i ran into an issue that some others may want to know about.

the instructions tell you to center punch the plastic, then drill through it and the sheet metal behind it with a 3.5mm drill. a few problems with this:

1) there is a rather LARGE gap between the sheet metal and the plastic, meaning a LOT of room for your bit to wander and too much depth to successfully center punch the sheet metal (at leat with my center punch).

2) the sheet metal is not flat! this just compounds the issue of your bit trying to wander.

3) there is a seam in the sheet metal that you have to be careful to avoid.

i managed to get one side installed OK, but on the 2nd side i ran into a snag. my bit wandered to the point that it was just beneath the seame of the sheet metal. when i went to install the t-anchor, it snagged on the seam and snapped! i have e-mailed the vendor i purchased this kit from in hopes i can get a new t-anchor, but i don't have high hopes. here are a few tips i recommend to others to avoid the same mistake:

1) if you have access to a center punch that can reach the sheet metal through the plastic, punch the sheet metal first. it will help the wandering.

2) start off with a bit smaller than the bit recommended, then ream the hole open with the 3.5mm.

3) it may be best to remove the plastic entirely when making the hole in the sheet metal.

hopefully i can make everything right. i'll keep y'all posted.

Mike

 

Very helpfil thanks!

 

good news! clips ARE available separately. thanks to TRD Sparks for all the help. i've got the net installed and it's already proving quite handy.

Mike

 

Did you still need to drill holes or just installed the clips? sorry not really familiar with the cargo net but I really want to install one.

thanks.

 

difficult indeed but in my case, it was bc of the directions. I installed the cargo net last night. you need drill bits LARGER THAN 3.5mm and 10mm to do the drilling. Maybe the anchors have changed size over the years and the instructions weren't updated...?

I drilled a 3.5mm hole and there is no way that you can twist the anchor enough to get it in all the way without breaking it. the threads on the anchor are way too big to get the threads into the newly drilled hole in the sheet metal.

the 10mm hole i made in the plastic was also too small and the plastic cylinder on the anchor did not go in all the way. I used the same drill bit and opened the hole a bit more until the cylinder went in there properly.

took me about 20 minutes to install in total. looks nice.

 

Helpful to know. Thanks for posting