GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

How do I get the side rails off without wrecking anything?Pry up on the end caps first?What is the screw on the inside of the rail for?

pry up on the endcaps first, yesonce you get the caps off you'll see how its assembled. if I remember the screw on the inside is to attach the rail to the end pieces. the rails are held on by plastic clips in the roof and the screws under the covers. when the screws under the caps are removed the rails slide back off the clips

I took my rails off this weekend to get powder coated. There is a pop device in both the front and back caps ( a yellow piece) that is connected to the caps. You have to wiggle the cap UP as the device points down into the casting. If the yellow devise stays in the casting, it may have to be replaced. There are four torx bolts into the roof. These need to be removed. After this there are three snaps between the front anchor and the rear anchor. You have to carefully lift the thin part of the cap up until these snap. Note that there are 3 on each side, and all three broke and have to be replaced when I reinstall. The rail, rubber gasket head and tail piece com off as a single unit. The bolt you mention is a stop for the cross rails, which the 2005s do not have. You need to pry the rubber from the front part of the casting and the rear part of the casting. There are two bolts in the rear. The front has a single screw, but the rail needs to be pried from the casting. I put the casting on without the rails in the meantime to avoid water leaks until the rails get done. The attached is a pdf from previous posts on this subject.

Attached files removeroofrail.pdf (208.2 KB) 

Quote, originally posted by harryyiii »I took my rails off this weekend to get powder coated. what color?

Thanks, that all helped.I got them off last night as I have some other aluminum going for Black Anodizing today. I took the Driver's side off first, and as I pulled up on the rails, the three center plastic clips didn't survive the transition to freedom.I did however save the other three on the pass. side by lifting slightly and then pulling rearward until they slid out of the channel in the rail.I could then gently pry them up out of their mount holes without breaking them.So, the clear will get stripped and re-anodized black.

Quote, originally posted by Atomic »I did however save the other three on the pass. side by lifting slightly and then pulling rearward until they slid out of the channel in the rail.I could then gently pry them up out of their mount holes without breaking them.thats what I did, I just didn't state it clearly.sorry"when the screws under the caps are removed the rails slide back off the clips"I might re powdercoat mine. I think black would look nice.

I plan to get them powder coated satin black, to match the support, if I can only find a place in Columbus to do powder coating.

Got the rails back this morning from anodizing: I made the rear mat the first weekend I had it:

That's real close to what I want done! I want mine done in chrome black though, rather than satin.

those look great! it looks like it should, I always thought just the aluminum looked funny.now I will get mine done, gloss black though i think.

Looks great, exactly the look I want. I still have the rails in the trunk. I finally found a place in Columbus to powder coat them. Hopefully this week.

Since the rails are Clear Anodized, I had mine stripped at the anodizer's, then medium-etched (basicaly an acid dip to maintain the satin finish), then Black Anodized.I could have had them stripped, polished, then anodized black, which would have given a nice shine to them also.I might have gone the powder coat route, but we send stuff out for anodizing every couple of months, so I just had to wait for a project to ship this stuff with.