Installing a Yakima Roof Rack on 97 Tacoma

[Paul R]

I'm not sure if this is really Expedition tech or not but, I recently upgraded my RTT (roof top tent) from the Mombassa first generation to a newer Camping Lab tent. It has a lot of areas that are upgraded and I am sure it is going to be an awesome set up. The only problem I had was that mounted on top of the soft shell I have it looked goofy and too tall, not to mention the wind resistance.

So I came up with the idea that mounting a roof rack on top of the cab would help even everything out. I wanted to be fairly low profile and I wanted a permanent mount, so I set out researching all that I needed and ended up with:

2 - 48" Load Bars
4 - Control Towers
4 - Landing Pad #7
1 - 44" Yakima Fairing
1 - Space Case Basket

Tonight I took a leap of faith and with some motivation efforts from SAMI, I started drilling into the top of the cab. I think it came out pretty good. It sits super low... almost too low to help break up the drag of the tent but time will tell.

Sorry the only camera is my phone and it was getting dark so no great pictures, but you get the idea...

I'm not entirely sure what I'll put in it as of right now...probably fire wood and a shovel etc... I will be installing 4 lights up top soon, and maybe some limb risers.

 

[lewis]

Nice, I would have a hard time drilling in the top of my cab too.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Looks great Paul!

 

[Rot Box]

Looks great! Now i'm even more jealous :greg:

Hope you like the new tent too. I've heard nothing but good things about the Camping lab units.

 

[Brett]

Looks good to me Paul. Nicely done!

 

[Tacoma]

that DOES look great. I'm glad I have rain gutters though, I would cry drilling that roof.

 

[Paul R]

that DOES look great. I'm glad I have rain gutters though, I would cry drilling that roof.

Thanks.

Drilling really wasn't too bad... The kit came with a molly style insert, so I didn't have to drop the headliner or anything, and I used plenty of RTV silicone. I am confident it wont cause any issues.

 

[Paul R]

Hope you like the new tent too. I've heard nothing but good things about the Camping lab units.

I have only spent one night in the new tent so far, but I really like it! I'll have to actually take it out and do a write up soon

 

[SAMI]

A few more photos of the Yakima rack.

 

[Greg]

That roof rack looks great Paul, I love how low it is. That should help keep gear out of the wind that much more, nice work! I've considered adding a small roof rack behind our RTT just for smaller items too. You gave me some ideas for sure!

 

[MOODY]

Killer. Your Taco looks great. Are those Tundra wheels you are running?

 

[Paul R]

Killer. Your Taco looks great. Are those Tundra wheels you are running?

Thanks! I'm actually not sure what kind of wheels they are Gary had them sitting around, so I traded when I went to a 16 inch wheel... I really like them because the valve stem is recessed and protected.

 

[lostgravity]

Drilling really wasn't too bad... The kit came with a molly style insert, so I didn't have to drop the headliner or anything, and I used plenty of RTV silicone. I am confident it wont cause any issues.

Did you feel like it was necessary to watch out for potential electrical cabling or other issues between roof and headliner that you might drill into when placing the shoes?

Thanks,
David

ps: Hi, I am David. New here...