Fitting Roof Bars to Our Ineos Grenadier: A Comprehensive Guide

karenconnolly59
May 16
5 min read

Updated: Oct 23

Adventure Awaits, Buckle Up!

Are you considering roof rails for your Grenadier? Let me share my experience, the reasons for my choice, and the fitting process.

Why Roof Bars Are Essential

We use our Grenadier as a versatile 4x4 vehicle. It serves as our daily driver, helps with transporting items, and doubles as our camping vehicle for tours both locally and abroad. However, we soon realized that the rear space wasn't always sufficient—especially when we used it as a campervan. An additional storage solution on the roof provided the necessary flexibility. This way, we could free up interior space for our inbuilt bed and avoid having to set up our tent every time. Besides, it allows for freedom camping!

Choosing the Right Roof Bars

After conducting thorough research on roof racks and bars for our Grenadier, I found many brands proclaiming to be the best while serving similar purposes. Here’s what I wanted to avoid:

Gutter Attachment: I did not want a roof bar that attached to the gutter as it would obstruct water drainage from the door openings.
Weight Distribution: The weight of the bars, rack, and luggage should not rest on the gutter.
Clamp Designs: I wanted roof bars that wouldn’t clamp around the side roof rails. Keeping those clear allows them to serve as anchor points during off-road adventures.

Ultimately, I was drawn to a design that utilized the existing mounting points for the roof side rails. Initially, I had seen this design on a YouTube channel, but they weren’t available in the UK at that time. Fortunately, they are now!

I opted for the ALUCAB roof feet and bars, available through Buzz Overland. This company is now well-regarded in the Ineos Grenadier community and social media. As an added bonus, they have a local manufacturing unit near my home. Instead of ordering online at www.buzzoverland.com, I decided to visit the Northwich unit in person.

During my visit, I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Thomson, the co-founder, and design engineer at Buzz Overland. What a great guy! Ryan took the time to show me around their workshop, where they have kitted out a Grenadier with various interior storage solutions. They also produce fascinating accessories like side steps, door hinge steps, rock sliders, and more, all of which you can explore in Buzz Overland’s Product Catalogue. It was inspiring to listen to Ryan's journey and see vehicles he designed and built himself, including a 4x4 off-road racing vehicle.

Michael and Ryan outside Buzz Overland — Buzz Overland

The roof bar kit cost £400. Upon unpacking, I was impressed with the quality. The bars are made of powder-coated aluminum and can handle a static load of 420kg and a dynamic load of 150kg across four feet and two load bars. For standing capacity, 200kg is considered safe, but always keep your vehicle's load capacity in mind. (Information taken from the Alu-Cab website)

How to Fit the Roof Bars and Feet in this Comprehensive Guide

Many YouTube videos from Buzz Overland demonstrate the fitting method for these roof bars and feet, along with various accessories. As an engineer, I thought it would be helpful to provide you with my step-by-step instructions and insider tips to simplify your installation process. Fitting the feet and the bars is straightforward. So let's get into the 'Fitting Roof Bars to Our Ineos Grenadier: A Comprehensive Guide'

Step 1: Unpack and Organize

First, unpack your rails and feet. Remove all packaging, and place the small bag of bolts, nuts, and washers into an old carton or box to keep everything organized. This will make it easier to find items when needed.

The big reveal!

Foot and two bars unwrapped plus nuts, bolts, and washers — Alu-Cab Bars and Feet

Step 2: Determine Rail Placement

Next, decide how far apart you need the rails. I planned to use a cage roof rack (46"x 36"x 4.5"), so I positioned the rear foot at the rear mount point on the roof side rail, closest to the rear doors. The front foot was then fitted into the rear mount points of the front roof side rail. This alignment would ensure a perfect fit for my roof rack while allowing for future adjustments if I need a larger rack.

Fitting the feet to the side roof rails — Location of the Alu-Cab Feet on the Side Roof Rails

Step 3: Unscrew Roof Side Rails

Removing the roof side rails was simple, using a Torx T30. I initially attached the feet, which turned out to be inefficient. Instead, focus on just getting the feet ready and unscrewing the brackets that hold the roof side rail in place at the appropriate points.

Use a Torx 30 to undo the bolt — Torx Bolt

Getting Ready to fit the rails

Step 4: Remove Plastic End Cap

Next, carefully remove the plastic end cap from the roof bar. Avoid using a screwdriver; doing so can damage the powder coating. Instead, use a 13mm spanner in the bar slide to knock it off.

Step 5: Insert Bolts

There is a channel along one side and one edge of the bar. Insert four of the bolts into the side channel before replacing the end cap. The edge channel can be used for additional accessories if needed—I chose to leave this for future additions.

Bolts in place ready for the feet — Bolts in the channel

Step 6: Fit the Feet

Here’s an important tip: I struggled to attach the nut and washer to the bolt with the feet already in place, as there wasn't enough space for my fingers. The best approach is to turn the bar upside down, fit the feet to the bar while leaving the nuts loose, and then attach it to the roof side rail mount points. This method is much easier and more efficient.

Turning the bar and feet upside down to fasten the bolts — Fitting the feet to the bar

Step 7: Install Water Seals

NOTE: It's crucial to use the eight small rubber/fiber washers included in the kit as water seals. Ensure these go in the small recess on the roof side rail bracket, fitting between the feet and the side bar bracket. This will provide a weatherproof seal.

Showing where the fiber washer goes as a water seal — Weather Seal

Showing the weather seals in place on the Torx Bolt — Weather Seals in place

Step 8: Finalize Fitting

Tighten the feet, centralize the roof bar, and tighten the 13mm nut on the bolt. At this point, you are securing the rails in place.

Step 9: Admire Your Work

Stand back and admire your handiwork!