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Date Posted: 00:29:48 05/23/07 Wed
Author: Neal
Subject: Has anyone removed their rack?

Has anyone removed their rack? ...dare I speak of such a thing around here..? In 3 years we've used it twice, hauling an inflatable canoe to a local lake. The kids said we looked "Just like an Xterra commercial!" We did!! …on my last trip into our garage I forgot about the boat... It pressed the X down some as it scraped along before I skidded to a stop! Luckily it was 'inflatable' and just smushed down some - I felt pretty stupid though, but the canoes OK!

Anyway, I never used the plastic 'wet-stuff rack', so I'd already removed that. I peeled up the clear plastic strip protecting the paint where it touched above the windshield and slid the middle bar forward to give the longest length of rack-run. But three years go by and no rack use; gas hits $3.41 per gallon here in Oregon, my Mom looked at our X and said "It's being suggested people remove their roof racks for less drag" and in our case, weight.

Hummm... an Xterra without it's rack? Is that anything like Samson without his hair..? …with my 4 cylinder 2WD I guess we're half lame already… I removed it yesterday -- my wife wouldn't speak to me the rest of the evening! The kids made fun of it, and I wondered where and what I'd find to replace the original bolts & holes, as they stuck up about a quarter inch above the screw seats? The Bars weren't as heavy as I expected; I'd gestamate side-rails and center spans all together weighed about 30-35 pounds -- apparently they only look beefy? But two things bothered me: 1, there was water lying trapped under the black plastic 'anchor braces,' and half the screws had rust forming inside their receiver threads. 2, the racks are only connected to the sheet metal roof, there's no underlying frame or 'solid metal' connecting them to the vehicle. They're no roll bar! And no wonder they had only a 125 pound load capacity.

Today I matched up some metric "5M" stainless steel screws, I can't remember the cute name for their heads... but they required one size down on the driver head necessary to remove them. I also bought (14) accompanying flat rubber washers. O-rings were way more expensive and I wanted them as close to the metal surface as possible. I coated the SS screws with some petroleum jelly, slipped on the washers and gently tightened them down. Sure, it looks a lot like what it is... a Nissan Frontier pickup with a passenger compartment for a bed, but the chunkier rear keeps it looking good; and since I'm an artist of sorts... it still looks good to me! Almost better! My daughter said I'm only trying to convince myself... but no, it looks like a chunky little monkey.

Washed it, and expect my wife to drive it to work tomorrow... So, should I be spanked or bull-whipped? Damn, buying it felt like a bold move - maybe doing this is just another. And hey, I could put everything back on in an hour -- if gas goes back to $2 a gallon ~

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