Disclaimer: This is my first writeup for this site so bear with me. I may not have covered everything, but I am happy to answer questions so fire away if it looks like I missed something in the write up. Hopefully the images will load.
Background
I have always lusted after the SE roof racks for the Pathfinder. They just look so much more rugged and functional than the plastic garbage that came on both LE's I have owned. I looked online for years trying to find a set in decent shape, but never could. Then, while at the junk yard, I came upon a wrecked 2002 SE with the racks I wanted in pretty decent shape. I asked the price, $20.00. I couldn't pass it up. I had a miserable time removing the racks. Thankfully the sunroof had leaked badly and ruined the headliner so I just slashed it away with my knife to find the nuts and bolts. Then came the install. That is what I am covering here.
You have to remove pretty much all of the upper interior panels to get the headliner off without destroying it. Luckily, it is a pretty simple procedure and the parts (at least on mine) are good quality and not likely to break upon removal.
You must first remove all bolts and/or screws holding things in place. A magnetic dish makes keeping track of things easy. The pictures below show everything that has to come out.
Clothes hanger hooks.
Trunk Light Fixture
Rear mounts for trunk cover.
You can, but need not remove the 14mm seat belt bolts. I did because it makes things easier, but again, it is not necessary. A few good tugs later and...
Off comes the panels!
Once you have the side panels off, you can pull off the top rear-most trim piece. It is only held in with plastic push pins and metal clips. Just don't pull it too hard and it won't break. Work it out rather than jerk on it.
You can now pull the head liner down part of the way.
At this point I began working from back to front removing trim and roof rack nuts. It may have been easier to just remove the trim first and then do the nuts, but I had a method in mind and kept to it to avoid confusing myself.
Here are the rear most roof rack bolts. The nuts for the roof racks are all 10mm but on the rear ones, one bolt is longer requiring some creative thinking or a 10mm deep-well socket. The nuts are already removed in the photo.
The next set sits close to the B-Pillar and is easily accessed via the rear passenger doors. Folding the seats down is a good idea. I circled the bolts/nuts in red so you can see them.
More trim needs to come out now. The hangers above the passenger doors as well as the handles for the rear passengers.
Hanger removed 10mm bolt:
Handle 10mm bolts:
Now for the very front. You have to remove the handle for the passenger and both sun visors. The handle and the visors all use phillips screws.
Now the headliner should drop easily. It should still be attached by the roof console (if you have one) and can stay that way. That makes reinstallation easier. The front nuts are a little tricky to get too, but they are just barely more than finger tight so once you "break" them loose, your fingers can easily do the rest. Be patient. I got cut by some of the metal for the air bag. You can opt to remove the A-Pillar trim as well, but I did not.
You next have to remove the Torx screws securing the plastic bumpers that keep the racks from sliding out when being adjusted. I believe they are T25's, but I will correct that if I am wrong.
After that, get on the roof and give the rack a few good tugs. It will pop right out. It isn't that heavy, but is a bit awkward to handle when you are 6-7ft off the ground so be careful not to scratch your Pathfinder with the bolts on the bottom and also don't fall off the roof.
This is what you are left with:
That is my Volvo lurking in the background.
Now is a really good time to clean up this part of the roof and correct any rust that may have formed. I did.
Now it is time for the swap! Here are my two roof racks side by side (well sort of):
I was concerned that they may not fit since they are two different styles, but it is a perfect fit. The bolts all align exactly as they should and I was even able to reuse my old nuts. I did keep the new ones in case I needed them.
Installation is the reverse of removal. Be careful with your headliner. You may need to adjust weather seals and things in the doors that may have come loose during removal.
And now... For the before and after!!
Before:
After!
I think it visually lifts the vehicle and makes it look sportier. The metal construction makes me more confident to load a big canoe on top (that's the reason for the rubberized front and back portions of the roof too), and it just looks better in my opinion.
Feel free to ask any questions, offer constructive criticism, or tear me to shreds. Thanks for reading.