Ford Ranger Wildtrak Roller Shutter & Sail Plane removal

Had trouble finding anything about steps involved in removing these so took some photos along the way. Was relatively simple in the end but a bit of an order to do things in helps. Hope it helps you.

[@sandiegooliveira]

Hi mate, just got a 2021 roller shutter and sail plane second hand and it came with 2 rollers foam/spaghetti look. Would you have any clue to where it goes when installing them ?
Thanks

[@mtgold555]

Sorry, no. Been a fair while since I removed mine and can't recall anything like that.

[@eddy802]

Do you know how to further dismantle the roller cover and aero bar so that it can be more readily transported?

[@mtgold555]

No sorry, sold as is and was picked up

[@chrisduckworth2022]

@Mark at 01:25 there is a bracket shown that bolts to the rollershutter and to another bracket that appears to be fixed to the tub ... ie 2 L shaped brackets that are bolted to each other back to back. Do you/anyone else happen to know what they are bolted to one the tub ?

[@mtgold555]

Sorry I can't really help Chris. I can only see one bracket in my pictures at the point you refer to and I put this together over 3 years ago so not real fresh in my memory :(

[@marcobrigato3729]

If I remove the rear spoiler and roller shutter, can I install an hard top? Is the hard top hermetic?

[@mtgold555]

We installed an ARB canopy after emoving spoiler and roller shutter so don't see why you couldn't install a hard top. No idea if hard top is hermetic.

[@damo984]

Hey mate, do you know how big the bolts were and the size of the rivnuts where the sides attach on??

[@xj358]

The bolts which Ford fit at the factory to hold down the side profile of the Wildtrak sports bar are M6 bolts, 30mm in length. The reason I know what these bolts are is that I ended up having to take them out of my 2019 Wildtrak due to Fords slapdash installation of the rivetnuts which are often raised and bent. The knock on effect is that the side profile then can't seat correctly on to the top of the tub just above the rear lights. The more they torque up the bolts to try and remove the gap, the bigger the gap becomes as the rivet nuts start to prize back out of the top of the tub. Ford claimed it was nothing more than a characteristic of the Wildtrak to have big gaps under the rear tip of the side profile but I didn't accept a word of it. I therefore removed the sportsbar and couldn't believe the state of the rivet nuts and could now see why the side profile wouldn't close up correctly. I had no other choice than to completely remove the rivet nuts and drilled straight through the bottom of the upper box section. I then introduced slightly longer bolts, a large washer and nylon lock nuts. As soon as I tightened up the bolts, the side profile finally closed up nice and tight on top of the tub exactly as it had been designed to be fitted. You often find that people who fit the Wildtrak sportsbar to another Ranger (maybe Raptor or XLT) usually make a much better job of installing those rivet nuts than Ford do at the factory. If they are installed carefully and correctly and not over torqued, then there should be no gap. If they aren't installed correctly then there is not much option left than to completely remove them and drill straight through the bottom of the upper box section and install a standard nut and bolt. Next time you see a Wildtrak, have a look for that poor fit of the side profile just above the rear lights. For every Wildtrak that doesn't have this defect, there is another one with the fault on at least one side of the vehicle, if not on both sides.

[@damo984]

jp thanks mate, about to get a roller shutter off a wild trak to fit on my ranger raptor, your video was pretty, helpful, just in reverse

[@xj358]

@@damo984 Not my video. I just saw your question. Like I said, if you take your time with those rivet nuts, then you shouldn't have a problem with any gaps. You can use any bolts and associated rivet nuts around M5/M6 as long as they're no longer than 30mm in length. If you decide to drill straight through the bottom of the upper box section, then a standard bolt, nylon lock nut and washer will do. I think I used a 50mm M5 bolt when I replaced the original bolts fitted by Ford. What country are you in? Here in Australia you can pick up a second hand latest electric Ford roller shutter for similar money to the manual roller. I don't think Ford has, so far, introduced the electric roller to the Ranger in Europe.

[@xj358]

@@damo984 Check out this video. At 4.30 they stick the Wildtrack sports bar and roller on to a Raptor. Looks like you need a blanking plate for the high level brake light on the Raptor. th-cam.com/video/8qKsLMxudMc/w-d-xo.html

[@TheSpragz]

Is it possible to just remove the sports bar but keep the shutter

[@williamlim069]

Do you know if this is possible?

[@TheSpragz]

@@williamlim069 I had to remove the sports bar and shutter and buy a none Wildtrak shutter in the end. Totally transformed the look of the truck.