Removing OEM Roof Rack to Install a Prinsu Rack

Hi all,

I recently took off my OEM Toyota roof rack off of my 2019 Tacoma TRD Off Road, and I found a lot of misinformation around the general interwebz about the process. So I'm making this thread as an FYI for the future Tacoma owner who has a factory rack and is contemplating swapping it out for an aftermarket rack (like the Prinsu Cab Rack I went with).

Are there rubber drip moldings underneath the OEM rack that I can reuse?
No, there are no rubber moldings underneath. I had 3 people incorrectly tell me there were, so I went into the process thinking I could just reuse or cut it to work with my new setup. But there weren't any moldings... so my plans got delayed while I acquired moldings for my aftermarket setup.
It should be noted that you do not need rubber moldings to install and run an aftermarket rack. It's more so for aesthetics.

Is the rubber molding just one long piece on each side?
No, the channels on each side of the roof are actually comprised of two pieces, totaling four pieces for the entire set (this doesn't include the front clips).

75551-04081 - Moulding, Roof Drip, Front RH
75552-04081 - Moulding, Roof Drip, Front LH
75553-04020 - Moulding, Roof Drip, Rear RH
75554-04020 - Moulding, Roof Drip, Rear LH

@Jeff Lange does a really good job describing/explaining the pieces in his post here.

Is the OEM roof rack easy to take off?
Yes, I'd say it's relatively easy... except for one part. There are a pair of T20 torx bolts in the front of the OEM rack that are on super tight and torqued to shit from the dealership. I stripped all four of my bolts. My advice would be to use WD40 or PB Blaster and go sloooow (i.e. do it by hand and not a drill).



Once you take those two T20 torx bolts on the front of both sides, you would then remove the three T30 torx bolts (one in the middle of the lengh of the cab and two in the rear) on the racks. At that point, you'll be able to pop the rack up, push it forward toward the front of the truck a little, and then it'll come off. After that, there are two more T30 torx bolts that hold the rack's mounting plate to the roof. Then you should be able to remove everything.



If you're looking for a really good Prinsu Roof Rack install tutorial, I recommend you check out this YouTube video. I didn't have a drill press like he did, so I improvised by drilling a small pilot hole with a drill bit through the moldings where the spacers would go. Then I used a 3/4" spade bit to create the holes wide enough for the spacers. Pro-tip: do it from the bottom side of the molding (i.e. the side of it that would be touching the truck you won't see once installed) and towards the top side. It'll make for a cleaner hole.

Then you'll end up like this:



Hopefully this helps people in the future by not having them make assumptions and go looking for info like I did.

-Tim

 

The Rack looks great. Considering one myself.

 

Thanks for this! Getting ready to take off my roof rack when my Uptop Alpha comes!

 

Happy to have helped! The Uptop will look awesome

-Tim

 

How is the wind noise OP?

 

Honestly it isn’t much louder than the OEM rack… until you go over 70 mph. When I’m going that fast, it’s like I’m driving through gusty winds all of the time lol. I don’t mind too much though. Just turn up the music

-Tim

 

Thanks for the perspective.

 

I’m looking to buy a used factory roof rack for my double cab Tacoma? Who wants to sell their take off?

 

This is my next accessory...thanks for the video! Helpful hint (in the video) about the front bracket possibly scraping the paint. I'd suggest putting a small section of weather stripping. Also, drilling holes in the weather strip instead of cutting it.

I just showed the wife...she had her opinion but I still want to get it.

Ed

****

 

Just to clarify - it sounds like the factory rack with the bars rear facing or horizontal? When they are rear facing they are considerably quieter than when you have the set horizontal and ready to tie something down.

Great write up BTW. I've been considering this too and didn't really know what I would need. Looks great!

 

Hi there. It looks like the Prinsu rack uses the same holes as the OEM rack did. Can anyone confirm that is correct before we find out the hard way? Thanks!

 

Yep! Bolts right up.

 

Awesome! You are the best! Thx for the super quick reply. We are getting ready to start measuring the weatherstripping and stopped to confirm.

 

Nice, hope everything goes great! Also remember to seal up the holes with some sealant, I used black permatex rtv sealant and its held up through snow, heavy rain, and a few car washes so far.