custom roof rack

[XCastleXJ]

so this is my second "i got bored today" project.......... which turned into a 3 day project due to the rain forcing me to take huge and often breaks. (not much space in the garage, had to work in the driveway)

here it is in the process:

and a few shots of it finished and mounted

and in celebration of it finally getting finished, a rainbow apeared!

 

[XJNOOB93]

I like it!

 

[XCastleXJ]

thanks!

 

[Hypoid]

Nice, clean work! :thumbup: It looks pretty hefty.

 

[XCastleXJ]

haha thanks! yeah it could probably support the weight of my jeep. i may have been a bit excessive on the supports. lol

 

[Kiefer316]

if you could make a shorter one i would be in for one. I wouldn't be able to fit in my parents garage if i had one.

 

[in4aride]

looks good....
if that rainbow is from sunday....that thing was BRIGHT!!!!


but back to the rack....looks great....wish i could build cool stuff when bored

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Nice! :thumbup:

Is it only mounted to the cross bars of the luggage rack? Do they hold it firm enough or does it bounce at all?

 

[Hypoid]

You have managed to distract everyone with your nice work. Now quit horsin' around and finish mowing that lawn!!! LOL

 

[YELLAHEEP]

You have managed to distract everyone with your nice work. Now quit horsin' around and finish mowing that lawn!!! LOL

:roflmao: Leave it to Mike to see that in the pic.......

 

[XCastleXJ]

if you could make a shorter one i would be in for one. I wouldn't be able to fit in my parents garage if i had one.

if you could make a shorter one i would be in for one. I wouldn't be able to fit in my parents garage if i had one.

if your really interested, let me know. i could definitly make a shorter one for you.

that one is six inches from top to bottom and its mounted an inch above the yop of the factory rails its about 2 inches above the top of the roof

i could make a shallower rack and mount it a little lower to keep it low pro for ya (or anyone else thats interested).

looks good....
if that rainbow is from sunday....that thing was BRIGHT!!!!


but back to the rack....looks great....wish i could build cool stuff when bored

thanks man! yeah that was the rainbow yesterday, you cant see in the pic but there were actually 2 of them.

Nice! :thumbup:

Is it only mounted to the cross bars of the luggage rack? Do they hold it firm enough or does it bounce at all?

yeah its held on by 4 bolts through the factory cross rails. it bounces a little bit from some flex in the rails but its really solid.

You have managed to distract everyone with your nice work. Now quit horsin' around and finish mowing that lawn!!! LOL

haha. that wasn't my project. my mom made my step dad mow it this time!

 

[YELLAHEEP]

yeah its held on by 4 bolts through the factory cross rails. it bounces a little bit from some flex in the rails but its really solid.

I was just kinda curious. It's a great idea to have mounted the rack between the cross bars rather than on top of like many have done before. Keeps the height of the whole rack down. :thumbup:

It could vibrate/bounce a bit when driving on dirt/washboard roads. Your having mounted it on the cross bars puts all the weight on the plastic sliders on the cross bars. Maybe consider adding two short legs on each side that allow the weight to rest on the long roof channel of the factory rack. Put a rubber pad of some sort between the legs and the channel to keep it from rattling...... :thumbup:

 

[kujito]

I think you should find a more solid way to mount it, especially if you are going to carry your spare up there. The vibes/bouncing YELLA mentioned could cause the riv-nuts holding the rack rails down (where it mounts to the roof) to loosen and cause leak. I caught mine before it started to leak, but a couple of the riv-nuts won't tighten up. Worst case scenario has you on the side of the road/trail walking back for your rack while debating an open roof mod to fix it.

Gutter mounts > factory roof rails.

Just my $.02.

 

[XCastleXJ]

I was just kinda curious. It's a great idea to have mounted the rack between the cross bars rather than on top of like many have done before. Keeps the height of the whole rack down. :thumbup:

It could vibrate/bounce a bit when driving on dirt/washboard roads. Your having mounted it on the cross bars puts all the weight on the plastic sliders on the cross bars. Maybe consider adding two short legs on each side that allow the weight to rest on the long roof channel of the factory rack. Put a rubber pad of some sort between the legs and the channel to keep it from rattling...... :thumbup:

legs are something i had thought about in the process and are likely to be added later if i dont go with another mounting set up...

I think you should find a more solid way to mount it, especially if you are going to carry your spare up there. The vibes/bouncing YELLA mentioned could cause the riv-nuts holding the rack rails down (where it mounts to the roof) to loosen and cause leak. I caught mine before it started to leak, but a couple of the riv-nuts won't tighten up. Worst case scenario has you on the side of the road/trail walking back for your rack while debating an open roof mod to fix it.

Gutter mounts > factory roof rails.

Just my $.02.

i'd like to gutter mount it but that means more $$$ right now.

where can i get gutter mounts? i dont want it sky high like you see everyone elses, can i get "low pro" ones?

 

[jimgrms]

Make your own 1/4 inch rod to fit in the gutters 1 inch flat stock for the legs put rubber hose on the rod ends , and use another piece of flat stock for a clamp and a little bend on the ends to hold everything in place. also harbor frieght sells a rubber paint and you can dip the rod and clamp in that will rubber coat it

 

[XCastleXJ]

Make your own 1/4 inch rod to fit in the gutters 1 inch flat stock for the legs put rubber hose on the rod ends , and use another piece of flat stock for a clamp and a little bend on the ends to hold everything in place.

pic?

 

[jimgrms]

My p/c is to smart i don,t know how

 

[kujito]

I'll have to look, but I might have a set (4) of Thule gutter mounts in the garage. I had to take a screwdriver to the locks @ the j/y, but the mounts are still functional. They'll still tighten down. Haven't seen 'em in a while, but I rarely throw anything out that might be useful later (ask the Wife).

@jimgrms: Photobucket is pretty easy to use. I'd like to see a pic too.

 

[jimgrms]

The idea is from a home made roof rack i saw a while back and i have no photo's sorry