I've never used the trim paint so I have no opinion on that but use the solvent to clean all parts. I use it for all kinds of things because theres almost no danger of damaging what you're cleaning like some solvents will. It also leaves no residue like some other solvents which can cause an imperfect paint job.

 

for the p/u, i took the aluminum rack off the shell and took it complete, left all the adjustment screws in (did remove the mount brackets for blasting first) can see some imperfections, where the previous paint had peeled off, if you look for them
i think it was ~$60
its been about 3 years w/o chipping, etc. used new SS hardware too.

 

I forgot to post the results, I did it a couple weeks ago, they came out well... I did the rear spoiler too while I was at it. Thanks again for the help GREEN4SKIN'R!


The mark on the rubber strip of the cross bar is from the needle nose pliers I had to use slide the piece back in place, that thing was tough to get back in!!!

 

sharpie marker!

edit: looks good.

 

I removed all my rails today to have them painted. One small problem....the little neoprene gray gasket that goes around the hole for each hex head bolt was damaged on every single hole when I removed the rails. I doubt very seriously that I can order them from the dealer, since the dealer has already told me once that the entire setup can only be ordered together, but I'm gonna call in the morning and find out. The last thing I need is water getting into the headliner because I didn't put those (or an equivalent) gasket back on.

Matt

 

Happened on mine too, but if you saw toyota also used silicone to seal the holes. I couldn't get new gaskets either, I sealed the holes by putting a good amount of silicone in each hole before driving in the bolt, should be ok...

 

That's a start, but I would really like to put some sort of gasket on there, and maybe put some silicon in the hole as well. I'm gonna call the dealer tomorrow and check and also stop by some local auto parts stores and see if they've got anything close. As long as the ID for the gasket is close, the thickness really won't matter since it's going to be compressed anyway.

BTW...I read a thread on here a few minutes ago where a guy ordered new end caps for the the main rails that run the length of the roof. If you can order those separately, you should be able to get those gaskets. At least I hope so....

Matt

 

i used rubber gaskets (i cut to size) from the local hardware store and also used silicone on the hardware. no leaks at all, not that it rains that much here.

 

I found some neoprene gaskets at a local hardware store today. They are a little thicker than I wanted and I am going to have to drill the holes out a tiny bit (in the gaskets...not the truck), but they should work. I hope. My only concern is that they may be a little too thick and may not compress enough. We'll see when I get ready to mount everything back.

Matt

 

Should I be worried that my holes are only sealed with silicone?

 

I can't answer that. I concerned that I can't get the stock gaskets from Toyota. I guess we'll see what happens. It'll be the end of the week before I have my stuff back. Like I said earlier, I'm a little concerned that these I have won't compress enough and might end up making matters worse by not allowing the rails to sit flush enough with the roof. If that's the case, then I'll just silicon as well. The problem with the silicon though is that it will be hard as hell to remove the rails the next time with that sealant on the bolts.

Matt

 

Do you have any pics of these gaskets? I would like to know what to buy before I get my roof diassembled. I have a multi-pack of rubber o-rings that I hope will work.

Ken

 

I'll take some later this afternoon for ya. O rings may be even better.

Matt

 

Just an update....after three weeks and two different excuses, the guy re-painting all of my rails is still not finished. I'm getting pretty ticked at this point. I'll post some pics when I get everything mounted back on there. Still can't decide between putting my Thule rack back on or just putting the stock cross bars back on there. I am getting slightly better gas mileage right now without the Thule rack, but it's so convenient to have it up there when needed. We'll see.

Matt