[DIY] Thule Wind Fairing on OEM Roof Rack
I got the idea to do this from a post on VWvortex (http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...tex-Roof-Racks), all credit (where due) goes to myothercarsaseaking and ampol @ VWvortex. Since the roof racks are designed differently, I decided to put together my own tutorial.
Parts:
- OEM B8 Audi A4 Roof Rack [Part #8K5071126A] (purchased @ http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1928319/)
- Thule 44" Wind Fairing [Model #872XT] (purchased @ http://www.amazon.com/Thule-872xt-Ro...dp/B00152SA72/)
- 1/4"-20 Threaded Rod (purchased @ Home Depot)
- 4x 1/4"-20 Wing Nuts (purchased @ Home Depot)
- 4x 1/4"-20 Plastic "Bar Knobs" (purchased @ Lowes)
Tools:
- Small Flat-Head Screwdriver
- Hex Key (don't recall the size, it came with the OEM ski attachment)
- Hacksaw
- Drill
- 1/4" Drill Bit
- Smaller Drill Bit (for drilling pilot holes)
- Telescoping Magnetic Pickup Tool
- Small Metal File
- Spring Clamps
- Ruler / Straight Edge
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Vice Grips (optional, see step 12)
- Bench Grinder (optional, see step 12)
- Beer
Instructions:
1. If the roof rack is already mounted on your car - remove the front bar and proceed to step 2.
2. Place the roof rack bar upside down on a flat surface, and using a small flat-head screwdriver pry off the plastic caps on the underside of the roof rack feet. There are 2 plastic caps on each foot, for a total of 4. Make sure not to lose them!
3. Using the hex key, unscrew the bolts connecting the feet to the bar. At this point the mounting assembly should just fall out. Next, slide the top part of the mounting assembly off of the bar. Make sure to do this for both sides.
4. Using the small flat-head screwdriver pry off the 2 gray plastic pieces attached to the bar. They are glued on and will come off easily as soon as you get the screwdriver under one side.
5. Grab your ruler / straight edge and pencil and make a continuous line down the center of the bar. You will be mounting the roof rack along this line.
6. Grab the 4 load bar clips from your Thule 872XT and using the hacksaw trim off the actual clip part.
7. Assemble your Thule fairing per manufacturer instructions; connect the fairing wings to the fairing shield, attach the fairing brackets, attach adhesive backed foam pads to the brackets and lastly, attach the load bar clips with the circle recesses facing down. You'll want the fairing to curve, so make sure to attach the 2 inner load bar clips further out than the outer ones (outer clips should be mounted in "Position 1", inner in "Position 2").
8. Using the tape measure, figure out the distance at which to drill the 2 outer holes and mark them on the bar. Next, use some spring clamps to do a "dry fit" of the fairing to the bar (making sure to align the outer holes with the marks.) Mark the remaining 2 holes and unclamp the fairing.
9. Drill the holes you marked in step 8 with a 1/4" drill bit. Use a smaller bit first to make a pilot hole. Make sure you are drilling into just the bottom channel of the bar. De-burr the holes as much as possible with a small metal file or your de-burring tool of choice.
10. Take the threaded rod, screw on a plastic bar knob and put it through a load bar clip. Place the bottom end of the threaded rod into one of the holes in the bar and turn it until it hits the top of the channel. Use your finger to mark where the bar knob ends. This is the length of the 4 threaded rods you will be cutting.
11. Using the hacksaw, cut up some threaded rods to the length you figured out in step 10.
12. This step's necessity depends on the exact wing nuts you purchase. The idea behind the wing nuts is that they are short enough where they will fit inside the channel, yet wide enough where they will not spin once inside. In my case, the wing nuts I got were almost a perfect fit, and would get stuck when I tried feeding them deeper down the channel. What I did was clamp them one-by-one in some vice grips, and grind down the tops of the wings a millimeter or so on a bench grinder. This can also be done with a metal file, it will just take longer.
13. This is the hardest part. Unfortunately, things did not work out as well as I would have hoped with the telescoping magnetic pickup tool. While attempting to feed in the wing nuts, the magnet would get stuck to the inside of the channel. What I did instead was place the bar right side up flat on a table, place a wing nut into one end and then lift that end ever so slightly so the wing nut would begin sliding down the channel. Once it was over the required hole, I would screw in one of the threaded rods. Do this for all 4 holes.
14. You are now ready to attach the wind fairing to the bar. Slide the threaded rods into the load bar clips on the fairing, and use the bar knobs to create a solid attachment.
15. Congratulations, you're all done! Now just reattach the feet to the bar and mount it onto your roof.
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Originally Posted by TofuShop
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