Roof attachment points on 2014 Transit Connect

Watson Sanders · September 3, 2016

So this is where the Ford Dealer really screwed me over. I was assured by the salesman that the side rails could be installed aftermarket as for the most part they didn't come with the rails. What he failed to mention was that the cost for just the side rails was $1300.00. Then the parts dept. said the side rails were not even available as an aftermarket item. They sold me the luggage rack, which they installed. What they didn't mention was that the rack was for a Transit, not a Transit Connect. To fit the brackets had to be turned around. Which wasn't a big deal as the bars didn't stick out more than the side mirrors. But then the 1st rain and it leaked big time. The holes aren't round but oval. Who would put in oval holes? We tried to silicone the holes but because of how the brackets fit nothing worked. So now I have brackets sitting in the shed that are worthless and still need something. Oh, and the plugs that were in the holes, they threw away so I had to buy new plugs. At least they were only a couple of dollars. This hasn't been a very enjoyable experience to say the least.

AXN-RXN · October 6, 2016

Hey All! I just bought a 2014 TC Titanium Wagon. The first thing that I did was buy a TracRac rack for it. It seems like a nice unit...smaller than pictured on Amazon.

https://amzn.com/B01FZBJOQE

It's 53" wide. But, once you put the load braces in there, you have under 48" of width. So, no plywood on top! But, I'll probably just make some smaller eyelets for one side so that it will fit.

Anywho, I'm getting into the installation. I've read this thread and watched videos. I can go the RivNut route and drill in through the top...but I was wondering if anyone made progress on getting access to the OEM roof mounting points on a Wagon version by removing the headliner? If you drill in through the top, it seems like you should be able to use the forward-most mounting point. I think the only reason that some instruction say to not use that one is because it's under the headliner (for a cargo) and behind the side airbags. Anyone try this yet?

Thanks for any updates!

Fifty150 · October 6, 2016

On 9/3/2016 at 1:52 PM, Watson Sanders said:

But then the 1st rain and it leaked big time. The holes aren't round but oval. Who would put in oval holes? We tried to silicone the holes but because of how the brackets fit nothing worked.

Did the dealer sell you the parts, and do the installation? Or did they sell you the parts, and you installed it yourself?

There is an online video showing the installation of a ladder rack. The installer drilled out the oval hole to 1/2", then used a rivet nut which completely filled and covered the opening.

What you could do is go to Tap Plastics and buy a piece of plastic sized to fit in the rain gutter and larger than the OEM plug, with a hole drilled in the center for whatever size hardware you are using. Use this as a spacer. Then apply silicone around the opening on your roof, place the Tap Plastics spacer over the hole, and install your rack with additional silicone between the Tap Plastics spacer and your rack. Or simply find a metal washer with a hole sized for your bolt, and big enough to cover the oval hole.

Fifty150 · October 6, 2016

On 9/3/2016 at 1:52 PM, Watson Sanders said:

Then the parts dept. said the side rails were not even available as an aftermarket item. They sold me the luggage rack, which they installed. What they didn't mention was that the rack was for a Transit, not a Transit Connect.

There are actually a lot of options out there. The aftermarket has plenty of support for recreational and commercial use racks.

Beta Don · December 10, 2016

I seldom need to carry anything on the roof - 3 or 4 times a year to Lowes to buy 4 x 8 sheets of something or some 12 or 14 ft lengths of lumber. The price and complexity of the various roof rack systems has me thinking I may just do it the 'simple, DIY way' which will cost me less than $100 and be very quickly removable. I thought I'd better ask here to see if anyone can think of why this may not work??

What I'm thinking of is, remove either 4 or 6 of the plugs in the roof, permanently install 4 or 5 inch pieces of 5/16ths stainless threaded rod, using stainless nuts and washers above and below the roof, with rubber O rings between the roof and the washers, both on the underside and on top. A light coating of clear silicone before tightening things up. This would leave me with 2 1/2 or 3 inch stubs sticking up from the roof - Probably next to invisible unless you were looking for them. Should not be difficult to make them waterproof and since I wouldn't be drilling any holes, it would be completely reversible - Just keep the plugs I remove in the glovebox

For crossbars, a piece of standard Unistrut, 60 inches long. Drill holes to match the stubs on the roof, install with a jam nut below and a nut on top - 5 or 10 minutes to put on a pair of crossbars (or 3 bars if needed) and then I would have a 60 inch wide set of bars to lash anything to. A big plus is there are all sorts of things which bolt onto Unistrut if I needed side bars or special things to clamp or bolt things on to.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Unistrut-P1000-1-5-8-12-Gauge-Steel-Strut-Channel-Solid-Back-Pre-Gal-/201737745152?hash=item2ef881b300:g:7xkAAOSwiDFYQyUw

I used Unistrut for all sorts of things when installing electronics on military bases and it's quite strong and very versatile. The only (small) downside I can see to this 'plan' is that I'll always have the 5/16ths 'stubs' sticking up out of the roof, but they'll only be 2 or 3 inches tall and they're stainless so they won't rust - Too small to make lots of wind noise?? Hope so!

What do you guys think??

Don

Edited December 10, 2016 by Beta Don

Fifty150 · December 10, 2016

One problem you might consider is that the roof of the van is not completely flat, but you should be able to work around that. No question about it. Unistrut offers a lot of options to a creative person. I've mounted plenty of off-road lights on Unistrut. Unistrut is a lot cheaper when you buy it from a builder's supply, or an electrical parts distributor. You can also get unistrut with holes already drilled. Funny that the holes under the plugs are also oval instead of round.

VPC 1-5/8 in. x 16 in. Galvanized Strut Channel 4A974_AS02?$zmmain$