Kinda Urgent: Thule box repair Bad cracks

[XXX-er]

What exactly did you do here? I have a similar situation cheap box that needs a small repair exactly like this. Don’t have a plastic welder and don’t really want to buy one so wondering what I can get away with using just tape and g flex (if anything)

tape the box together on the outside, slather slow set over sticky drywall tape or FG cloth or even dryer sheets on the inside, remove the tape after it cures

at some point UV/ vibration/ the odd loading mishap will damage the box so i would save the repairs up to do once a year, I probably had about 20 repair jobs on my box then someone stole the box and the car under it

[Wes Mantooth]

tape the box together on the outside, slather slow set over sticky drywall tape or FG cloth or even dryer sheets on the inside, remove the tape after it cures

at some point UV/ vibration/ the odd loading mishap will damage the box so i would save the repairs up to do once a year, I probably had about 20 repair jobs on my box then someone stole the box and the car under it

Cool thanks I’ll try that method. It’s a small crack but I’d like to get it patched

Also want to repaint the box. Any particular paint people have found works well on these? Thinking either bed liner, plastic specific spray paint, or plasti dip. I don’t really care if it looks super great or chips, it’s just a mess with peeling clear coat right now so that can be improved

[waveshello]

Yes. That's basically what I did. I closed up the cracks as best I could using heat gun, zip ties, and hand pressure, then used same stuff plastic welder to tack the edges back together. It only works if the surfaces are touching, and it bonds the ABS in about 20 seconds.





That essentially just holds everything in place for the epoxy. I taped the exterior, then mixed up some gflex and painted it in to the cracks and holes I drilled:



Cut FG surfboard cloth to size, layed out on wax paper and poured on the gflex:





Peel FG up and apply to prepped interior, I used a heat gun to encourage the epoxy to fully wet out the FG and to help it run in to the holes and cracks. Hair dryer or torch would also work.



When it's dry peel the tape and sand/paint if you feel like it, haven't decided if I'll repaint or not... First I'll try to get all the latex paint from PO's garage off.





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[Micol]

^ this is the way

fuk them drier sheets

[XXX-er]

Cool thanks I’ll try that method. It’s a small crack but I’d like to get it patched

Also want to repaint the box. Any particular paint people have found works well on these? Thinking either bed liner, plastic specific spray paint, or plasti dip. I don’t really care if it looks super great or chips, it’s just a mess with peeling clear coat right now so that can be improved

whatever stickers you got will hide the mess

[waveshello]

Glamour shot. Denatured alchy took the latex paint off without much effort. I don't think I'll repaint, maybe a couple stickers... but they don't stick to this Thule aero plastic very well.


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[Wes Mantooth]

Got around to some other crack repairs today and discovered this fucker on my box. Anyone fixed one in this area? It scares me since it’s a higher stress spot

I started prepping it for the epoxy/drywall tape method but not sure if the zip tie approach would be stronger for this. Also a tricky area to epoxy with all the angles and allowing for the track to continue sliding.

Or is the box done…




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[skis_the_trees]

I think you should be OK to sand and do a good fix with fiberglass cloth and epoxy or polyester resin. I haven't fix a box in a while but did countless boat and surfboard repairs at one time, so speaking from my experience with the latter.

[The Tortoise]

I dunno,, with the crack around most of the mounting area I'd be tempted to just get a new box. Even if its just for the peace of mind

That looks fairly sketchy to me.

[californiagrown]

Im new to the rooftop box thing. Ive lived the nice childless life where i just always had one of the rear seats in my 4runner removed so i could easily chuck a few pair of skis and a dog in the back, and sometimes a friend (and then wife) upfront. But, now ive got a wife and kid and that configuration doesnt work, so i got a used box off CG. It seems like the skis will rattle around A LOT up there. Im not so much worried about top sheet chips or anything (tools not jewels), but its gotta be loud AF driving over packed snow washboard.

Do folks gerry rig bungie cords tied downs or anything? I was thinking about using some leftover pool noodle foam (from baby proofing) to rest the skis on and bungie cords as a tie-down, sound dampening setup up there. Is that more hassle than its worth, or does that sound like a good idea?

[californiagrown]

Cool thanks I’ll try that method. It’s a small crack but I’d like to get it patched

Also want to repaint the box. Any particular paint people have found works well on these? Thinking either bed liner, plastic specific spray paint, or plasti dip. I don’t really care if it looks super great or chips, it’s just a mess with peeling clear coat right now so that can be improved

Whatever you do, make sure to paint it RED, or your leaving mpg on the table.

[El Chupacabra]

Im new to the rooftop box thing. Ive lived the nice childless life where i just always had one of the rear seats in my 4runner removed so i could easily chuck a few pair of skis and a dog in the back, and sometimes a friend (and then wife) upfront. But, now ive got a wife and kid and that configuration doesnt work, so i got a used box off CG. It seems like the skis will rattle around A LOT up there. Im not so much worried about top sheet chips or anything (tools not jewels), but its gotta be loud AF driving over packed snow washboard.

Do folks gerry rig bungie cords tied downs or anything? I was thinking about using some leftover pool noodle foam (from baby proofing) to rest the skis on and bungie cords as a tie-down, sound dampening setup up there. Is that more hassle than its worth, or does that sound like a good idea?

They rattle around. I only really use roof boxes for road trips, so there's usually a lot of crap stuffed up there with the skis, which helps. An old towel or two helps keep the rattle quieter and helps keep the bindings from beating up each other.

Also useful for wiping off snow before loading for a long drive. A wet roof box seems like it'll rust edges faster than any other storage.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Im new to the rooftop box thing. Ive lived the nice childless life where i just always had one of the rear seats in my 4runner removed so i could easily chuck a few pair of skis and a dog in the back, and sometimes a friend (and then wife) upfront. But, now ive got a wife and kid and that configuration doesnt work, so i got a used box off CG. It seems like the skis will rattle around A LOT up there. Im not so much worried about top sheet chips or anything (tools not jewels), but its gotta be loud AF driving over packed snow washboard.

Do folks gerry rig bungie cords tied downs or anything? I was thinking about using some leftover pool noodle foam (from baby proofing) to rest the skis on and bungie cords as a tie-down, sound dampening setup up there. Is that more hassle than its worth, or does that sound like a good idea?

I rolled out an old closed cell sleeping pad on the bottom, can’t hear anything


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[XXX-er]

i would be tempted to take the hardware off for the fix and pop rivet it back in place

you can either fix it on the INSIDE with epoxy/FG

or the plastic welder/ drama approach

IME the loose skis in a box will move around and crack the plastic especialy when the box is older and gets weakened by UV

[apex dave]

I don't know about your Thule box but mine is made of ABS just like your black plumbing. Use ABS pipe pieces and cement to back support and glue it back together.

[Wes Mantooth]

i would be tempted to take the hardware off for the fix and pop rivet it back in place

you can either fix it on the INSIDE with epoxy/FG

or the plastic welder/ drama approach

IME the loose skis in a box will move around and crack the plastic especialy when the box is older and gets weakened by UV

What’s the reasoning for inside aside from appearance? UV degradation of epoxy? I feel like I can get at the area much better from the outside and it’ll make it easier to keep the fg tape stuck down while the epoxy is wet


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[toast2266]

Im new to the rooftop box thing. Ive lived the nice childless life where i just always had one of the rear seats in my 4runner removed so i could easily chuck a few pair of skis and a dog in the back, and sometimes a friend (and then wife) upfront. But, now ive got a wife and kid and that configuration doesnt work, so i got a used box off CG. It seems like the skis will rattle around A LOT up there. Im not so much worried about top sheet chips or anything (tools not jewels), but its gotta be loud AF driving over packed snow washboard.

Do folks gerry rig bungie cords tied downs or anything? I was thinking about using some leftover pool noodle foam (from baby proofing) to rest the skis on and bungie cords as a tie-down, sound dampening setup up there. Is that more hassle than its worth, or does that sound like a good idea?

I bolted a 2x6 width wise into the box. I cut a couple of deep notches into the 2x6 so the skis slot into it. The notches aren't tight on the skis - the skis can still wiggle around a bit, but they're not smashing around all over the box, and they're much quieter in there. The 2x6 isn't the full width as the box, so poles nestle down in next to it. There's 2 sets of notches in the 2x6, so it'll hold 2 sets of skis neatly. If I need more skis in there, they get piled on top, but at that point there's enough crap in the box that things bang around a lot less.

[XXX-er]

What’s the reasoning for inside aside from appearance? UV degradation of epoxy? I feel like I can get at the area much better from the outside and it’ll make it easier to keep the fg tape stuck down while the epoxy is wet


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I put the patches on the inside and a sticker on the outside for appearance

I don't think it really matters from a strength POV, but the box was on the car continuously for 10yrs carrying kayak paddles or other long shit so the box lived up there in the UV, the whole fucking thing was slowly degrading and i collected probably 18 or 20 fixes in the end, i used to do them once a year, it was like ongoing coreshots on yer Thule box

FG tape or mat doesnt really like to bend/ conform itself around those funky corners and i was often fixing a blown corner which is why I started using the dryer sheet which is actulay very strong stuff & conforms easier than a thicker FG mat, I never had any repair fail with FG/ dryer sheet/ epoxy what failed was the car got ripped off

Of course XXX-er is high on tolulene 24/7 so none of his ideas could work ? consider if something doesnt work I would be too embarassed to tell you or i would tell you not to do that

[AK47bp]

I bolted a 2x6 width wise into the box. I cut a couple of deep notches into the 2x6 so the skis slot into it. The notches aren't tight on the skis - the skis can still wiggle around a bit, but they're not smashing around all over the box, and they're much quieter in there. The 2x6 isn't the full width as the box, so poles nestle down in next to it. There's 2 sets of notches in the 2x6, so it'll hold 2 sets of skis neatly. If I need more skis in there, they get piled on top, but at that point there's enough crap in the box that things bang around a lot less.

Bungee is pretty simple and quick if you have something to hook them on






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[Wes Mantooth]

I put the patches on the inside and a sticker on the outside for appearance

I don't think it really matters from a strength POV, but the box was on the car continuously for 10yrs carrying kayak paddles or other long shit so the box lived up there in the UV, the whole fucking thing was slowly degrading and i collected probably 18 or 20 fixes in the end, i used to do them once a year, it was like ongoing coreshots on yer Thule box

FG tape or mat doesnt really like to bend/ conform itself around those funky corners and i was often fixing a blown corner which is why I started using the dryer sheet which is actulay very strong stuff & conforms easier than a thicker FG mat, I never had any repair fail with FG/ dryer sheet/ epoxy what failed was the car got ripped off

Of course XXX-er is high on tolulene 24/7 so none of his ideas could work ? consider if something doesnt work I would be too embarassed to tell you or i would tell you not to do that

I was able to get some FG tape and epoxy in there on the inside but might try dryer sheets next time for that same reason. Once the tape gets wet it loses all stickiness so on the other repair I did last night had to cover it in parchment paper and tape objects in there to press it into the various grooves and corners. Came out pretty nice though


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[skis_the_trees]

The Thule boxes have built in cam buckle straps to hold the skis down (they loop through the inside portion of the bar clamps). It works pretty well. Most of the time I don't bother for a 25min ride to the hill, but they're there if needed. I forget if my Yakima box has them or not.

The closed cell foam mat referenced above works well as does and old yoga mat from the thrift shop.

[SB]

Got around to some other crack repairs today and discovered this fucker on my box. Anyone fixed one in this area? It scares me since it’s a higher stress spot

I started prepping it for the epoxy/drywall tape method but not sure if the zip tie approach would be stronger for this. Also a tricky area to epoxy with all the angles and allowing for the track to continue sliding.

Or is the box done…




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I wood do both inside and outside repairs to that one. Heat cured epoxy is always stronger. How old is your box?

Are the other mounting clamp areas damaged?

Good luck and post up your results.

I have the same box and at one time had the same skis in your avatar.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I cracked this box a while back when my garage door decided to open most of the way. I never found that one missing piece. Any advice on how to repair? Not urgent as I have another (old and patched up) box that I prefer anyway. If someone around here (Boulder county) wants to take on the project you can have it for a 6 pack.

Oops. Here's the pic:



Model is Thule Evolution. It is on the long and narrow side of things.

[skis_the_trees]

My advice would be fiberglass cloth and resin, you can easily cover over the missing section. If you can tape the sections in place from one side you can glass the other side 1st to hold things, then when that sets up glass the 2nd side to make it more robust. Tape out a margin 2" from the edge of the cracks, sand with course sandpaper, fiberglass it with the stuff from Home Depot (you could go fancier, but not required) with a couple layers of biweave glass, going up over your tape margin. Cut with a sharp razor blade right at your tape margin when the resin is gelled but not fully hard (which prob takes 24h) and you won't even have to sand the edges after. You can smooth it out with a final coat of smooth resin only if you don't like the look of the glass weave. Then at any point after hit it with a little gray paint to prevent the glass job from turning yellow in the UV light.

[tuco]

http://https://easyabsrepair.com/