We have Roof Rack!

 After many hours of wet sanding and buffing out the roof, I have finally finished which means I can add the roof rack. The first step was to add the stainless steel strips back onto the roof. I saved the rubber strips that run underneath them, but everything was filthy. I started by cleaning everything with a stiff brush and Simple Green. After two passes, they just weren't clean, so i moved on to my old friend, stainless steel SOS pads. Two passes with those and they finally came clean.

It always amazes me when cleaning up old parts that have 50 years of filth, how much nicer they are after. Amazingly, once clean of dirt and oxidation, the rubber strips softened and significantly more pliable. What I also found was, after 10 years of climate-controlled storage they had shrunk by roughly 1/2". When I went to mount everything back up, the second mounting hole was roughly 1/2" short of the screw hole, and I had to cut new holes in the rubber strips. After that, they mounted without issue.

Like the stainless strips, the roof rack and its mounts were also filthy. I was very fortunate. My roof rack was missing when I purchased the vehicle, but I was able to find this one locally at a very reasonable price. The seller saved all of the mounting hardware, including the rubber pads that go between the feet and the roof. I did find that some of the hardware on the roof rack itself needed to be replaced which I was fortunately able to get from the local hardware store. After a little tweaking and adjustment, I was able to get all four corners mounted and discovered that nearly every hole is stripped. So, the rack is loosely held in place while I work out what I need to do next. I'll likely have to move up to the next screw size and grind the heads smaller as they fit into a countersunk pocket.

Super thrilled to see my wagon with a roof rack after so many years. Once I have that resolved, I will be moving back onto wet sanding and buffing out the rest of the vehicle. This will take me several weeks as there is a lot of work to be done there. More updates to follow soon!