I did a search and found nothing on this subject so here goes. With Gas north of 4.00 I was thinking of things to do to the Armada (04) to increase mileage. That factory rack on the 04, the spacing fore and aft is so wide I almost never use the rack. Kid's skiis dont even fit at all. Also it has an oddball sized cross memebers and not many aftermarket manufacturers even make and attachment for them. I got a Yakima ski rack to work by adding some rubber shims but it slides around so much I barely use it any more and just put the skiis inside anyway. Because of the low usage I am thinking of removing the rack. It would probably clean up the look of the Armada too, maybe even cut wind noise a bit.

Has anyone tried this yet? Just wondering what is under there and what size plugs to get.

It has been done by members on this board. I'll try and search for the threads. I have seen pictures of the end result and it looks great!

Here it is - at least you can try to ping Leisina for instructions.
http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18111
http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17928
http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18078

Thanks guys! This seems to be even easier than I thought it would be. I'll try it maybe this weekend and if I can figure out how to post pictures I will.

Chris, I think the only issue was plugging the mounting holes with the correct size screw, I dont know if that answer was ever given, but should be as easy as taking the screw you pull out up to your local hardware store & match up. PS, to post pix, click on "go advanced" beside the "Post Quick Reply", then scroll down to "manage attachments", then attach just like you would on an email.
post pix when you finish the rack dismantle. I felt the same way about the rack, very odd size & shape. I have a 158 snowboard so it does fit the span when I slide the rear rack all the way forward, but I feel your pain. I ended up getting a fairing for the front bar to clean it up, but I had to order the factory "Q" adapter from nissan by yakima (fairing $80, "Q" adapters $40, so not cheap) then I ended up having to modify the "Q"s by hack sawing the tails off & flipping them upside down to match up with a Thule fairing mount, which I also hacksawed off. I do like having the rack so that I can keep the wet, dirty gear out of the rig.
Chris, take a look at this pic if you havent already seen it in the above thread link....
Blizzardmada, did it & made it look right!

going to try this removal on the next break from 2 wheeling.......

I did it and no way am I putting it back on. It really cleans up the look. I love subtle mods that draw you in and make you look closer. This is one of those mods. Thanks for the shot Taze, I ran out of time to pull the running boards but that was next and I always liked those rockstar wheels too. Maybe someday. . .

Taze were in the same boat onthe rack. My snowbaord and skii's fit but the kids wont and even with the rise kit installed the bindings scratch up the roof. My fix is I went to ebay and got two $20.00 snowboard bags. Wet stuff stays contained just fine, and the whistling is all gone. Now with the rack gone it may be even more quiet. To Nissan's credit they did spend some time on that rack. The cross section is like an airplane wing turned upside down, so I guess I will be loosing some down force!

Off topic: What are you guys using to black out your mirrors? Do you sand blast them first or is there a primer that will stick to chrome plastic?

Chris, on my first set (factory mirrors) I took them over to a work mates who does auto body on the side, we actually sprayed plastic adhesive on them (you can find it anywhere you buy spray paint for a car, auto parts store or walmart), then sprayed the factory color & clear coated them. For the second set (BT mirrors) I was a little more impatient & just picked up some color match paint from my local auto parts store, sprayed the plastic adhesive, then the color match paint. I should have put a clear coat on them, but didnt. Mine already have a few scratches.
Ill be honest, I think I would probably use the self etching auto primer as a base if I did it again (or just go at it the right way & get good paint). I have used that self etching primer on several other projects on metal & plastic & it seems to work fairly well, just give it the proper flash time.
Glad to hear you got the rack off... WHERE ARE THE PIX? lol
Hear from you soon.

why cant you just use the same screws? is it because they are too long?