Black out roof rails

Hey everyone, looking for thoughts on different ways to blackout my roof rails.

Plasti-dip, paint, vinyl wrap, swap out for black ones.... any other methods?

Let's hear how everyone did it, what was the easiest way(in your opinions) and what are some pros/cons about how you did it.

Thanks

 

Bought an OR!

J/K (well I did buy an OR) but on my former SR5 I had the rails and end caps professionally hydrodipped black, which was very durable and lasted until the truck was sold and I am sure is still lasting today. (the earlier 5th gen SR5s had silver rails and silver end caps for reasons no one knows)

I see you are in NorCal, I used Humboldt Hydrographics in Eureka.

 

Swapping is easiest

 

Raptor lined mine. Simple, cheap, rugged as shit. Then, got a aftermarket roof rack. But i loved it when it was done.
(Did the front, rear valances, as well as my rock sliders, all with raptor liner, all you need is air, and a little elbow work)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mziq8mWj4k

 

Thanks Meef, I'm along HWY 50, I'll look into the hydrodip, I have a friend that has done that for gun parts and car parts like trim pieces on the dash.

 

Taking them off and giving them a coat of your favorite coating, bedliner, or paint is super easy.

I pulled mine and hit them with a light sand, primer, paint and satin clear. Looked factory and cost me maybe $40 bucks. Lasted just fine until I swapped it for a Gobi.

 

Am I making a bigger deal than a need to out of pulling them off?
Worried about creating a leak, or I've read people dropping the brackets inside the roof?

What's the trick?

 

Look at post #6 here, exactly what I needed to see for me to wrap my head around it...

https://www.4runners.com/threads/roof-rail-swap-question.22715/#post-289812

 

I plasti-dipped my stock silver ones. I removed them, cleaned them, wiped them down with acetone and dipped. Didnt apply any UV protectant. Being that I park outside (SoCal) it started to fade after 6 months or so? I don't know the exact length of time, but it definitely wasn't looking as black as it did when I first did it.

I then scored a black OEM one for a great deal and swapped it out, tossed my plasti-dipped one.

 

I plan to swap mine out but if I can’t do that I’ll just paint them

 

I left mine silver to reduce heat absorption from the hot summer sun. Makes a difference compared to the black roof rails on my Sequoia.

 

Why are you worried about your roof rack rails absorbing heat?

 

Thats a fair question,

Excessive heat can deteriorate plastics.

 

As I have absolutely ZERO plans of putting things on my roof... I deleted mine. $45 OEM Toyota kit and hardware.

 

I was very tempted to do that too.

I occasionally grab the rails when washing the roof.

 

That looks so clean, I've considered that many times. I use the roof, infrequently, but often enough that the rails are needed though.

 

I love the sleek look of the rack delete. I need my rack for kayaks(unless I build my offroad trailer thing) though.

When I had my stock rack, I sprayed it with herculiner. Worked good enough. But as stated above, just prep good(light sanding with Scotchbrite or similar, wipe down with brake cleaner then water. Let dry, and prime then paint).

 

Planning to use some Raptor 2k spray on mine soon. Also doing my nerf bars. I'll see how it turns out. Reviews seem very positive on Raptor products.

 

Is there a noticeable decrease in wind noise on the highway?

 

I installed the Rhino Rack tracks on mine. Zero wind noise, better MPG, plus it allows me to use crossbars spread much farther apart for long items like cargo boxes, tandem bikes and tandem kayaks. It's an option if you like the naked look but still need to haul stuff up top on occasion.

 

Ehh.. Living in Oklahoma, there is always wind noise
Maybe a little. But 24 years of working on aircraft, I can barely hear a cement truck crashing through a nitroglycerine plant...

 

Could you post the Toyota delete kit part number?

Also I’m curious how much the roof bars weigh.

I’m in the same boat, I doubt I would ever use the rails.

Thanks

 

I painted my roof rails black to match the factory black trim around the windows using SEM 39143 Trim Black Paint. This stuff is absolutely amazing! You get results of an OEM product with no runs or orange peel. The best part is, it requires no primer (self etching) and dry time between coats it only 5-10 minutes.

I removed the roof rails and "sanded" them down with a product similar to 3M 7447 General Purpose Hand Pads. This removed the factory gloss finish and left me with a dull roof rail. I then used rubbing alcohol to remove any other oils/dirt before painting. Results were better than I was expecting and only cost me a total of $40-$50.

 

Here's a link. Price has gone up a bit from when I did it...

$45 TOYOTA 2004 to 2020 4Runner 2006 to 2018 Rav4 ROOF Rack Removal Delete KIT OEM Genuine

Amazon.com: TOYOTA 2004 to 2020 4Runner 2006 to 2018 Rav4 ROOF Rack Removal Delete KIT OEM Genuine : Automotive

I put a little thread tape (Teflon plumbing tape) on the threads and some RTV on the washers to ensure a water-tight seal. When you install the covers, point the arrows forward and overlap the rubber trim.

 

Excellent, thank you!