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Thread: Hardtop roof rack????

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Hardtop roof rack????

    I recently realized that the two lines that run laterally along each side of the OEM Hardtop for a roadster are actually indented...

    does this mean its possible to install a roof rack?? it looks like it was intended for a roof rack clamp to fit into those indents.

    does anyone know anything about this?

    Steffen

  2. #2
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    Those are rain gutters. They keep water from running off the sides of the HT onto your side glass. They are just glued in and cannot withstand lateral load for a rack. There are good suction cup style racks that are great for bikes or skis.
    Kelvin

  3. #3
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    The recess that the gutters sit in have straight sides, so there is no way to anchor anything to that either.

  4. #4
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    ohhhh, the grooves are rain gutters.... I feel really dumb now.

    anyways.. on the English Zroadster forum someone came up with an idea that I find quite interesting, I quoted it below :

    "Without the rubber inserts the groove in the roof is too smooth to be used to anchor a roof rack.
    Now. actually. I was thinking of this exact same thing yesterday. How to (temporarily) fit roof bars to take my BeachCaster.
    The inside of the roof there's a fibreglass panel - same shape as the roof - to which the headlining is attached. That panel is held to the underside of roof with little plastic studs. I've had that panel out a few times. It's awkward but doable. I was wondering if I could remove that panel. Drill holes in the roof in the grooves you mentioned and mount a threaded insert so the thread insert is underneath the rubber strips and little holes in the rubber strip with plugs. Remove the plugs. Screw in a fabricated anchor to hold fabricated roof bars."

    What do you guys think? There are two main questions that come to mind when I thought about this :

    1. will threaded inserts mounted in the roof be strong enough to hold a roof rack with a small roof cargo carrier?
    2. is the mounting hardware of the hardtop strong enough to withstand the extra load of the rack + cargo?
    Last edited by Pelostry; 08-15-2022 at 02:01 PM.

  5. #5
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    I have a hardtop. I would not count on the mounting system to carry significant weight. Also, it's faily delicate to get the fit just right, so I wouldn't want to mess it up with weight swinging around up there. Now, if you're talking some specific purpose that involves very light weight, then maybe....

  6. #6
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    Not a good idea. Even IF you came up with a suitable attachment, the hdtp is so short that the rails would be pretty close together__like practically half the spacing as you'd get with an M Coupe, and that's marginal.

    Seen below is how much luggage my wife and I can carry on a two (2) week road trip in a '99 M Rdstr (fully expecting to do laundry once on the road, easily accommodated at most major hotels). The two (2) garment bags in the center hang from the headrests, and the bottom of the bags can hold quite a lot (shoes, rolled up soft clothes, etc.).

    https://spcarsplus.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/154



    IMG_4665-me.jpg

  7. #7
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    Maybe you could get something like this to work? What is a BeachCaster?

    https://www.seasucker.com/collections/car-racks

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Forbes View Post
    Not a good idea. Even IF you came up with a suitable attachment, the hdtp is so short that the rails would be pretty close together__like practically half the spacing as you'd get with an M Coupe, and that's marginal.

    Seen below is how much luggage my wife and I can carry on a two (2) week road trip in a '99 M Rdstr (fully expecting to do laundry once on the road, easily accommodated at most major hotels). The two (2) garment bags in the center hang from the headrests, and the bottom of the bags can hold quite a lot (shoes, rolled up soft clothes, etc.).

    https://spcarsplus.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/154



    IMG_4665-me.jpg
    This makes it official, Randy! You take pictures of everything related to the Z
    Tony
    "You can't sign away negligence."

  9. #9
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    I enjoy trunk Tetris too…

  10. #10
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    after seeing how much luggage Randy can fit and thinking about the structural integrity of a rather expensive fiberglass hardtop... I don't think I want to risk damaging the hardtop for extra cargo space.

    I'm not going to completely give up on the idea. maybe in the future I'll think of something feasible.

  11. #11
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  12. #12
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    My wife and I are going on a two week road trip. We have a set of custom fitted luggage bags from Roadster Solutions. We have have used them before. They work great and they still leave a little room for cramming in some small soft bags with things that you might want easy access to like sunblock or sweaters.
    http://www.roadstersolutions.com/product614.html

    They also have luggage racks for the trunk lid but honestly, after doing two week trips on motorcycles with nothing but two soft saddlebags each (and one of each of those was filled with rain gear) the Z3 trunk feels absolutely luxurious. Embrace traveling light!

    Here's a home movie of one of our epic trips.
    https://vimeo.com/user30813417

  13. #13
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    yup, and thats a wrap folks, thanks for everyone's input.

    I gotta admit the trailer picture made me chuckle. lol.

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