Thank you for purchasing a Barkow glass/stone carrier. With proper care, your glass/stone carrier should give you many years of dependable service. Please read the following instructions carefully before you begin installation.
Parts List
- Glass/stone carrier(s) with stakes
- Rubber shims for mount rail (qty 2 or 3)
- 36″ vinyl grommet for gas tank filler cutout
- ⅜” x 1½” hex head bolts for lower mount bars (qty 4)
- ⅜” x 1″ hex head bolts for upper mounting bracket (qty 4)
- ⅜” x 1½” hex head bolts (qty 4 or 5, depending on length of upper mount rail)
- 2″ diameter stainless steel washers
- ⅜” flat washers (qty 18)
- ⅜” lock washers (qty 13)
- ⅜” hex nuts (qty 13)
- Upper mount brackets standard roof (qty 2 for single racks and 4 for double racks
- Lower mount bars (qty 2 or 3 for single rack and 4 or 5 for double racks, unless additional lower mount bars specified in order)
Installation Instructions
Step 1 – Position the Carrier
- Identify the front of the glass/stone carrier by the fixed front stop.
- Place the carrier up against the side of the van with the upper mount rail about ½” below the rain gutter. Use blocking underneath the ledgeboard to support the carrier. Make sure the carrier does not interfere with the opening of the vehicle door, and that a vertical post of the carrier does not cover the fuel door. See Diagram A.
- Set the angle of the carrier by moving the bottom of the carrier in or out until the vertical posts are about ½” away from the side of the van at the closest point. This will set the carrier at a safe angle (approximately 6 degrees). Make sure you don’t exceed the legal limit of 102″ wide.
Note: On 2000 and newer Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna vans, place the upper mount rail about 3½” below the rain gutter.
Step 2 – Secure Carrier to Van
- From the inside of the van, drill five holes for a 10′ rack or four holes for a 8′ rack through the skin of the van and the back of the upper mount rail. If necessary, clamp a straightedge to the carrier to ensure it is straight and flat.
- With the two rubber shims provided, shim the ends of the upper mount rail to accommodate the curvature of the van body. Ensure that the carrier is straight and bolt the upper mount rail to the van, using the 3/8″ bolts and 2″ diameter stainless steel washers and nuts. See Diagram B.
- Re-check that the carrier is straight. Bolt the lower mount bars* to the van body frame and the underside of the ledgeboard. When bolting the lower mount bars, use the four 3/8″ x 1 ½” bolts provided. See Diagram C.*Note: Many of the late model vans now have encapsulated frame rails. If your van is in this category, you may need to drill a 1″ hole near the 3/8″ hole that is used to secure the lower mount bar to the van. The 1″ hole (drilled with a hole saw bit) can be used to feed the bolt through to the 3/8″ hole that secures the lower mount bar. Some vans have existing holes that you can feed the bolt through. The bolt with the wire welded to the bolt head is designed so it can be fed through a hole. For your safety since the wire is sharp, we strongly recommend the use of pliers and eye protection during this process and when tightening the bolt.
- Place the upper mount brackets on the rain gutter and the upper mount rail at each end of the carrier. Drill holes through the upper mount brackets and upper mount rail and bolt the carrier to the van using the 3/8 x 1 bolts provided. See Diagram B.
Note: The mounting bars may require additional bending to fit perfectly.
