Oooops... fiberglass topper help please

[granny_gear]

Hi all, I have been lurking around this forum for years learning all kinds of things about overlanding and off-roading. It is a trove of information!

Yesterday I decided I wanted to add some racks to a fiberglass cap I have on my truck. I am thinking about mounting bike racks, ski racks, and maybe an awning or a cargo box up there. I pulled some that were in good shape off a mercury mountaineer at a junk yard, and bolted them to my truck topper. I had read a few threads on here about the process and everything went pretty well. Unfortunately, after doing the install, I read about the existence of the topper core... You guessed it, I bolted straight through it with no crush reinforcement.?‍♂️ I didn't go crazy on the torque on the bolts, just snug with a philips.

So the question is: how bad is it that I have roof racks bolted through the core? Are we talking catastrophic failure fly off at 80mph or might develop cracks and leak? The latter is a chance I am willing to take, but I REALLY don't want to cause an accident because I am too cheap to buy a new topper.

Thanks for the help all. I wish I had done more reading before I drilled holes in this thing!

 

[granny_gear]

@Howard70 you seemed to drop some knowledge on this subject in this post https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/mounting-thule-tracks-on-shell-iso-advice.371/post-54270

 

[granny_gear]

Is it worth just removing and doing the epoxy trick? should I also reinforce the inside with some aluminum bar or something?

 

[Ducstrom]

What about drilling the holes a little larger and epoxy bed pillars through the canopy. Then run a 2"wide flat bar of aluminum on the inside of the topper and bolt it all back together with some extra sealant in the pillar holes.

 

[granny_gear]

What about drilling the holes a little larger and epoxy bed pillars through the canopy. Then run a 2"wide flat bar of aluminum on the inside of the topper and bolt it all back together with some extra sealant in the pillar holes.

I think this is my plan. I feel like after doing this it will be at least as strong as the suggested installation technique.

 

[granny_gear]

Circling back here: I did add some epoxy pillars, and some aluminum on the inside. I have yet to get a chance to get off road, but I have driven ~1500 highway miles with a basket and awning on this thing and have had zero issues. Still no leaks or visible cracks. Thanks for the help all!