Hey everyone! I have seen so many pictures of GX’s with the Roof Rail deleted, I decided to delete mine. As you may or may not know, some GX470’s came without a Roof Rail or Roof Rack... whatever you want to call it. So the ones that do not have it, have the same drip molding as the ones that came with Roof Rails, but where the supports are on them there are brackets and joint covers. The brackets secure the joint covers via bolts and the covers secure the drip molding. So with that in mind, I ordered the necessary bolts, brackets and covers to get the oem look. Turned out great!! My apologies for the upside down photo.
Thanks for reading! Disclaimer... this is how I did it, and how I believe OEM to be, your info might differ from mine. Please do your own research and validate part numbers for your year of vehicle. I am NOT responsible for anything or anyone. This post is all about what I did to my GX. Please be safe . Thanks again!! These are the OEM Lexus parts I used to get the “OEM” look and function.
The bolt part # is 90119 08C47. You will need a total of 12. When you remove your existing Roof Rail, the Center Supports use two bolts for each side. I reused those bolts as they are the ones needed for this. You need 6 Brackets and 6 Covers. I had to order the passenger side Drip Molding. The previous owner lost it?! Lol
In case you are visual and need to see it. Lol
I like the deleted look. Besides, I never use mine.
Here is what the cover looks like snapped into place.

 

Thanks for the info and pictures. I just got my GX470 and have been thinking about this change as well. In your pictures, I see a light outline where the roof rack came in contact with the roof, but it's hard to tell if that's just dust or an indentation. Did those marks clean up?

 

You are welcome! The marks will clean up, however I have not taken care of them yet. a little scratch removal and some wax should take care of it.

 

I love the look, and this is on my list of things to do! Did you notice any less side wind effect on the highway with the rack gone? Any change in fuel economy? Or is it just wishful thinking that such a small change would have a noticeable effect?

 

I have not driven on the highway since I did this, so I have not noticed any changes. I honestly don’t think it will make a noticeable difference. I wondered if it would, but honestly we are driving the wrong vehicles if fuel mileage is a concern. I had to come to terms with that long long ago. In the past, I have owned 2 lifted 4x4’s, so I am used to poor mileage. Plus I have a heavy right foot.

 

The crosswind thing is the bigger concern, but anything I can do to improve fuel economy is a good thing, this is our go-to vehicle for most highway trips, and it's also the worst of our vehicles on fuel. Considering the competition it has in my fleet, it's a bit surprising, lol.