Roofrack questions

Hello friends,

1.
The roofrack of my '91 Chevy Caprice still looks very nice but with some force I can move the two cross bars forwards and backwards. Is this normal? I always thought that once they're locked they're fixed and cannot be moved. Does this mean that my crossbars are broken?

2.
I have two spare cross bars, so I can swap them. Is that an easy job? I've tried to pull one out and I couldn't get them out. Is there a simple way to do this?

Thanks in advance.

Do yours have the flip lock, or the nuts to tighten them? With enough force you may be able to move them. The rails are smooth, and so are the clamps. The nut style may get better clamping force than the flip locks.

Hi Fred,
I believe I've the flip lock. I can push a clip and than I can move the crossbars. They cann't get out of the rails but I wasn't sure if it's allright that you can move them with some force.

The flip lock can only hold the bar to a certain point. Enough force should be able to move it slightly.

To remove the crossbar from the rails, you must remove the rail end at the rear of the rail, and slide it out in that area.

Ok Fred, thanks. I think the crossbars will hold the load.

The rail end that must be removed from the Caprice is in the front, not the rear...my mistake.

Do the crossbars of a '95 Chevrolet Caprice fit the roofrack of a '91 Caprice? I can get my hand on a nice pair but I'm not sure if they'll fit.

They may fit, but you might need the 91 Caprice rails.

I'm thinking of keeping the rails and just replcing the crossbars. So, '95 crossbars on a '91 rails, will this fit?

Maybe. If the rails look the same, they should fit. I have not tried to swap them, but I do not see why they would have a problem. You may have to remove the trapped nuts in the 95 rails.

Ok thanks Fred, they only cost me 50 bucks so I'll give it a try. I'll keep you posted

Ok, the new crossbars are on my car. So, the '96 Caprice crossbars do fit a '91 Chevy Caprice. And it only took 5 minutes to replace them.