Factory Roof Rack Just Removed

[YukonMud]

I recently removed the factory roof rack off of my 97 4dr Tahoe and am unsure what to do about the holes left over. I could put the bolts back in and cover them with silicone but I don't think that would look very clean.

Has anyone ever removed the factory roof rack off of a 93-99 Tahoe/Yukon? What have you done to patch the holes left by the factory bolts?

Pictures are more than welcome. Thanks for you help.

 

[sasquatch094]

i still have all of the holes you are talking about, but i just put a silicon inside of them and painted over it just because i do go skiing and roof racks are sometimes needed. it can be a temp thing or permanent thing. i can always just tap your screw right back in it.

 

[YukonMud]

That might work..how does the paint hold up over the silicone?

I just installed Yakima rails and rack system so they will be un-needed for the rest of this hoe's life

 

[sasquatch094]

pretty good, the paint on the silicone had some small cracks on it but nothing was ever leaking from it. i saw on here that someone went to like walmart and bought some kind of caps and painted them the color of the truck and glued em on. i forgot who it was but idk maybe theyll stop in and tell you something about it..

 

[GMCYukalade]

That would be me... - License Plate Bolts/Caps - at wal-mart they come chrome, and they are back in the auto-motive section - they are deep enough to cover the holes, and can be sanded and painted to match color - i just glued them on... - Also, they make billet covers for these holes - and someone else was going to use the molding peice off the side of a camaro to put over it

 

[sasquatch094]

haha there he is.. lol..

 

[johnnybubu]

They have those caps at Lowe's too, you can put your factory bolt in it and then snap the cover on. They come in white, or black and they are not chrome so the paint may adhere better.

 

[GMCYukalade]

do u know what they are called at lowes?

 

[johnnybubu]

I think they were called screw covers or some thing like that, they were in the bins with all the different screws, bolts ect... I used them on my whirlpool tub. The pump access door was just velcro'd on and it kept falling off, so I got some of those covers and drilled holes and put screws in it. The covers match the white gelcoat really well and it looks pretty factory.

 

[YukonMud]

I'll have to take a look at those, they seam like a great option...right now it looks like my only other option is to get the 'billet roof rack cap' from stylin and either drill a hold and mount the factory bolts in (with some silicone for leak protection) or silicone the 'cap' to the top of the roof.

 

[GMCYukalade]

i actually had to cut one of my bolts off of my roof rack in the back.. man, those things are a pain to get off

 

[Anvilair]

Just discovered mine were rusty. So I removed the roof rack and in the process some of the inserts that the bolts screw into in the roof tore out due to rust. Soooooo..... I removed them all and filled the resulting holes with JB Weld stick putty. I then used a dremmel to smooth them over and repainted.

If the holes had stayed intact I had planned to put the bolts back in and use the caps you guys have mentioned here from Lowes. They are in the specialty hardware section, just bring a roof bolt with you and match up.

Good luck!

 

[YukonMud]

...just bring a roof bolt with you and match up...

Good idea!