great write up, and very well explained, I want to do the reverse for respraying the roof.

thanks,

Andy

 

Anyone have pics of this on a JCW with a red roof/mirror caps? I think the rails would be quite handy but in black they'd clash horribly with the red...well, I think it would.

 

Hi guys!

Great job

Did you made a photo where I can see the antenna base? I've to do some work on it.

 

[QUOTE=chubv;3392473]Hi guys!

Great job

Did you made a photo where I can see the antenna base? I've to do so

No pics of the antenna base, there is a cardboard sound deadening layer that covered the ceiling so I did not get a good look where the antenna comes through.

 

Nice! I really wanted roof rails when I got my car but dealer didn't have any on the ones configured the way I wanted. Even if I wouldn't often use them for cargo, I like the way they look on the clubman.

 

Sold the Mini and deleted the hosted pics. I can send them to someone who wants to host them this point forward.

 

I'll host the photos to preserve an excellent tutorial.

 

Thanks Context for hosting these pics. Happy motoring everyone!

 

Thanks to all for the photos, tutorial, & hosting. I just did this mod to a May 08 Clubman so it's safe to say that it's applicable to all Clubbies up to this point.

Without doubt one of the most nerve-wracking mods ever. But if you just center your drill bit in the holes pictured in Bubbleboy's initial write-up and take your time - it's actually pretty straightforward. My biggest anxiety was whether the rails would successfully butt up to the contoured edge of the roof. - I didn't need to worry overly as the 1" hole allows a bit of wiggle room and if you drill in the centre of the cut-outs in roof sub-structure you will be fine.

Total time about 4hrs also including clean-up and car-wash after (essential to rinse off all of the swarf generated by the drilling and hole-cutting!)

Attached are a couple of pics mid-session and then after the clean-up.

 

To: Rexicon

You are indeed a brave soul and you did an outstanding job. Looks great. I will continue to ponder whether I want to step out and do this myself.

What size and type rims do you have on your car. They look great.

 

Rota RBs - Gunmetal. 16x7s

Thanks for the props. It's definitely nerve-wracking but it opens up a whole world of utility for the car. I already have a Yakima system w/4 bike mounts and have just ordered their Basketcase roof basket which will turn the Clubbie into a Camping mo-chine for my family of 4!

(My partner's G Wagen parked next to Milton)

 

Please be forewarned....rails on the roof make washing/drying/waxing a real bear!

 

And bike racks make it even worse - Aaaaargh the drips!

 

That came out great. I was very lucky to already have it as an option in mine when I bought it used. I just bought some cheap Rage universal cross bars that have made it even better. Couldn't complain for $53 shipped. I'm actually about to make a thread for it in the Interior/Exterior section

 

well thanks to this thread and another from the Georgia sub-forum (which I first bookmarked a couple of years back), I now finally also have roof rails on my 2009 clubby. I'm not quite as handy as some here so I had the guys at my local garage do it, but all went well; the pics from bubbleboys tutorial thread were invaluable - thanks all for the inspiration - and experiences!

no more skis or snowboards cramming for inside space ... yay!!!

edit: uploaded a couple of basic pics into my gallery; sorry, no pics of the surgery itself tho.

 

I added the roof rails to my clubby yesterday and there is no way I could have done it without the write up by Bubbleboy, thank you!
If you've read this far, here is some clarification on some of the steps.
To remove the rearview mirror, first grab the base of the mirror and twist counterclockwise and it will release from the mount, then the two halves fall apart and the cable can be disconnected. The halves do not come off first.
The overhead light/switch cluster has tabs around it that click it into the headliner. When the headliner drops, the cluster will come with it unless those tab clips are released. If you release those clips there is no need to disconnect any of the wiring. In fact, do not disconnect the overhead cluster wiring at all. The mic that is mounted in the cover plate pops out of the cover and just hangs there. Check the plastic frame that the cluster clips into to make sure it is stilled glued to the headliner. A bead of hot glue secured mine back in.
The plastic plug thingy in the headliner behind the mirror comes out by pulling the center part down and then the base of the plug is free to slide out.
If you, like me, are replacing the crappy rain gutter style racks, the rain gutter trim is easy to replace at the same time and takes care of the slots you had to cut into the rain gutter. It's several torx screws at the top of the door frame and once the rain gutter is free it slides forward to release the front peg.
Lay towels down in the front seats and rear cargo area when drilling to catch a the little bits of metal.
Patience, have a lot of it. This is not a quick project, but certainly doable in a long afternoon. Mine was 6 hours including lunch and a run to the hardware store. I took it slow and easy to try and avoid the regrettable screwdriver slash across a piece of trim. Mission accomplished.

 

Just finished this up myself yesterday! I found a pair of rails on ebay and bought the nuts from the dealer. Clubbie looks so much better! I went with a 1" hole and opted to put silicon around the hole since my rails were used. It looks like you could go with the smaller hole saw with no issues. Be sure to have a vacuum next to the hole saw while it goes because there is a TON of metal shavings that you don't want to blow around and scratch the paint. Good luck!

 

Great write up. Post up some pics Hanks

 

I have been searching all over for some used front to back roof rails for my 2013 Clubman and cannot find any. If anybody know a place to find them I would greatly appreciate knowing of it. I cannot afford new ones from a dealer.

07/14/17 - I just found a pr of rails from a junk yard but in my haste I did not ask for pictures. They arrived without 3 of the mounting studs. Does anybody know where I can find those. I might try to use self griping anchor bolts but I am hesitant to do that.

 

Extremely late to the party here, and I think the original poster is no longer active, but nonetheless, I appreciate and wanted to acknowledge a well written and documented how-to. Using nothing but this thread, I just added roof rails to my 2008 Clubman.

Absolutely a pucker factor of 10 when you start drilling what look like massive holes in your roof, but the install came out absolutely perfect. Too dark for pictures bu the time I finished, but I'll post up some pics tomorrow.

 

Its like the Gen 1 MINI factory roof rack where you have to drill. but yes once done it looks great.