Problem fixed!
First--this product works. There is a NOTICEABLE difference with and without these brackets. Without them my roof rack with a RTT tent was squeaky, rattling and.... Just unpleasant sounding, especially over bumps. After putting these on I get ZERO scary sounds and if it weren't for the weight you know is on top, you'd never know your roof rack.is loaded.
Install tip: have a long/standard 13 MM ratchet wrench handy as well as one of those flat 12 mm wrenches you get with furniture some times. Also having a way to easy lift the top is handy. While adjusting the brackets to line up with each other, having a rachet wrench allows you to loosen and fighting the roll bar mount bolts and line up the brackets to each other without moving the top. You can access those bolts from the front and rear of the crossbar. The flat wrench helps hold the nuts behind the brack while installing the 4 small bolts. Having a way to lift the roof easily while adjusting helps too. I have a ceiling mounted lift, but other people or lifts would work.
Struggles/Suggestions for improvement:
Weld the 4 small nuts to the back of the bracket, make the outside hole openings a little bigger to allow for disparity. I take my roof off all the time. I'm going to lose those little bolts and it adds to the time taking on and off the roof every time I drop them.
Make those small bolts torx bolts that match the bronco toolkit. I know they are small, but I feel like that could have been accommodated. Thankfully the allen head bolts are a size that I have 50 wrenches too, again from putting furniture together.
Having the bolts welded to the bracket to treaded.holes and bolts being torx would make taking the top off no slower than stock.
Even with those suggestions, I would definitely buy it again because it's such a noticeable difference. 1 star knocked for the price and suggested fixes, but again....they solved a problem that no one else has so we're paying for R&D. More people should buy these and maybe the price will come down. :)
