Gobi Rack Install Review and Suggestions

Hey, everyone! After years of having no time to modify and improve my 4Runner, I finally got around to putting a Gobi Stealth on my 2017 TRDPro. I thought it was fairly easy to install, but I wanted to give anyone thinking about ordering some insights to the process and install tips. I think its that I finally have something worth writing about on here more than anything. Ultimately, I ended up ordering a GOBI Stealth, no sunroof, multi light set-up. I also ordered it during a promo that included the Ladder, Gas Shocks, and a backpack. My gas shocks and backpack have not arrived yet, but my stock gas shocks hold the lift gate and latter just fine for the time being.

Ordering

Obviously, everyone is aware of the infamous wait times to get your GOBI rack and I was no exception. I ordered in mid/late October and probably would not have received mine yet had I not reached out to them about needing it. I would not bother emailing them, but I would call instead and keep calling until someone picks up. I couldn't even get them to sell me a thousand dollars worth of lights through repeated email attempts if that tells you how much they apparently do not check their inbox. I needed my rack for an upcoming trip next week, and called them at the 12 week mark to get an order update. I explained my situation and they immediately started working with me on getting the rack shipped with enough time to install it before the trip. All you have to do is be nice and they will generally work with you in my experience. All of this was over the phone, no emailing.

I was not aware of how many non-listed options were available, but I would recommend talking to someone there/looking through previous forum post to make sure you are getting the rack exactly how you want it given how much you are spending on it.

Shipping

The shipping process was great. I am in Missouri, which isn't too far (about a 12hr drive) from their HQ in Aurora, CO. I was surprised to see that they had actually air freighted my rack to the regional airport and a local freight company handled it from there. It shipped on a Tuesday and arrived Thursday. The rack is one piece, so with ladder and the pallet it is attached to, it weighs over 100lbs. Delivery was easy with a dolly, but it does take up a good amount of space. I left my 4Runner outside overnight and put the rack in its bay.

Installation

The installation process was pretty easy. I'm not a mechanic or anything, and I thought it was fairly straight forward. The instructions are very well put together and include pictures for those of us who are not the brightest crayons in the box. There are also some great videos out there that show how others have installed it and what to expect. One that I would recommend is Timmy the ToolMan. They ran into the same problems that I ran into and I was prepared for them after watching it a couple of times. Essentially, make sure that you have some silicone sealant and maybe some extra nylon locknuts bc some of the ones from Gobi did not work correctly. We actually had to shear one of the nuts off and replace it. Luckily for us, Gobi did include extra hardware in our boxes so we did not need to run to the store for extras.

I would recommend sorting and saving your factory roof rack screws and saving them. I'll be switching it back if I trade my rig in at a dealership instead of selling privately.

Beyond the package they send you I would recommend:

- Silicone sealant for some gaps at the base of the factory install points
- Extra nylon locknuts
- Ratchet and box wrenches (If anyone needs specifics, I can go find them in my toolbox and get back to you, but a general set of wrenches and ratchet will get the job done)
- Some 1" painters tape
- 2-3 moving blankets. Covering everything but the brackets when lifting the rack over the car made everything a little less stressful and you could set the rack down lightly to re-grip. I also covered the windshield and hood so that I could set tools down/protect it incase I dropped a wrench or something.
- Denatured Alcohol
- Microfiber towels (some of these are for cleaning all install locations with denatured alcohol and others are for on the roof to protect it from contact with tools.

I'm also going to buy some black rubber nut/bolt caps, so keep them out of the weather and protected.

The total install was probably ~8hours, but that was with The Players playing and some beers being drank, so focused work will probably be less, especially if you are a more experienced modder than myself, which is a pretty low bar. If you don't have any experience with tools, it may take a bit longer. Obviously, you'll need two, maybe 3 people to get the rack on.

The only trouble I had during the mounting process was getting the front of the rack to sit 3&1/4" off of the roof on both sides. By bolting down the rear brackets first, then the front brackets, and finally tightening the middle brackets, it was much easier to mount the rack at a proper height.

The wind deflector was super easy, especially with the moving blanket on the windshield and hood. The 1" painters tape makes measuring and applying the tape below the deflector super easy.

The ladder was actually the easiest part. Its just about mounting the plates and applying the doubesided tape on the bottom. The bolts that mount to the inside of the lift gate have an allen screw in the bottom, so make sure to tighten those in before securing them with the nuts. It took me a few minutes to figure that out.

Ultimately, it was a pretty straightforward install and I'm happy that I waited for the rack. I'll putting a Thule cargo carrier on it soon to do some skiing out West next week, so I'll probably post about how it drove through those Kansas winds and handled.

Thanks everyone for reading, I hope some of these tips make it a bit easier for you order/install!

 

Excellent write up

 

I didn’t use any silicone as gobi does not require them. IMHO, the rubber seals provided by gobi is enough. I also had no issues with the lock nuts.

 

Great write up.

I didn't use any silicone either and have experienced quite a bit of rain and snow already. No issues whatsoever with water intrusion.

Like you, I did have a bolt freeze up on me. Use anti-seize on every bolt like Gobi recommends.

 

@HunterD4Runner

What non-listed options are available by Gobi? When I called and asked that question in January, they said that the "no-rise" was the only non-listed option.

 

AFAIK no-riser is the only non listed option

 

Other than the No Rise option, I've read about people claiming to forego the front lightbar support beams. There are also some non-listed fabrications that you can get, and that is more of what I was referring to. Had I known they had more than their website listed, I probably would've ordered my rack with a custom fab to support a KCHilites Pro-6 LED Light Pod Bar. I'll still probably do so, but taking care of it all at once decreases the overall wait time. I vaguely remember reading about some other stuff. I'll see if I can find it and get back to you sometime.

 

do you mean the vertical up rights on front of rack ? Thought those are removed for light bar option ?

 

Great post! Mine just came today. Can't wait to throw it on!!!!


MW

 

Congrats!

 

Where are you at in Missouri? I’ve seen a red pro in the St. Louis County area which is where I live.

I ordered my rack on October 5th. Was told it would be late April to mid May before I get it.

Oh and

 

I gotchu

 

That looks good!

 

Which wheels are those? They look like the same I just ordered Method MR315’s.

 

Nice work. Would have recommended against using silicone sealant, especially if it was not in the installation instructions. Some silicone sealants are acetic and will destroy paint. Besides that, you may have created pockets for moisture to intrude and be unable to drain from. It could lead to runaway corrosion. Plus it's just damn difficult to remove and scrape off if you decide to remove the rack at a later date.

 

I just installed mine over the weekend, and other than a small gap in the rear mount, it came out pretty well. Did you use anti-seize on absolutely every screw, or just the ones that mount into the roof? I only did the ones that go directly into the roof, not the bracket to rack ones. Should I redo?

MW

 

Here's a pretty informative video for those who have roof racks.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r32xd9z4SZ4

 

The Hilux and the 4Runner have complete different mounting systems (bolts vs. rivets) so it's kind of apples to oranges.

 

True, but being aware of the vehicles load rating is still a good idea. It would be fantastic if you could put an unlimited amount of weight on the roof of a T4R, but I doubt that's the case.

 

I'd recommend next time adding your intention of a PSA with context. I would of left it alone if there was a disclaimer of, "Hey not our vehicle but keep static and dynamic loads in mind which is X or can be found on page whatever in the manual". But to leave an open ended link for people that simply have roof racks could lead some of our newer members to shy away from Gobi or other vendors.

I promise I'm not being an ass, just best practices for new peeps.

 

Sorry, that wasn't my intent. I like to learn from other people's experiences, both good and bad.

Thought the video was interesting. Nothing more nothing less.