I took mine of today but worried that water is going to seep in, i screwed the bolts back in tight....

 

There are a number of people that have taken theirs off.
I'm assuming since you put the bolts back in you have no plans to properly fill the holes with body filler?
If you're not planning on filling them properly and just leaving the bolts in, then use some silicone or some sort of sealant to stop the water from coming in. Don't just put the bolts back in my themselves...you're almost guaranteed a leak then. Clear silicone would be my choice.

 

I did it on my '96 but didn't have the money to fill in the holes so I put it back on. I'd take it of my '04 if I could afford to fill the holes.

 

As Sisk said, before you put the bolts back in put some silicone sealant on them. I took off mine and the put it back on and did the same and never had a problem with water.

 

thats why i still have the rack on mine. i will wait till i can do the REAL proper way, aka having the holes welded, sanded then painted.

i learned my lesson years ago about filler on area's of a vehicle that sees the sun.....

 

If your not gonna weld the holes up (the proper way to shave it) don't use silicone to try to seal it. Go get some either liquid or tape form Teflon sealant. Its made to seal up pipe fittings (water and air), will not sun age/peel like silicone does, and will be easy to remove if you decide to put the rack back on. Both the liquid and tape can be found in any wal-mart or hardware in the plumbers section.

 

I did the opposite and added on to mine!

 

Took mine off, didn't plug the holes, no leaks.

 

after posting this thread I went a head and took the rack and removed the 2 center peices and then put the rails back on, looks better to me.

 

Might paint mine black since they ate getting warn down ...