kits are all molded to fit the roof they are designed for, and they didn't design one for the MK3 Focus. The Yakima landing pad 11 are wide enough to span the full width of the gutter. The Thule kits I've seen are much narrower; which will require me to fill in the cavity below the aluminum trim piece with something like JB weld so that the base has something solid to sit on. I plan on doing a full write up once I finish.
 
#30 ·
Please do! What parts from Yakima would be used for this? I've never had a roof rack, so not even sure where to begin. I imagine you do the anchors first, and then the cross-bars mount to that? In my ideal world I could - optionally - remove the cross-bars for the winter and just have minimal mounting hardware remaining on top of the vehicle. Most of my need to pack a bunch of stuff comes in warmer months (for now)
 
#32 ·
Hardware-wise, yes you start with the anchors first.

Once the holes are drilled and anchors are installed, the rest is pretty straightforward. The Yakima Landing Pad 11 screws into the top of each anchor, thru the holes made in the rain gutter molding. Get a small torque wrench for this. The bolts holding the landing pads down need less than 3 ft-lbs. A toddler could probably overtighten them.

Next up are the Yakima Skyline towers that snap into the Landing Pads, and the crossbars are held by them. The OP has pictures with both round bars and JetStream, which are the more aero-shaped ones. 50" is the recommended width per Yakima.

If you check out picture 10, those little raised bumps are the plastic screws/plugs you can get to fill the holes when you don't have the Landing Pads installed.
 
#33 ·
Oh makes sense! Why Landing Pad 11 specifically? It seems like they have a 100 different versions of it. Also, the anchors - they have two holes in the top. Does the LP 11 only use 1 of them?

OP's setup is freaking sweet though!
 
#34 ·
I used the LP11 because that is what the OP used. jl449 mentioned they used it because that specific one worked on their MS3, see comments 6,8 and 9 in this thread. I am assuming MS3 is referring to a MazdaSpeed 3 and given the shared engineering back then, the MazdaSpeed 3 probably has a very similar roof-line to the MK3/3.5 Focus.

The LP 11 does only use one hole, and the Yakima instructions say to use the rear hole if your vehicle has 2. No explanation given as to why.

Some other companies' systems may use both holes. The bracket I posted a picture of when I asked OP about the anchor they used (comment 14) is shown in this installation video and at the end, they show a matching product that uses both holes in that bracket.
 
#35 ·
I used the LP11 because that is what the OP used. jl449 mentioned they used it because that specific one worked on their MS3, see comments 6,8 and 9 in this thread. I am assuming MS3 is referring to a MazdaSpeed 3 and given the shared engineering back then, the MazdaSpeed 3 probably has a very similar roof-line to the MK3/3.5 Focus.

The LP 11 does only use one hole, and the Yakima instructions say to use the rear hole if your vehicle has 2. No explanation given as to why.

Some other companies' systems may use both holes. The bracket I posted a picture of when I asked OP about the anchor they used (comment 14) is shown in this installation video and at the end, they show a matching product that uses both holes in that bracket.
Thanks for walking through it! I swear I am not trying to be obtuse.

Is this the kind of brackets you went with? Just searched for Quick Mount Ditch Bracket #QMFK08 - Quick Mount Ditch Bracket |
Or did you go with the Subaru ones? Sadly post attachment doesn't work anymore.
 
#37 ·
Just got my brackets bolted in, and the racks temporarily mounted. The front brackets were a piece of cake compared to the rear brackets. The rear brackets occupy the same space as the bracket that the airbag inflator bolts to. There is a factory stud for the inflator bracket about 5/16" from where my hole for the roof rack is. I ended up pressing the studs out of the Subaru brackets, removing the nuts that hold the inflator bracket, running a 1/4-20 bolt up from the inside, and bolting the bracket down with a nut and washer on the outside. I used the factory studs to hold the head of the bolt in place while I tightened the nut.

I still need to drill holes in the aluminum trim, and fill in the gap under the rack foot pads. It is late though and I need to put the headliner back in place so I can pickup someone in the morning.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I'm done! Got the racks bolted up, and my cargo box installed. Took it for a test drive with a sea-bag full of clothes. No noise, or movement.


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Below is a walk-through of my install. Sorry I don't have more pics of the install; my phone decided to be a **** and not save them for some reason. I had to deviate in some areas from what others might do. I installed my brackets so that they are parallel with the center line of the car, and square to each other. This isn't really necessary for most other installs. I don't like that there is only one bolt holding each foot down. Because my brackets are parallel I can drill two 6mm holes centered in the fit kit bracket and use two bolts to hold each foot down, and not have to worry about holes not lining up on the other side of the car.

Once again I recommend using Yakima Landing Pad 11, and Yakima bars to do this. Yakima wasn't available to me at the time I did this so I went with Thule.

Tools I used:

Drill
1/4" Impact Driver
5mm Hex driver bit
T20 and T25 torx driver bits (for removing interior trim)
1/8", 9/64", 15/64", 1/4", 3/8" drill bits
Automatic center punch
Tape measure
Flashlight
6" caliper (not necessary, used for layout)
Inspection mirror
1/4" ratchet
10mm deep socket
3/8" deep socket(unique to my install)
Razor blade
1/2" and 2" blue masking tape
Fine point Sharpie
Small flat head screwdriver
Dremel with 1" diameter cutoff wheel(unique to my install)
1/8" pencil grinder (Dremel will work too)

Road surface Automotive tire Asphalt Font Lego


Parts I used:

Subaru bracket PN 91066FL000
Thule fit kit PN 183079 (for Subaru Forrester)
Thule foot pad PN 460R
Thule Wingbar Evo 135(53") in black (127(50") will also work with less overhang)
Thule Force XT L cargo box
8x 6mm fender washers
8x 6mmx1mm nylon lock nuts
1/4"-20 bolts (unique to my install)
1/4" washers (unique to my install)
1/4"-20 nuts (unique to my install)

Step 1: Determine where your bars need to go
Rough assemble the bars to the foot pads and fit kit. Leave everything loose until the bars are on the roof. Reference the instructions for the parts for how they are assembled. Position them on the roof about where you want them front to back, then position the feet above the black gutter trim. Snug up the fasteners on the foot pad with a 5mm hex wrench. Determine clearances and bar spacing. I'm using a cargo box, so it must be far enough forward to not hit the hatch. The cargo box also limits how far to the rear the rear crossbar can go. This placed the rear bar about 20" from the gap between the hatch and the roof. Establish where the front bar should go. My bar spacing is about 34.5". Once the bars are where they need to be lay masking tape across the roof at the front and back of each foot. This is still a rough layout of where the bar should go. The masking tape helps for quickly lining up the crossbars if they need to move temporarily or are bumped.

Step 2: Layout where the brackets need to go
Place 2" masking tape down the length of the roof on both sides of the gutter. I placed two runs for about 3" of coverage around the gutter. Mark the location of the center bolt in the fit kit on the tape in front of each foot. This is the hole used to mount the rack to the roof. Remove the bars from the roof. Remove the black aluminum gutter trim. Remove the plastic clips in the trim, and reinstall them on their tabs in the roof. Don't break them; the only source for just the clips is the junk yard. Establish center line on the roof. Run a piece of masking tape from one side of the car to the other in the front and again in the back. You want the tape to be as perpendicular to the center line as possible. Mark the tape on some landmark on the roof that exists in the same place on both sides. I used the inside edge of the gutter. Peel one side of the tape up and match the marks made with each other. Make the tape lay flat on the roof with no creases. The point the tape folds over is the center line of the roof. Mark this location, and repeat on the other end. Working from this line in the center is kind of a pain, so I measured out from the center line 10" on both sides of the center line on the front and rear. I then ran masking tape front to back on this 10" mark on both sides.

Step 2a (Simple version for most installs)
Measure from a landmark (I used the windshield for the front, and the end of the roof for the back) to the mark locating the center of the foot pad earlier on both side of the roof. Compare the two from each side, average them out if they are different, and remark at the average distance. Lay a piece of tape across the roof at these marks front and back. Check that the tape is perpendicular to the center line of the car. This will ensure that the bars are parallel to each other once installed. Using the Subaru bracket as a guide determine if there are any clearance issues with the trim clips. Line up one of the center bolt holes on the bracket with the tape running across the roof. Only one of the holes needs to fit, pick whatever fits best. Use the same hole for both sides. If neither hole fit adjust the location of the crossbar. Be sure to double check that whatever you are are putting on the crossbars still fits. With the center of the hole in the bracket lined up with the tape, and the bracket in line with the gutter, mark the locations of the bracket studs in the gutter. Repeat for the other locations. Double check that the locations of the brackets are the same distance from the landmarks on both sides of the car. Double check that the brackets are the same distance from each other left to right to ensure the bars will be parallel. Go to Step 3

Step 2b (How I installed my brackets)

I installed the brackets so that they are parallel with the center line of the car. This isn't necessary for installing either the Thule parts I installed or Yakima Landing pad 11. Roughly I marked the location of the second bolt hole in the bracket and the two studs along with the original mark from Step 2 for each of the feet. Compare the location where the bracket will mount via the mark from before, and the location of the clips for the aluminum trim. I had to move the front bracket because of this. Measure from a landmark (I used the windshield for the front, and the end of the roof for the back) to the bracket rough location. Make both sides match left to right on the front and the back. With the bracket location figured out mark where the studs will be once installed. Run masking tape across the roof from the front and rear stud location for both front and rear brackets. You should have four strips of tape indicating the location of the studs. Double check that these tape lines are perpendicular to the center line. Find a position in the gutter left and right of center line that the bracket will fit. Measure the distance from center line to the center of the bracket for the front and rear brackets. On the masking tape, measure and mark this distance from center line. The same length from center line should be used for both brackets left and right The distances probably will not be the same for the front and rear pair of brackets. Double check that the marks are square with each other by measuring from the front mark on one side and the rear mark on the other, then swapping. The distance measured should be the same. Double check that the tape lines are the correct distance apart. I had to adjust some tape lines forward or back to get them square. Go to Step 3

Step 3: Prepare for drilling the roof

You will need to be able get between the headliner and the roof. Remove the sun visors, passenger grab handle, and the coat hooks from the headliner. These all use a T20 Torx bit. Remove the A, B and C pillar trim. The A pillar doesn't have to come completely off, just pry it out until the headliner is free. The B and C pillars are held on with a T25 Torx screw. The "AIRBAG" label is where the screw is on the B pillar. Use a screwdriver to press it out from behind by passing the screwdriver in from the door seal area. You will very likely gouge the plastic trying to pry from the front. The C pillar has a similar cover that is blank, and is removed in the same manner as the "airbag" cover. Pry the lower B pillar trim out, then the upper. Pull the bottom out of the upper trim, then pull down and out. The C pillar just pulls out, but is also attached to the flat trim above the little side window. That trim comes out by prying down on it. Set these all aside. Remove the body side door seals. The leading edge of the seal is where the ends are, just pull it straight out. Mask off the headliner. My headliner is black so it doesn't really matter, but if you have a light colored headliner you should mask the areas around the doors off, so you don't get them dirty. Get a roll of masking paper from the paint aisle at the hardware store. You should now have access to the gap between the headliner and the roof. Double check that there are no obstructions where you need to install your brackets. Get the flashlight and mirror and spy up in there. The side curtain airbags are up here. Should have probably told you to remove the negative battery cable earlier. The airbags are rolled up tight to the outboard side of the roof. There shouldn't be any danger of drilling into them. There was plenty of clearance around where the front bracket went on my install. The rear bracket was right above the bracket that the airbag inflator mounts to. I had two options; move the bracket back the distance between the two bolt holes in the bracket, or go with my original position. I went with my original position, but only because I had already drilled the pilot holes in the roof. My dad stuck his hands up there and guessed that there would be clearance. There turned out to be, but I had to make some modifications to get it to work.

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Step 4: Drill the roof
Center punch the roof where the bracket studs will go that were marked in Step 2. I used an automatic center punch, because that is what I have. The automatic center punch has about a 1/8" diameter shank. I positioned it at the mark on the tape, and also pushed the tape in so that the center of the punch was inline with the tape. I then angled the punch to be perpendicular to the roof. Mark all 8 hole locations. Use a drill stop or run masking tape around your drill bits. I taped off about 1/2" from the tip of the drill bit, the tape was about 3/16" thick on both sides of the drill. Drill a pilot hole through all eight hole locations; I used a 9/64" drill bit. Use a magnet near the hole to pickup metal chips. You might also get a sheet style fridge magnet and put it above the headliner to catch stuff that falls through. Get the flashlight and mirror, and double check for obstructions on the inside of the roof. Do this check after each hole is drilled. There were no problems with the front pair of brackets. The rear brackets on my install ended up above the air bag inflator. The center of my rear brackets is about 20" from the back edge of the roof. There isn't much room forward from this position, but plenty to the rear if your bracket is closer to the trim clip that is to the rear. Drill the holes to size once you have determined there are no obstructions. Deburr the drilled holes. The studs on the brackets are 6mm, 15/64" is about the same size. Double check that the brackets fit in the drilled holes. If they don't fit you can drill the holes to 1/4" for a little wiggle room. If they still don't fit use a pencil grinder or a Dremel and a carbide burr to elongate the hole in the direction it needs to go to fit the bracket. Clean up all the metal chips. Don't sweep them off the car; you'll damage the paint. Use air to blow them off, or suck them up with a vacuum as you are drilling. Once all the holes are drilled paint the exposed metal. You can use rattle can. Spray it into a Dixie cup, and use an acid/flux brush to apply it. Let the paint dry.

Step 5: Install the brackets
Install the brackets in the roof with the arrow marking pointing out. From the gap in the headliner fish in a washer and nut and thread them on by hand. Tighten them down with the 1/4" ratchet and 10mm deep socket. You'll bust your knuckles on the sheet metal, but it wasn't terribly difficult. The headliner has some flex to it, especially without all the stuff holding it up. You can glue the nut and washer together with superglue if you are having trouble getting them both on at the same time.

Step 6: Drill the gutter trim
With the brackets installed mark the center of the bolt hole that you will use to install the racks. Run a piece of masking tape across the roof and cut the bolt hole in half. Repeat this to form an X across the bolt hole. Mark the edges of the tape that cross the bolt hole, do this in several places along the edge. Repeat for the other brackets. Cut the tape that covers the gutter. You should be left with four strips of tape around each bolt hole. Reinstall the gutter trim. Using the tape marks run a second X on top of the trim covering the original X. Center punch the X formed by the marked edges. The trim is covered with a rubberized coating, so you want a deep center punch mark. Pilot drill the punched locations. Double check that the hole lines up with the bolt hole in the bracket. Remove the trim and drill out the holes with a 3/8" drill bit. This hole diameter is determined by whatever hardware you are using to mount the racks. Deburr the drilled holes. Clean up any chips. Reinstall the trim.

Azure Font Wall Rectangle Material property


Step 7: Clean up
Remove all the masking tape. Reinstall the interior trim, coat hooks, sun visors, and passenger grab handle.

Step 8: Install the racks
Follow the manufacturers directions for installing the rack.

Notes about my install. My rear brackets ended up on top of the airbag inflator. The front rack bracket stud was about 1/4" away from one of the fasteners that holds the inflator bracket on. I ended up removing the nut from the factory bolt, and pressing that stud out of the rack bracket, then using a 1/4"-20 bolt from the inside out to bolt the bracket down. I also had to drill the rack bracket and roof with a 1/4" drill bit to make room for the bolt. The bolt I used was a little taller than what fits under the roof trim, so I cut the excess off with a Dremel and a small cutoff wheel. Be careful that you don't slip and gouge the roof. The rear stud wasn't an issue on the drivers side. I had to do this with both studs on the rear passenger side bracket because it was too close to some interior sheet metal that I couldn't get a washer on the rear stud.
 

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