Roof rail removal

[mightymoose_22]

Anyone know how the roof rails are attached on a 94? (the gutter/drain not a luggage rack)
I wanna get them off so I can remove the peeling rubberized coating and repaint them.
Is there a screw under the end caps? Or is there something holding them from under the liner inside? The rails are old... I'm worried I'm gonna break them

[jacobbesanceney]

You have to remove the headliner and you will find a bunch of studs that come off of the gutters that have 10 mm nuts on them. unscrew the nuts, and there you go, they will come off.

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by jacobbesanceney

You have to remove the headliner and you will find a bunch of studs that come off of the gutters that have 10 mm nuts on them. unscrew the nuts, and there you go, they will come off.

the headliner meaning the rubber caps at both ends?

[Selectron]

I don't have a manual for the '94, but the Ford manual for the '95 indicates that there are two fixing methods.

For all models except the wagon, the mouldings are secured by adhesive, and removal and fitting is performed from outside of the vehicle. The text refers to levering them off with a screwdriver and then using a knife to trim away the old adhesive, so I don't know if the original mouldings would be re-usable after all of that.

The wagon differs, and the mouldings are secured by the nine nuts which jacobbesanceney mentioned, which require the headlining to be removed to gain access to them.

I'll upload the diagrams later so you can see what's involved.

[mightymoose_22]

Mine is a hatchback. I started to mess with it and got the impression that there might be adhesive. I read about some other cars that have some sort of clip at the ends... I just wanted to get an idea of what I was facing before I messed with it too much.
It sounds like I can pry up the ends and remove them, but I am concerned about damaging them if I do. I can't find any new replacements anywhere since the parts are obsolete One website I found and placed the order yesterday, but this morning I got a notice that the order was declined since the parts don't exist... sheesh, what do they have them in the catalog for??
So anyway, it is the rubber/vinyl coating that is split and peeling apart and I just want to clean it up for the sake of appearance. I would prefer new ones, or even used from another car if they can come off undamaged.
I wonder if I might be able to use a blade and just cut the rubber/vinyl back as far as possible and repaint over the top. I wonder how long that would last before water takes its toll though :\
Hmmm...

[moutard]

I have the same problem with peeling rail cover and so I went out and peeled back the headliner. (oops that moulded base is fragile... gorrila glued soon) I couldn't see any clips other than some wiring ones, I was on the driver's side (left) Put my hand up on the rail to locate it on the underside and still didn't see any clips. Though I'm old and wear progressive lens so I'm looking up at something close through the lens that focuses far away so what I found I wouldn't call conclusive. Had thought of heat shrink tubing if I can get the rails off or 3M may may some HD vinyl that one can get at a sign shop that might work. Sort of Industrial Mac Tac.

[jacobbesanceney]

yeah...i have a wagon. sorry, guess i shoulda asked if you have a hatchback or a wagon. I removed my gutters and fiberglassed them in. looks pretty cool, but don't advise anyone to do it. the escort body flexes too much and between the flexing and the 2 15's in the back, it cracked. oh well....gonna put on a vinyl top next.

[Selectron]

And this is the removal and fitting procedure from the '95 Ford manual. I suspect they'd end up looking a bit of a mess if you try to remove them and then re-use the originals. Depends how strong that adhesive is, I suppose, and how flexible the mouldings are.

'95 Escort roof mouldings - removal and fitting procedure

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by Selectron

And this is the removal and fitting procedure from the '95 Ford manual. I suspect they'd end up looking a bit of a mess if you try to remove them and then re-use the originals. Depends how strong that adhesive is, I suppose, and how flexible the mouldings are.

'95 Escort roof mouldings - removal and fitting procedure

Yea i remember trying to remove mines. There on with adhesives..i tried taking if off but the rails started to bend..so i said forget it..

[mightymoose_22]

I went out this afternoon and started gently prying from the end... got the left one off no problem. It is adhesive only... no clips or screws. I am still not sure if the best option is to just repaint them... though that is certainly easiest. The car is 15 years old, so I'm not gonna worry about looks too much... that's what the GTO is for

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by mightymoose_22

I went out this afternoon and started gently prying from the end... got the left one off no problem. It is adhesive only... no clips or screws. I am still not sure if the best option is to just repaint them... though that is certainly easiest. The car is 15 years old, so I'm not gonna worry about looks too much... that's what the GTO is for

if ur not worried about looks..dont bother..but it would look even better painted over with black gloss paint or something...

[mightymoose_22]

Well I got one of the rails done yesterday. Turns out it was mostly held down with adhesives, though there is a small tack at the front end that does insert into a clip. It came right off though.
I peeled off all the rubber/vinyl (whatever it is), then sanded down the remaining metal to get all the rust cleaned off. After it was all cleaned up, a few coats of a primer, black paint, and a clear coat had it looking just fine. Some new adhesive and contact cement locked it right back in place on the roof. It came out looking pretty good... will just have to see how well the paint job lasts (I just used spray cans).
Those rails had been getting worse for a few years and I was tired of looking at them that way :P

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by mightymoose_22

Well I got one of the rails done yesterday. Turns out it was mostly held down with adhesives, though there is a small tack at the front end that does insert into a clip. It came right off though.
I peeled off all the rubber/vinyl (whatever it is), then sanded down the remaining metal to get all the rust cleaned off. After it was all cleaned up, a few coats of a primer, black paint, and a clear coat had it looking just fine. Some new adhesive and contact cement locked it right back in place on the roof. It came out looking pretty good... will just have to see how well the paint job lasts (I just used spray cans).
Those rails had been getting worse for a few years and I was tired of looking at them that way :P

Good job, i'm sure they would last.