rx7 jeff could you please take some photos of the holes where the canadas rack mount ?how deep are they?are they premolded into the roof or could they be mounted in a us roof?as i have stated canadas roof structure has to be different on the inside so the bolt has to have a real secure area not just bolted to the sheet metal.anyway please provide more info as alot of usa drivers believe they have the same roof structure internally thanks.
Roof Rack installation
- Thread starter WWScout
- Start date
With the upmost respect, I don't know why you think the roofs would be structurally different,...I don't think they are.
FYI there are also four steel brackets with welded on studs which mount through the US roof to further brace the US style roofrack,...and like I shared previously the US strips are backed with a substantial metal frame, and that has welded on steel studs too?!.
I'm not positive but I think you could almost lift the entire car with that roofrack.
Let's not forget that most all aftermarket racks are "held" on with folded metal brakets/pads and a folded over 1/4" J-bolt on each corner.
The Candian fill strips are held on with plastic clips, 5 per side, these clips are glued into the roof "grooves",...
As for the holes, when I installed the US style rack I just layed the US strips with their studs down on the roof and marked with a felt pen on peices of masking tape I had put on the side of the roof "grooves" and guesstimated the hole local,...dead center in the bottom of the groove.
Everything fit perfect,...no clearance problems inside or out.
FYI there are also four steel brackets with welded on studs which mount through the US roof to further brace the US style roofrack,...and like I shared previously the US strips are backed with a substantial metal frame, and that has welded on steel studs too?!.
I'm not positive but I think you could almost lift the entire car with that roofrack.
Let's not forget that most all aftermarket racks are "held" on with folded metal brakets/pads and a folded over 1/4" J-bolt on each corner.
The Candian fill strips are held on with plastic clips, 5 per side, these clips are glued into the roof "grooves",...
As for the holes, when I installed the US style rack I just layed the US strips with their studs down on the roof and marked with a felt pen on peices of masking tape I had put on the side of the roof "grooves" and guesstimated the hole local,...dead center in the bottom of the groove.
Everything fit perfect,...no clearance problems inside or out.
jeff do you have or had the canadas roof racks.you see if you have the filler strips not the roof rack rails i am aware that there are four covers that slide open where you bolt the canadian racks to, this does not exist on usa cars.my understanding is a single bolt at each hole and to remove you unbolt and slide the cover back and you have a flush roof line again.is this correct?i am aware of the usa rack and no way you could lift the car even if you were trying to make a point on there strenght they are bolted to sheet metal with no support structure 4 six mm bolts a side.canada p5 do not have roof rack rails where the usa do and this is where the cross bars attach to, so anyone who has installed the filler strips that run the full lenght if they were from canada had to wonder about the four little covers that slide.this is wher the candian thule racks single bolt mount to.there has to be a structure inside that support the racks anyway no offense taken i would love to mount the canadas factory rack on a usa car but i do not believe it is possible.if anyone has done it show me the pictures and steps taken.
Under those 4 plastic covers on the Canadian fill strips there IS a threaded mounting point. That mounting point(a threaded/weldon steel insert) is on a 4-5"steel bracket that has two threaded studs, one on each end,...those studs go through the roof and bolt up from the inside.
In other words the rack cross pieces are not actually bolting down to the strips, but to the brackets with are in turn bolted to the roof.
In other words the rack cross pieces are not actually bolting down to the strips, but to the brackets with are in turn bolted to the roof.
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aahh,...I don't get it,...it IS bolted to the sheetmetal yes, the factory loctited nuts(flanged nuts to boot) effectively spanning the underside of the roof channels,...not just flat sheetmetal(this makes pulling the bolts through very difficult).
Is there a stronger way to mount it?(short answer: no).
Is there a stronger way to mount it?(short answer: no).
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rx7 jeff,thanks for the info so then if one could obtain all the parts from canada four mounting brackets ect... from canada then they could in theory install the canadian rack.the info i recieved from a mazda factory rep[canada] was that the roof structures were different.the analogy given was that ever country has different safety standards governed by their respective transportation boards.this is why some autos never get imported along with many other factors.i would be curious if the new mazda 3 has a roof rack option and if they are different from a given country.maybe someone could get me a line or part numbers from canada for the parts or a skematic of the canadas roof for the p5 usa manuals show [micro] install and removal of roof rack rails ect... anyway this has been a good learning expeirence. anyone got a mazda dealership where i could inquire about the parts in canada? thanks
If the car IS a US model WITHOUT the factory roofrack then you can probally buy a mazda roofrack for it like us Canadians.
It is the "Thule" style that has been mentioned in this thread. Check for the four(two on each roof strip)removable plastic covers.
If you don't have the plastic covers AND/OR JUST want to save some bucks, trade for the US style rack, there are a lot of people who want the flush style strips. I don't know why you'd want to have to buy the Canadian style strips AND the roofrack when you could get the US style R/R free in trade though.
I know that Victoria Mazda in B.C., Canada has a website and are in to shipping stuff if you want to buy from them.
I still don't know if this is all the answer your looking for, but I'm trying,...I owe this forum that for all the help I've recieved.
It is the "Thule" style that has been mentioned in this thread. Check for the four(two on each roof strip)removable plastic covers.
If you don't have the plastic covers AND/OR JUST want to save some bucks, trade for the US style rack, there are a lot of people who want the flush style strips. I don't know why you'd want to have to buy the Canadian style strips AND the roofrack when you could get the US style R/R free in trade though.
I know that Victoria Mazda in B.C., Canada has a website and are in to shipping stuff if you want to buy from them.
I still don't know if this is all the answer your looking for, but I'm trying,...I owe this forum that for all the help I've recieved.
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I have a 2003.5 Protege5 without rack, but it does have 4 small plastic covers on the strip. When removed, there are holes.RX7jeff said:
I talked with the parts guys at Victoria Mazda and even sent him a photo of the holes underneath the small plastic covers. He said it looks just like the ones on the Canadian model. So, I have one on order.
Really? Cause the 2003.5 actually seems like the same thing as the candian roof rack.privateer said:
I put a 02 rack on my 03.5 with no problems. Had to drill 6 holes and all the places had dimples whre the holes needed to be. It was a very easy install. The roof rack removal how to has all the info needed, except where to drill the holes, but that is easy enough to figure out once the headliner is out.
kdub, I'm in the same boat that you are. How did the install go with the Canadian rack and how much did they charge?
I just found all of this out this weekend. When I bought my car in October, the dealer said it was possible to buy and add the rack. When I called a dealer this weekend they said "factory installed option only." The best part is I sold my yakima rack last week to pay for the factory one to make the wife happy... (hand)
I just found all of this out this weekend. When I bought my car in October, the dealer said it was possible to buy and add the rack. When I called a dealer this weekend they said "factory installed option only." The best part is I sold my yakima rack last week to pay for the factory one to make the wife happy... (hand)
kdub said:I have a 2003.5 Protege5 without rack, but it does have 4 small plastic covers on the strip. When removed, there are holes.
I talked with the parts guys at Victoria Mazda and even sent him a photo of the holes underneath the small plastic covers. He said it looks just like the ones on the Canadian model. So, I have one on order.
